Студенческий сайт КФУ - ex ТНУ » Учебный раздел » Учебные файлы »Иностранные языки

General Characteristics of Lexicology

Тип: курс лекций
Категория: Иностранные языки
Скачать
Купить
The connection of lexicology with other branches of linguistics. Modern Methods of Vocabulary Investigation. General characteristics of English vocabulary. The basic word-stock. Influence of Russian on the English vocabulary. Etymological doublets.
Краткое сожержание материала:

Размещено на

1. General Characteristics of Lexicology and English Vocabulary

a) The Value of Lexicology.

Lexicology has a practical and a theoretical value.

Practical value.

The knowledge of lexicology is required by philology researchers who study the structure of the language. They must understand the structure of the lexico-semantic system; they must know the morphological patterns of the language, word-meanings and the tendencies in their development. The knowledge of lexicology is required in training teachers as teachers must understand the laws of the language. In order to teach pupils a teacher should select the most frequent words and phrases. To adapt a text for pupils a teacher needs synonyms, antonyms.
A teacher must answer pupils' numerous questions, e.g. What does the abbreviation CNN mean? (Cable News Network).

The knowledge of lexicology is needed for lexicography (the branch of linguistics that studies dictionary-making).

Theoretical value.

Lexicology studies vocabulary as a system and shows the structure of this system. Lexicology studies the theory of meaning. Lexicology helps us to see how our cognition is reflected in the vocabulary system.

b) The connection of lexicology with other branches of linguistics.

Connection with Phonetics. A change in the phonetical form reflects a change in meaning, сf. a boy aged [eiGd] ten - «десятилетний мальчик», but: an aged [eiGid] man «пожилой человек», the poor and the aged [eiGid] «бедные и пожилые люди».

Connection with Grammar. A change in the grammatical form sometimes can lead to a change in meaning, cf. arm «рука» - arms «оружие», look «взгляд» - looks «внешний вид», colour «цвет» - colours «знамя», work «работа» - works «фабрика», picture «картина» - pictures «кино», pain «боль» - pains «усилия» (take pains «предпринимать усилия», «стараться»; No pains, no gains «без труда не вынешь и рыбку из пруда»), drop «капля» - drops «лекарство», сheer «бодриться» - Сheers! «Будем здоровы!» (тост).

Connection with the History of the Language. The History of the language accounts for many phenomena in the structure of modern English, e.g. homonymy. Cf. loven - lovev (< lufun, lufianv); answern - answerv (< answarun, answarianv).

c) Synchronic and diachronic lexicology.

Units of modern English vocabulary can be studied synchronically (i.e. in the present-day system of the English language). For instance, if we study the verb to tell synchronically we shall learn that it is linked with other verbs of speaking: say, talk.

If we study the verb to tell diachronically we shall learn that in Old English to tell meant «считать». The old meaning can be found in its derivatives and phrases: teller «кассир»; pay at the tell «платить в кассе»; thirty people all told «в целом 30 человек». When the verb to count was borrowed from French the verb to tell changed its meaning.

d) Modern Methods of Vocabulary Investigation.

1. Contextual analysis. Compare the meanings of the word coat in the following contexts: 1) my new coat («пальто»), 2) dog's coat («шерсть»), 3) coat («слой») of paint. Each of the contexts has certain elements which indicate one meaning of the word coat: my in context 1, dog's in context 2, paint in context 3. Contextual analysis consists in finding elements of the context which indicate one meaning of a polysemantic word. Contextual analysis shows that in the following contexts the words floor, boxing have different meanings, cf. room floor («пол») - ocean floor («дно»); Boxing («дарение подарков в коробочках») Day - boxing («бокс») competition.

2. Method of oppositions, Lexicology uses lexical oppositions, i.e. it contrasts words or phrases to see the difference in their meaning or morphological structure, e.g. coat1 (in: dog's coat) vs. coat2 (in: coat of paint).

3. Componential analysis. Componential analysis aims at dividing the word meaning into some smallest components of meaning (semes).

4. Statistical methods. Statistical methods are based on mathematical methods of computing. Statistical methods are used for research, e.g. for selecting the most frequent words, meanings, word-combinations. Statistical analysis helps detect differences in authors' styles (cf. styles of Shakespeare and Maugham, Pushkin and Sholokhov, etc.). Statistical analysis is also used for teaching aims.

Linguistic statistics revealed some interesting facts: 1. The most frequent words are polysemantic, monosyllabic; 2. When a long word is used frequently it is shortened, e.g.: advertisement ad, refrigerator frig, television TV.

2. General characteristics of English vocabulary

a) Lexico-semantic system.

Lexico-semantic system is a combination of interdependent elements. Elements in a system resemble bricks in a building. A change in one part of the system provokes a change in other parts of the system. E.g. in Old English the verb to read meant «угадать». But in the Middle English period the new verb to guess «угадать» was borrowed from French. As a result two absolute synonyms appeared in the English language. Absolute synonyms cannot coexist. So the verb to read changed its meaning: OE rxdan «угадать» > ME read «читать». The old meaning of the verb to read «угадать» can be found in the phrase to read smb.'s thoughts (I can read your thoughts). As a consequence two homonyms appeared: read «читать» and reed «тростник».

Elements of the lexico-semantic system are not isolated, they exist in groups.

b) The volume of the vocabulary.

The total volume of the English vocabulary is approximately 450.000 words. The passive vocabulary of an educated person is approximately 30.000 words. For everyday communication one needs active vocabulary which makes 4.000 - 5.000 words.

c) The basic word-stock.

The basic word-stock is the most stable part of the vocabulary. It is the basic word-stock of a foreign language that is studied at sсhool. But the basic word-stock changes as a result of extralinguistic and linguistic factors.

Extralinguistic factors.

1) New ideas in technology, in history give rise to new words which come into the basic word-stock: video, know-how, CD, UFO, etc.

2) Words fall out of the basic word-stock. For instance, knight, bow became archaic.

Linguistic factors.

1) New words come into the basic word-stock after the change in other sections of the vocabulary system. The verb to guess came into the basic word-stock after OE rxdan «угадать» changed into ME read «читать».

2) Absolute synonyms cannot coexist in the language, e.g. friend and foe. In modern English the use of foe is limited to poetry and set expressions, e.g. Friend or foe! Lexical units (words and phrases) of the basic word-stock possess the following features:

the basic word-stock includes units of different parts of speech;

they express the most important ideas: terms of kinship, parts of human body, nature, food, man's activities, main qualities, etc.;

they are stylistically neutral;

they are characterized by stability - most of the words have lived in the language for centuries;

they are characterized by high frequency;

the basic word-stock includes words of three main structural types: root-words, derivatives, compound words. Root-words make up the backbone of the basic word-stock;

the basic word-stock includes native and borrowed words (hand, wolf, face, officer);

words of the basic word-stock make a good building material for phraseologic units. For instance, to go is used in:

to go home «попасть в цель», to go back on one word / promise, to go into details, to go mad, to go one's own way, to go on a strike, to go out of date, to go out of one's mind, to go to bed, to go to school, and many others;

to make is used in: to make a bed, to make a date with a girl «назначить свидание», to make a long story short, to make a scene, to make the best of a bad job «делать хорошую мину при плохой игре», etc.

It is of course difficult to draw a borderline between the basic word-stock and the rest of the vocabulary.

d) Neologisms.

Neologisms are beyond the basic word-stock, e.g. miniloaf of bread, mini-cabbage, teleshopping «заказ покупок по телефону», teledish «тарелка космической связи для приема телевидения», thin cat (a person without wealth, privilege, or influence), hippism, low rise «низкое здание», high rise «высокое здание», to butterfly «слоняться по городу без цели», VCR (Video cassette recorder), deforestation «исчезновение лесов», Russiangate (cf. Irangate),

But if neologisms acquire characteristics of t...

Другие файлы:

Lexicology
Lexicology is a branch of linguistics – the science of language. The term “lexicology” is composed of two Greek morphemes “lexic” – word, phrase & “lo...

Brief course on lexicology
Essence of the lexicology and its units. Semantic changes and structure of a word. Essence of the homonyms and its criteria at the synchronic analysis...

Lectures in Contrastive Lexicology of the English and Ukrainian Languages
Даний посібник включає лекції, які охоплюють програму курсу порівняльної лексикології англійської та української мов. Розглядаються питання теорії сло...

Lexicology of the English Language
This course of lexicology which forms a part of the curriculum for the English sections of linguistic departments of teacher-training colleges is inte...

Field Artillery Materiel
1934 - This text is intended to present the general characteristics of existing field artillery weapons in a manner not too highly technical to be und...