From semantic change to polysemy: The cases of 'meat/animal' and 'drink'

The present section deals with the semantic affinities of two (groups of) concepts, namely “meat/animal” and “drink”. Though not related, they contrast two different approaches in the domain of semantic parallels: while various data concerning “meat/animal” naturally lead to a historical approach, revealing diachronic changes, the links regarding “drink”, chiefly exemplified in French, show a range of features involved in the semantic field of boire, that explain the diversity of its synchronic use.