A Course in Modern English Lexicology

A Course in Modern English Lexicology

Definition of Lexicology as a branch of linguistics • Lexicology is a branch of linguistics the science of language. The term is of Greek origin and consists of two morphemes: lexis means “word, phrase” logos means “learning, a department of knowledge”. Hence, the literal meaning of the term Lexicology is “the science of word”.

Introduction Thus we can define Lexicology as the part of linguistics which deals with the vocabulary and characteristic features of words and word-groups. The term “vocabulary” is used to denote the system of words and word-groups that the language possesses.

Introduction • The term word denotes the basic unit of a given language resulting from the association of a particular meaning with a particular group of sounds capable of a particular grammatical employment. A word therefore is simultaneously a semantic, grammatical and phonological unit.

• Thus, in the word boy the group of sounds [bɔɪ] is associated with the meaning ‘a male child up to the age of 17 or 18’ • with a definite grammatical employment, i. e. it is a noun and thus has a plural form — boys, • it is a personal noun and has the possessive form boy’s (e. g. the boy’s mother), • it may be used in certain syntactic functions.

Links with other branches • All other branches of linguistics also deal with words this or that way. Phonetics, as a branch of linguistics is mainly concerned with the study of phonemes and intonation patterns. Phonetics deals with the sound form or what we call an outer form of words.

• The importance of the connection between lexicology and phonetics becomes clear if we remember that a word is an association of a given group of sounds with a given meaning, so that top is one word, and tip is another. Phonemes have no meaning of their own but they serve (=служат) to distinguish (для разграничения) between meanings. Their function is building up morphemes.

Introduction • Grammar as a branch (=раздел) of Linguistics is inseparably (=неразрывно) connected with Lexicology. It deals (=имеет дело) with the grammatical structure of language. That means that grammar is mainly concerned (=занимается, имеет дело) with the various means of expressing grammatical relations between words. • Thus, in speech most words are used in different grammatical forms

Links with Stylistics • Lexicology is closely connected with Stylistics The subject of stylistics can be outlined (= очертить) as the study of the nature, functions and structure of stylistic devices.

Stylistics • Stylistics, although from a different angle(=угол), studies many problems treated (=рассматриваемые) in Lexicology. These are the problems of meaning, connotations, synonymy, functional differentiation of vocabulary according to the sphere of communication and some other issues (=проблемы).

Links with Sociolinguistics • Sociolinguistics is a quickly developing branch of linguistics which investigates the individual and social variation of language. Sociolinguistics is the study of the connection between language and society and the way people use language in different social situations.

Sociolinguistics • There are numerous factors influencing the way people speak which are investigated by sociolinguistics:

• Social class: the position of the speaker in the society, measured by the level of education, parental background, profession and their effect on syntax and lexis used by the speaker; • Social context: the register of the language used depending on changing situations, formal language in formal meetings and informal during meetings with friends for example;

• Geographical origins: slight differences in pronunciation between speakers that point at the geographical region which the speaker come from; • Ethnicity: differences between the use of a given language by its native speakers and other ethnic groups;

• Nationality: clearly visible in the case of the English language: British English differs from American English, or Canadian English; • Gender: differences in patterns of language use between men and women, such as quantity of speech, intonation patterns. • Age: the influence of age of the speaker on the use of vocabulary and grammar complexity

Links with Sociolinguistics • The vocabulary of any language is, as is known, is constantly changing, growing and decaying [dɪˈkeɪ] (=угасают, распадаются) . There two main reasons that cause the changes in the vocabulary are linguistic and extralinguistic or a combination of both. • The extral-c causes are determined by the social nature of the language.

Sociolinguistics • Unlike sound form, grammatical forms or syntactic arrangements words are subject to change, because the word-stock of every language directly and immediately reacts to changes in social life, to whatever happens in the life of the speech community in question.

• The intense development of science and technology has lately given birth to a great number of new words such as computer, robot, mouse, telebridge. In the sphere of medicine computors are also used and we have the following neologisms: telemonitory unit / a telemonitory system for treating patience at a distance.

• With the development of social activities neologisms appear: e. g. youthquake - волнения среди молодежи, • Euromarket, Eurodollar, Europarliament, Europol etc.

General Lexicology and Special Lexicology. • General L. is part of General Linguistics and it deals with the above problems irrespective (независимо) of the specific features of any particular language (English, Russian, French etc. ) • Special L. is the Lexicology of a particular language (English, Russian, etc. ).

Two Approaches to Language Study • There are two principal approaches in linguistic science to the study of language material, namely (именно) the synchronic (Gr. syn — ‘together, with’ and chronos — ‘time’) the diachronic (Gr. dia — ‘through’) approach. Two Approaches to Language Study

Descriptive vs historical lexicology • Descriptive Lexicology deals with the vocabulary and vocabulary units of a particular language at a certain time • D. L. is based on The Synchronic approach • Historical Lexicology is based on the Diachronic approach

Descriptive Lexicology • A Course in Modern English lexicology is therefore a course in Special Descriptive Lexicology, since (=поскольку, так как) it is focused on the English vocabulary as it exists at the present time.

Historical Lexicology • An English Historical Lexicology deals with the origin of English vocabulary units , their change and development, the linguistic and extralinguistic factors which determine their structure.

• The two approaches are different and interconnected at the same time e. g. Beg – beggar. At the synchronic level they are related as a simple and derived word When we approach the problem diachronically we find out that the noun beggar [ˊbegə] is a French borrowing which means попроша йка, ни щий; бедня к

Contrastive lexicology • Contrastive and Comparative Lexicology are aimed at studying the correlation between the vocabularies of two or more languages (English and Russian), and find out the correspondences between the vocabulary units of the languages under comparison (= сравниваемые языки).

Contrastive lexicology The Contrastive L. can hardly be overestimated (= переоценить) for the purpose of classroom teaching of foreign languages. It is common knowledge that the comparison of the foreign language with the mother tongue is of primary importance.

To conclude • Modern English Lexicology aims at: • giving a systematic description of the wordstock of Modern English; • analysing words, morphemes, various types of word-groups, their structural and semantic analysis from the synchronic angle. • Investigating word-structure and wordformation, the semantic structure of words

Aims and tasks • the main principles underlying the classification of vocabulary units into various groupings • the laws governing the replenishment of the vocabulary with new vocabulary units.