Abstract

The focus of this corpus study was to present how the lexeme bear is used both verbally and nominally by analyzing its collocates and thereby describe its semantic variation. The examples presented in the study are bear (stock market dealer); bear market (the stock market in decline) and bear in mind (to keep in remembrance). The method used regarding the observation of the semantic variation of the lexeme bear, was by looking at the frequency rate and the concordance lines of the nominal and the verbal uses through COHA (Corpus of Historical American English) and COCA (Corpus of Contemporary American English). The study showed that the frequency of the metaphorical meanings in both senses, deduced by the concordance lines, far outweigh the frequency of its prototypical meaning, which according to the OED (Oxford English Dictionary) is Ursus Carnivore (the animal). A possible process leading up to the metaphorical meaning, as in the case of bear market, is presented in order to conceptualize its function and put it into a social perspective. In conclusion, the cultural perceptions of the Ursus Carnivore led to certain specific cultural associations starting from bear (stock exchange dealer), and leading up to the creation of the compound bear market, having a specific metaphorical meaning within financial jargon. The cultural preference in American English speech regarding its verbal uses were apparent when comparing the expression bear in mind to the rather synonymous and equally metaphorical expression keep in mind, which could eventually replace the expression as suggested by the data.