Changes in the Middle English vocabulary: chronological stratification of occupational terms

The article is devoted to the chronological issues of language development. The research methodology combines traditional linguistic methods with new systemic functional techniques for the reconstruction of the evolution of the semantic system. The purpose is to reveal the changes in the semantic group of occupational terms, basing on the dates of the first written attestation of native vocabulary (as opposed to loan-blends and lexical borrowings). The results prove the relevance of dychotomy of occupational terms into appellatives and anthroponyms as to the kinds of nominative function they performed - classification (categorization) and identification (individualization). This functional approach to language study made it possible to obtain new data as to the stages of formation of the semantic group of occupational terms. Stratification of the vocabulary by means of delimitation of archaic and neologic words resulted in creating the vivid picture of vocabulary enrichment and evolutionary processes in the semantic system of the English language.