This work presents a contribution to theoretical lexiocology. On the basis of an in-depth, corpus-based study a single lexical field, that of Dutch clothing terms, a model of the interaction between meaning, naming, and context is developed.
Three major factors may be identified in the study of lexical variation: semasiological variation (involving the various meanings that a lexical expression may occur), onomasiological variation (involving the alternative names that may be uesed to designate a concept on particular type of referent), and pragmatic variation (involving aspects of the linguistic and extralinguistic context in which an utterance is made, such as the sociolinguistic characteristics of the speakers or the stylistic register of the text.
This book investigates the characteristics of these three factors and indicates the intricate ways in which they interact.
