Semantic- The word ‘semantics’ which comes from Greece sema (noun) which means

‘symbol’ or ‘sign’. The verb is Semaino which means ‘signify’. The symbol of the synonymy of

sema is linguistic sign (France: sine linguistique) (Chaer, 1995: 2). Saussure (1996) states that

linguistic sign consists of (1) the signifier, component, in sort of sounds and (2) the signified, the

referent outside of language. Semantic is a term which is used in linguistics, which studies

relation between linguistic sign and signified thing. In other words, semantic is a branch of

studies about the meaning.

Halliday (1985: XVII) states that the term “semantics” does not simply refers to the

meaning of words; it is the entire system of meanings of a language, expressed by grammar as

well as by vocabulary. Semantics brings in symbol using and symbol system outside language,

but the central place of language in human symbol systems makes language its primary concern.

In semantics, one is trying to make explicit, the ways in which words, and sentences of various

grammatical construction are used and understood by native or fluent speakers of a language.

This was used to study the word meaning in the lyrics of the songs used by the 21st

century American music. In addition, this was an instrument for further investigation of the

etymology or origin of meaning in the language used in order to have profound view in the

meaning of the words or language.

Semantic Change – It usually define as change in meaning over the time. The alteration

of meaning occurs because words are constantly used and what is intended by speakers is not

exactly the same each time. If a different intention for a word is shared by the speech community

and becomes established in usage then a semantic change has occurred (Stockwell, Robert and

Donka Minkova, 2001).

 Semantic change was used in the study as an instrument to scrutinize the changes in

meaning in the 21st century American music. Therefore, it aims to recognize if the language or

words used increases its range of meaning over time or it was narrowed its range of meaning.

Further, the changes in meaning in language or words were based on how it was applied in a

particular community or place.

Music- noun.It is an artistic form of auditory communication incorporating instrumental

or vocal tones in a structured and continuous manner. It’s what comes out of the speakers when

we play a CD on our stereo. It is what we hear on the radio. Music is singers singing and

musicians playing. Music is a sound that we enjoy hearing (Philip Dorrell, 2005). In addition,

Dorrell (2005) states that music is something what people create and something that people

respond to. Therefore, it was not just a poem with melody or rhythm we commonly heard. It has

a relation on the language used in a certain place that attempt to understand its essence. It was

used in this research as a tool for further investigation of different rendition in the language used.

Genre- noun. It is an expressive style of music; a category of artistic composition, as in

music or literature, characterized by similarities in form, style, or subject matter (Music Genre

List, 2015). This genre is a particular type of literature, painting, music, film, or other art form

which people consider as a class because it has special characteristics (Collins English

Dictionary). It was used in this research as different categories of 21st century American music

that was under the study of semantic change. This tool conveys the understanding of a different

style of a writer to give his/her interpretation in a particular music.

 Connotative Meaning- According to Leech (1974: 40-41) connotative meaning is the

communicative value an expression has by virtue of what it refers to, over and above its purely

conceptual content. It will be clear if we are talking about connotation, we are in fact talking

about the “real word experience”. Someone associates with an expression when someone uses

and hears it. The fact that if we compared connotative meaning with denotative meaning is that

connotations are relatively unstable; that is they vary considerably we have seen, according to

culture, historical period, and the experience of the individual. Although all the speaker of

particular language speaks the language exactly the same conceptual framework, actually each of

them has individual perception of words.

Connotative meaning is in determinate and open in the same way as our knowledge and

belief about the universe are opened-ended. Connotations play a major role in the language of

literature, of politics, of advertising, and a greeting card. This was one of the bases in this

research to review the changes in meaning in the language used in 21st century American music.

Conceptual Meaning- Sometimes called denotative meaning or cognitive meaning, it is

widely assumed to be the central factor in linguistic communication. Larson noted that

denotative meaning is also called as primary meaning, that is the meaning suggested by the word

when it used alone. It is the first meaning or usage which a word will suggest to most people

when the word is said in isolation. It is the meaning learned early in life and likely to have

reference to a physical situation (Larson, 1984: 100).

 Conceptual meaning means logical, cognitive or denotative context. It is usually derives

from definitions we find in dictionaries. Therefore, in this research it helped the researcher to

identify the semantic change. As denotative or conceptual meaning, it is said that the aim of this

type of meaning is to provide, for any given interpretation of a sentence, a configuration of

abstract symbols, in which shows exactly what we need to know if we are to distinguish that

meaning from all other possible sentence meaning in the language (Cristofel, 2010).

Affective Meaning- It is a sort of meaning which an effect the personal feeling of

speakers, including his/her attitude to the listener, or his/her attitude to something he/she talking

about. It refers to the speaker’s feeling / attitude towards the content or the ongoing context. It is

important to remember that each individual will have a different affective meaning for a word.

As such, only the person using a word will be aware of the particular affective meaning that they

hold with the word. Different use of stress and intonation also provides a striking contrast in the

feelings and attitudes communicated through an utterance (Geoffrey Leech, 1974).

Collocative Meaning- This type of meanings usually gets in touch with the use of some

words in the same environment (Leech, 1974:35). Collocative meaning consists of the

associations a word acquires on account of the meanings of words which tend to occur in its

environment. In other words, it is that part of the word-meaning suggested by the words that go

before or come after a word in question. Collocative meaning is the meaning of a word produced

in the specific context. Collocative meaning produce different meanings when collocates with

different words.
 Stylistic Meaning- Stylistic meaning is that which a piece of language conveys about the

circumstances of its use. A recent account of English has recognized some main dimensions of

stylistic variation. For instance: (1) they chucked a stone at the cops, and then did a bunk with

the loot. (2) After casting a stone at the police, they absconded with the money. Sentence (1)

could be said by the two criminals, talking casually about the crime afterwards; sentence (2)

might be said by the chief of the police in making the official report; both could describe the

same happening (Leech, 1974: 15)

American Pop – In American history of ‘pop music’, it was a genre of popular music

that originated in its modern form in the United States of America and United Kingdom during

the mid-1950s. Richard Florida (2013) stated that this American pop music was not just about

music. It attracts the listener to agree to its advocacy. Therefore, in this research the American

pop genre has further explanation to understand the changes in meaning in language used. It has

a profound effect in music across the world. Pop music has variety of approach that affects the

listener’s interpretation in the language used in 21st century American music.

American Rock- It is a type of pop music that develops out of rock n’roll in the 1960s

and 1970s. It is based around amplified instruments, especially the electric guitar and electric

bass, and is characterized by a strong bass line and driving rhythms. It is typically performed by

rock groups, and while fast dance music is the staple form, slower ballad-style songs are also a

popular part of the repertoire (Houghton Mifflin, 2016). In addition, Thesaurus Dictionary
defined rock as a genre of popular music in the 1950s. It evolved throughout the years and

became a popular up to present generation. Rock music is one of the tools in this research to

analyse the semantic change of language used in 21st century American music.

American Rap- It is said that rap is the musical practice of hip hop culture that features

vocalist, or MCs, reciting over an instrumental beat that emerged out of the political and

economic transformations of New York City after the 1960s (Oxford Dictionary). Rap is the

musical practice of hip hop culture that features a vocalist, or master of ceremony (MC), reciting

lyrics over a beat. Rap music is an example of what scholars have called poly cultureless, which

refers to the notion that various racial and ethnic groups have historically exchanged and

borrowed ideas and cultural practices. American rap was under this study of semantic change. It

was used as one of the devices to recognize the changes in the language used in this research.

American Political or Protest song- This type of genre in America has great

contribution when it comes to American history. Historically, the American protest music

became an avenue to make solitude between Vietnam and America (Laurent M. Quenaud, 2010).

The study of semantic change in protest music of America opened new approach in depth

investigation of their language used and how it became more comprehensible. R. Serge Denisoff

analyzed protest music as a part of popular culture and as part of the antiwar movement in his

study entitled sing a Song of Social Significance. Denisoff’s book clarified and expanded the

definition of an antiwar song.

 According to the Concise Oxford Dictionary of Music (1996), protest song is “a term

which gained currency (first in U.S.A.) in the 1960s for songs which voiced feelings 23 of

protest about some social or political injustice, real or imagined, or about some international

event which aroused strong emotions. This study purposely study the semantic change in the

language used.

American Country – This type of genre derived from or imitating the folk style of the

Southern U.S. or of the Western cowboy; especially : popular vocal music characterized by

simple harmonies, accompaniment by stringed instruments (such as guitar, fiddle, banjo, and

pedal steel), repeated choruses, and often narrative lyrics — called also country, country and

western (Merriam-Webster Dictionary). The American country music was one of the tools used

in this research about the 21st century American music.