More language change on the fly (UNCLASSIFIED)

[Arnold M. Zwicky]

On Aug 30, 2007, at 9:34 AM, Ben Zimmer wrote:

> On 8/30/07, Arnold M. Zwicky <zwicky at csli.stanford.edu> wrote:
>>
>> i relent, i relent.
>>
> [snip]
>>
>> AHD4 is typical of the dictionaries i consulted in giving
>> intransitive "relent" the meaning 'become more lenient,
>> compassionate, or forgiving', though it's easy to find uses (like
>> mine above) in which "relent" conveys meanings in the neighborhood of
>> 'yield, surrender, submit, back down, give in, give up'.  (such
>> meanings should be in dictionaries as in current use.)
>
> Interestingly, OED2 has for "relent" the obsolete sense "to yield,
> give way; to give up a previous determination or obstinacy" with cites
> from the 16th-17th c. (e.g., Milton's "Paradise Lost": "To convince
> the proud what Signs availe, Or Wonders move th' obdurate to
> relent?"). So is this semantic shift a revival of sorts?

yes, i'd noticed that and am still puzzling over it.  the OED notes
the development of the 'yield' sense (a very natural development) but
then runs out of cites 300 or so years ago.  cut to recent times, and
i find this sense the first one i think of.  and, in fact, some
current dictionaries list the sense.  Merriam-Webster OnLine, for
instance, has (for the intransitive):

1 a : to become less severe, harsh, or strict usually from reasons of
humanity
   b : to cease resistance : GIVE IN
2 : LET UP, SLACKEN

and WordWeb Online puts the newer and older senses together in an entry

   Give in, as to influence or pressure - yield, soften

*plenty* of hits, with things like:

   I relented today, gave into temptation and bought a Fujifilm 2800z!
ocaoimh.ie/2002/09/14/i-relented-today-ga/

(there are also a few hits for "relent/relented/relenting to
temptation".)

the question is when and in what contexts the 'yield' sense (re)
appeared.  that's a question for real lexicographers.

>> the verb "relent" is probably an ideal candidate for developing new
>> senses (and syntax): pretty much everyone will have experienced the
>> verb, but at such low frequencies that they might be unsure of the
>> details, consequently assimilating the verb to the patterns of other
>> verbs in the semantic domain of "relent".
>
> Indeed, much like "abscond" and "accost" in previous threads.

someone should be keeping score.

arnold

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