HERITAGE AND INTERNAL INNOVATION: A CASE STUDY BASED ON THE FRENCH WORD CRÈME

Abstract

Our study focuses on the analysis of borrowings in the Romance languages and on the linguistic mechanisms that condition their realization. We will examine more specifically the case of the lexeme crème, which is found throughout the Romance-speaking world but has developed new semantic values under the influence of French. The analysis aims to highlight the processes of restriction, extension, and metaphorization that lead to the semantic enrichment of the term, as well as the fundamental mechanisms of linguistic change in contact situations that govern these developments.