Abstract
This chapter presents a close lexical-semantic analysis of the vocabulary for different stages of life via a cognitive-semantic approach, informed by insights from linguistic anthropology, archaeology and literary studies. Scholars working in different disciplines have proposed a varying number of stages (see for instance Sanchez-Marti 2008, Lewis-Simpson 2008 or Stoodley 2000).
This chapter will contribute to the discussion by establishing what the relevant linguistic evidence tells us about how many stages of life there were, how fuzzy or discrete these specific categories appear, and whether they are indicative of a more uniform system of thought. It will examine the vocabulary more closely, paying attention to salient features such as associations, conceptualisations and valence for different ages, as well as metaphoric expressions.
What is particularly noticeable about the Old English evidence, is just how closely the vocabulary for stages of life is linked with class, status, and gender roles, and how different the levels of lexicalisation are for particular categories - there is a much larger set of lexical items associated with men, for instance, than with women, or with youth and maturity, rather than old age.