Question

A word that loses respectability undergoes _____.

Answer 1

The correct answer is option A (pejoration).

Words may have two types of meanings: DENOTATIVE and CONNOTATIVE meaning.

Denotative meaning is the one stated in the dictionary while connotative is the meaning the words acquire in a particular context. When the connotation of a word is negative, it is said to be PEJORATIVE. For example, in Argentina, the word "cat" in the dictionary refers to a domestic animal which is a feline and has four legs, one tale, etc. (denotative meaning). However, in some contexts, the same word "cat" may refer to a prostitute (connotative-pejorative meaning).

Answer 2

The correct answer is A. Pejoration

Explanation:

In language, it is common words change their meaning over time, this occurs through different processes such as specialization, generalization, pejoration, among others. In the case of pejoration, this occurs as a word that as a positive or neutral connotation begins to be related to a negative connotation. This means, in pejoration, the meaning of a word becomes negative or loses respectability. An example of this is the word silly because this originally meant innocent or harmless but nowadays is used as a synonym of foolish or stupid. Thus, when a word loses respectability undergoes pejoration.