# Tracing metaphors in time through self-distance in vector spaces

arXiv: https://arxiv.org/abs/1611.03279 · HTML: https://mlsanity.com/paper/1611.03279/

## Key facts

- Cited by 2 papers in the map (data through 14 Oct 2026).
- First posted on arXiv 10 Nov 2016.

## Built on by (most cited first, 2 of 2)

- [Survey in Characterizing Semantic Change](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2402.19088/) (2024)
- [From sunblock to softblock: Analyzing the correlates of neology in published writing and on social media](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2602.13123/) (2026)

## Abstract (arXiv)

From a diachronic corpus of Italian, we build consecutive vector spaces in time and use them to compare a term's cosine similarity to itself in different time spans. We assume that a drop in similarity might be related to the emergence of a metaphorical sense at a given time. Similarity-based observations are matched to the actual year when a figurative meaning was documented in a reference dictionary and through manual inspection of corpus occurrences.