Which kind of evidence would you collect to support a claim that a word's meaning has changed over time?

• A. The number of synonyms in modern usage
• B. Historical senses from dictionaries, corpora frequency data, and varied textual contexts across periods
• C. The pronunciation in a single period
• D. The color of the ink in manuscripts

Answer: (B)

To show that a word’s meaning has shifted over time, you need evidence that tracks how senses have appeared, changed, or disappeared across different historical periods. Historical senses from dictionaries provide documented meanings at various points in history, showing what people understood the word to mean then. Corpus frequency data reveals how those senses were used over time and whether certain senses become more or less common. Looking at varied textual contexts across periods demonstrates how a word was used in different genres and subjects, helping to identify semantic extensions, narrowing, or shifts in nuance.

Focusing only on the number of synonyms in modern usage wouldn’t reveal historical changes in meaning. Examining pronunciation in a single period addresses phonology, not semantics. The color of ink in manuscripts has no bearing on a word’s meaning.