从词汇学的角度论英语新词

2005年10月分类号UDC密级学校代码学位论文题目从词汇学的角度论英语新词英文题目研究生姓名田海鹰姓名刘升民职称教授指导教师单位名称外国语学院邮编申请学位级别硕士学科专业名称外国语言学及应用语言学论文提交日期2005.10论文答辩日期2005.11学位授予单位武汉理工大学学位授予日期2005.11答辩委员会主席许之所教授评阅人许之所教授王海燕副教授2005年10月ThesisApplyingforMasterDegreeofW.U.T中文摘要语言随着社会生活的变化而变化。词汇作为语言中最为积极的因素对社会生活的变化尤为敏感。二十世纪九十年代以来，社会经济、政治、科学、技术和教育领域发生了巨大的变化。新的词语和表达方式也随着社会生活中出现的新事物、新观念而产生。英语语言中涌现了大量反映新事物的词汇和表达手法。本文拟从词汇学的角度,采用构词法理论及FUDGE衡量准则研究英语新词这一语言现象。所谓新词是指新创造的词语或表达方式,或是在原有的意思上衍生新意的词语.随着语言的发展,新词会被接纳为已有词汇的一部分,否则就会被淘汰而消失。新词能否成为已有词汇的一部分取决于很多因素。英语中几乎每天都会有新词产生,但却只有少数新词可能被收录到词典中成为我们日常词汇的一部分。为什么只有这少数新词被收录?我们有没有可能判断一个新词能否得到社会的广泛认可成为既有词汇的一部分?又是哪些因素决定了新词的去留?有关新词研究的书籍和文章很多,但是大部分的研究主要针对新词构词结构，只有少数讨论新词能否被社会语言接受最终收录到词典。本文作者通过对大量新词及其产生背景的研究论述了上述几个问题。对于语言的学习者我们不仅仅要教授语言中已有的词汇,同样还要教给学生方法帮助他们理解英语中出现的新词新语。水平较好的学生还应该掌握被收录到词汇中的这些新词的产生方法和构词的规则。对于构词规则的了解有助于学生增加现有的词汇量。为此本文拟从五个章节深入研究英语新词。论文简介部分主要介绍了英语新词研究的目的和意义。接下来第一章是英语新词研究的理论阐述,包括词语的定义、新词的定义以及研究的背景。论文第二章,系统全面地介绍了英语新词产生的原因、形式及分类。论文第三章,全面阐述了英语新词产生的途径方法;在第四章,作者用大量的文字论述了英语新词能否被社会接受并最终收录到字典中去的几个决定因素，提出了FUDGE衡量准则。然后作者通过应用FUDGE衡量准则详细的分析了大量的最新英语词汇。论文第五章，在完成了对英语新词个案的仔细研究后,对英语新词的产生原因,构词规则和新词能否成为词汇的一部分做了总结。关键词:英语新词,新词构成,FUDGE衡量准则ThesisApplyingforMasterDegreeofW.U.TAbstractLanguagemaychangewhenchangestakeplaceinsociallife.Asthemostactivefactoroflanguage,lexiconisverysensitivetothechangesinsociallife.Fromthe1990s,tremendouschangeshavetakenplaceinthefieldsrangingfromeconomy,politics,science，technology,toeducation.Newwordsandexpressionsemergeoncenewthingsandnewconceptsappearinsociallife.AndlargenumbersofnewwordsandexpressionsreflectingthesenewthingsarecomingintotheEnglishlanguageinanendlessstream.ThispaperattemptstostudytheveryphenomenonofEnglishneologismsfromtheperspectiveoflexicologywiththeapplicationofword-formationtheoryandFUDGEScale.“Neologism”canbedefinedas“anewly-createdword,orexpression,oranewmeaningforanexistingword.”Neologismsareoftenacceptedaspartsofthealreadyexistingvocabulary.Othertimes,however,theydisappearfromcommonusage.Whetherornotaneologismcontinuesaspartoftheexistingvocabularydependsonmanyfactors.EachdayintheEnglishlanguage,manynewwordsareborn.Yetonlyafewremainasseriouscandidatesforthedictionaryandhaveaplaceinourpermanentvocabulary.Whysomanyandyetsofew?Andisitpossibletopredictwhichfewwillbesuccessful?Whatdeterminesthesuccessofaneologism?Booksandpapersaboutneologismareabundant.However,mostoftheresearchesconcernedfocusonthemorphemicstructureofnewwords;fewofthemdiscussthesuccessofnewwords.Thankstovastlyincreasedknowledgeaboutnewwordsandtheirhistories,itisnowpossibletoanswertheabovequestions.That’swhatthispaperattemptstodo.What’smore,itisnotenoughtoteachlearnersonlythewordsthathavealreadyexistedinthelanguage.Advancedlearnersshouldbetaughttheproductiveprocessesbywhichnewentriesenterthevocabularysothattheycanmakesenseofthenewwordsthattheywillcomeacross.Teachersofadvancedlearnersshouldacquaintthemwiththerulesofwordformationwhichnativespeakersintuitivelyapplytoformnewtermsandunderstandthosecreatedbyothers.Theknowledgeofthepatternsinvolvedinwordformationwillhelpstudentstoincreasetheirvocabularypermanently.Thepaperattemptstoprovideanexplorationofneologismfromthefollowingfivechapters.ThefirstpartisthegeneralintroductionofthepurposeandsignificanceThesisApplyingforMasterDegreeofW.U.Toftheresearchonneologism.Thenabriefreviewofstudyingneologismiscarriedout,includingthedefinitionofword,thedefinitionofneologism,andasurveyoftheresearchbackground.Inchaptertwo,acomprehensivestudybasedonthereasons,versions,andclassificationofEnglishneologismsisconducted.Chapterthreeisputforwardtorevealtherulesgoverningtheformationofnewwords.Threemajormethodsaboutnewwordformationarediscussed.Chapterfourfocusesonthefactorsdeterminingthesuccessofnewword.SpecialattentionispaidtotheFUDGEscale.ThenadetailedtestofthemostcurrentEnglishnewwordsiscarriedoutwithapplicationoftheFUDGEscaletopredictthesuccessofthosenewwords.Inchapterfive,aftercarefulexaminationoftheseindividualexamplesofnewwords,aconclusionismadetoworkoutthegeneralprinciplesthatgovernthecreationandthesuccessofnewwords.KeyWords:EnglishNeologism,NewWord-formation,FUDGEScaleThesisApplyingforMasterDegreeofW.U.TContentsAbstractinChineseIAbstractinEnglishIIIIntroduction1Chapter1:LiteratureReview41.1DEFINITIONOFWORD41.2DEFINITIONOFNEOLOGISM41.3ASURVEYOFTHERESEARCHBACKGROUNDOFENGLISHNEOLOGISM6Chapter2:AnOverviewofEnglishNeologism92.1REASONSFORTHERISEOFENGLISHNEOLOGISMS92.1.1TheRiseofNewConceptsandNewIdeasinSocialCulture92.1.2NewDiscoveriesandProductsinScienceandTechnology102.1.3TheManufactureofNewProductsinEconomy122.1.4TheEventsintheFieldofPolitics132.2VERSIONSOFNEOLOGISMS142.2.1Neologisms:unstable152.2.2Neologisms:diffused152.2.3Neologisms:stable162.3THECLASSIFICATIONOFENGLISHNEOLOGISMS16Chapter3TheFormationofEnglishNeologism193.1BYTHERULESOFWORD-FORMATION193.1.1Affixation203.1.2Compounding223.1.3Conversion243.1.4Blending253.1.5Shortening263.1.6Back-formation283.1.7WordsfromProperNames283.2ADDINGNEWMEANINGTOTHEEXISTINGWORD31ThesisApplyingforMasterDegreeofW.U.T3.3NEWWORDSBORROWEDFROMOTHERLANGUAGES33Chapter4TheDiscussionoftheSuccessofNeologism354.1THEFUDGEFACTORS364.1.1Factor1:FrequencyofUse374.1.2Factor2:Unobtrusiveness394.1.3Factor3:DiversityofUsersandSituations404.1.4Factor4:GenerationofOtherFormsandMeanings414.1.5Factor5:EnduranceoftheConcept434.2TESTOFCURRENTNEOLOGISMSBYTHEAPPLICATIONOFFUDGE464.2.1Wordsof1960s464.2.2WordsoftheEarly2000s47Chapter5Conclusion51Bibliography53Acknowledgement56ThesisApplyingforMasterDegreeofW.U.TIntroductionJustastheworldisconstantlychanging,soislanguage.Languagesarelivingthingswithwordsconstantlycomingandgoing.AfterWorldWarII,neologismsemergedinanendlessstream.EachdayintheEnglishlanguageatleastasmanythousandsofnewwordsareborn.TakealookatthelatesteditionofOxfordAdvancedLearner’sEnglish-ChineseDictionary(ExtendFourthEdition,whosecontentis50%largerthanitsthirdedition,stillexpandingword-stockispushingin,sowefindanother3,333brand-newwordsatthelatterpartofthedictionary.Manyhavecomefromspecialareas—thefieldofinternetisamajorexample.Quiteanumberofworksrelatedwithnewwordsandexpressionshavebeenpublishedduringtherecentyears.TherearedozensofdictionariesandmonographsintroducingEnglishnewwordsandexpressions,suchas《最新英语新词语词典》，《现代英语新词语词典》,TheMacquarieDictionaryofNewWords,TheOxfordDictionaryofNewWordsandTheNewWordRevolution,whichhavepooledplentifulexamplesofdiverseaspectsoflifeintherecent10years.Fast-developingtechnologiessuchasbiotechnology,computing,theinternetandmobilephonesarealwaysgeneratingnewvocabulary.Activitieslikedancingandlookingcoolareenjoyingrenewedpopularity.WordsfromallovertheEnglish-speakingworld(“worldEnglish”arebeingnoticed,andofcoursepeoplearealwayscomingupwithnewslang.Forexample,adecadeago,aslightlydistractedpersonmayhavebeencalledan“airhead”,or“outtolunch”.Buttodayhe’dbecalleda“404”.(“404”isfromtheWebmessagethatmeansadocumentcouldn’tbefound;there’snothingthere.Likewise,inthe1930s,apersonwhoassumesthedressandoftenthemannerassociatedwiththeoppositesex,esp.forpsychologyiscalled“transvestite”,butin1990s,suchapersoniscalled“genderillusionist”.Neverbeforeinhistoryhastheworldseensuchanoverwhelmingonslaughtofnewwordstolearn.NewwordsandmeaningskeeptheEnglishlanguageinastateofconstantfluxandcontinuouschange.Infact,intheUnitedStates,theboomingofnewwordsin1990shasgivenrisetoapowerfulmovementinthelinguisticfield,theso-calledNEWWORDREVOLUTION.TheNewWordRevolutionistheradicalexplosionofnewwordsandterminologiescreatedbytheDigitalRevolutionwhichThesisApplyingforMasterDegreeofW.U.Tincludes:newtechnology,theinternet,popularculture,youthslang,andnewtermsfromhundredsofotherfields.(Holley,2000BecauseoftherapidspreadofTheNewWordRevolution,manywesterncountriesarespeakingawhollynewlanguage.EventheEnglishspeakersthemselvesfeeltheurgeofkeepingupwiththelatestvocabulary.Obsessedbycareers,wiredtotheWebandbombardedbynews,EnglishspeakersareimbuingtheEnglishlanguagewithnewwordsandslanginspiredbytheworkplacesandhightechnology.Inthe500-Yeardelta,authorsJimTaylorandWattsWackerwrote:“Theabilitytolearnanewlanguageeverydayisofutmostimportance,becauseasdistinctionsbetweennationaltonguesdieout,anewvocabularyisbeingbornatastaggeringrate--alreadyroughly1/3ofthewordsinanystandarddictionaryarelessthan25yearsold!Akeenearforidiomandaknackforcoiningphraseshasbecomethecurrencyofmodern-dayImagineering.”ThoughwidelyexposedtotheEnglishlanguage,nativespeakershavetotakeconsciouseffortstokeeptheirvocabularyfrombecomingobsolete.WecanimaginehowimportantitisforEnglishlearnerstostudyneologisms.WhenwereadthelatestEnglishnewspapersandmagazinesorlistentotheEnglishbroadcast,howfrequentlyweencounterneologismsandhavetoacknowledgethefactthatwecannotalwaysdependondictionaries.Underthesecircumstances,acomprehensivestudyonwordformationprocesseswherebynewwordsarecreatedwillbeveryhelpfultoEnglishlearnerswhoareeagertohaveabettercommandoftheEnglishvocabulary.Therefore,thematterofneologismbecomesanewhotspotofresearchowingtoitspracticalandprevailinguseinreality.Inarealsense,thecarefulstudyofneologismstartedinthe20thcentury.Inchina,thestudyofneologismbeganfrom1980s.Mostofthespecificworksandpapersaremereintroductionoftheoriesfromabroadlackingofmuchoriginalstudy.TokeepupwiththelatestEnglishvocabularyisreallydifficult,thusathoroughandsystematicanalysisaboutEnglishnewwordsisofpracticalsignificancebothinlearningandteachingofEnglishasaforeignlanguage.ThepaperaimstohelpEnglishlearnersdevelopagoodappreciationfortheemergingEnglishnewwords.Itisalsowrittentoinformthelearnershowanewwordcomesintoexistence.ItisexpectedthatthenewwordsandtherulesofThesisApplyingforMasterDegreeofW.U.Tword-formationintroducedinthispapershouldfacilitatetheirabilityinreadingandnetsurfing.Thestudyofneologismsalsoevokedawholeclusterofquestions:Whyareprominentnewwordsoftenjustaflashinthepan?Whyarenot-so-prominentnewwordsoftenthemostsuccessful?Whydosuccessfulnewwordsoftenturnouttobeolderthanwethought?Whatarethequalitiesthatmakeforthesuccessofnewwords?Wordsarenotlivingthings.YetnewwordsappeartoundergoaDarwinianstruggleofsurvivalofthefittest.EachdayintheEnglishlanguageatleastasmanythousandsofnewwordsareborn.Yetafterayear'stime,onlyafewhundredofthesewillremainasseriouscandidatesforthedictionaryandhaveaplaceinourpermanentvocabulary.Neologismsoftenbecomeacceptedpartsofthealreadyexistingvocabulary.Othertimes,however,theydisappearfromcommonusage.Whetherornotaneologismcontinuesaspartofthelanguagedependsonmanyfactors.Toclearthesepuzzles,theauthorhassearchednumerousbooksandpaperstoworkoutsomecriteriawhichdeterminingthesuccessofnewwords.ThispaperismyattempttoanalyzebasicconceptsofEnglishneologisms,i.e.thereasons,theversions,theclassifications,andtheword-formationrules;andthentoanswertheseabovequestionsandfurthertodeterminethecriteriawhichdeterminingthesuccessofnewword.Thediscussionandanalysisinthispaperisbasedonthecollectionofneologismsfromnewspaper,magazines,theInternet,andotherformsofmassmedia.Mostofthewordsstudiedareinformalones,includingjargonandslang,whicharedetailedlyexplainedinthebookwrittenbyShawnHolley“TheNewWordRevolution”.ThatbookisaspecialcategorizedguidetothemostpowerfulandessentialtermsandslangthatarefuelingthenamelyNewWordRevolution.ThesisApplyingforMasterDegreeofW.U.TChapter1:LiteratureReview1.1DefinitionofWordTheterm“word”isusedtodesignateanintermediatestructuresmallerthanawholephraseandyetgenerallylargerthanasinglesoundsegment.However,itishardtodefine“word”linguisticallyandscientifically.Astherearedifferentcriteriawithregardtoitsidentificationanddefinition,scholarsandexpertsdonotagreeonallpointsofthedefinitionof“word”.Thewordmaybedefineddifferentlydependingonwhetherwefocusonitsrepresentation,thethoughtwhichitexpresses,orpurelyformalcriteria.In1933,Bloomfield,putforwardthefollowingdefinition,thatis,“afreeformwhichisnotaphrase,isaword.Awordthenisafreeformwhichdoesnotconsistentirelyof(twoormorelesserfreeforms;inbrief,awordisaminimumfreeform”.AnotherfamouslinguistAntoineMeilletgavehisdefinitionfor“word”,thatis,“awordisdefinedbytheassociationofagivensensewithagivengroupofsoundscapableofagivengrammaticaluse.”Sofarnocompletelysatisfactorydefinitionhasbeengiven.Nevertheless,itisagreedthatfourpointsareinvolvedindefining“word”,noneofwhich,ofcourse,issatisfactorytocopewithallthesituations.Thedefinitionofawordcomprisesthefollowingfourpoints:1aminimalfreeformofalanguage;2asoundunity;3aunitofmeaning;4aformthatcanfunctionaloneinasentence.Therefore,awordmaybedefinedas“aminimalfreeformofalanguagethathasagivensoundandmeaningandsyntacticfunction”(ZhangWeiyou,19971.2DefinitionofNeologismWhatisneologism?Whatkindofwordcanbedefinedas“neologism”?ThesisApplyingforMasterDegreeofW.U.TCouldanoldwordwithnewsensebeclassifiedasneologism?Actually,theresearchesonthesequestionsarebeingheatedlypursued,yetnogeneralagreementhasbeenreached.Researcherswithdifferentknowledgebackgroundsmaydefineneologismindifferentways.Neologismsarebydefinition"new,"andassuchareoftendirectlyattributabletoaspecificindividual,publication,periodorevent.Theterm"neologism"wasitselfcoinedaround1800.Inlinguistics,aneologismisword,term,orphrasewhichhasbeenrecentlycreated("coined"—oftentoapplytonewconcepts,ortoreshapeoldertermsinnewerlanguageform.Theconceptneologismhaswideconnotation,includingnewword,newwordgroup,newsense,newusage,newaffixationanditsderivation,oldaffixationwithnewusageanditsderivation.(1999,ShengMengyingTheyarealsocalledvoguewords,namelynewandpopularwords.Neologismsareespeciallyusefulinidentifyinginventions,newphenomena,oroldideaswhichhavetakenonanewculturalcontext.Ingeneral,neologismsmaybeintroducedintoEnglishvocabularybecauseoftherapidprogressofmodernscienceandtechnology,politicalstruggle,changesinsocialhabits,economicdevelopment,etc.Newwordsarebeinginventedorintroducedallthetime.Aneologistisapersonwhodevelopsaneologismandneologyistheact(orscienceofintroducinganeologismintolanguage.Scholarsusuallydiscussneologismsfromtwoperspectives:thetimeperspectiveandthesemanticperspective.Fromthetimeperspective,neologismsreferstowordswithinacertainperiodoftime,aslongasthosewords,sayappeared20or30yearsago,arestillusedtoday,andhavedeeplyrootedinpeople’sminds,theycanstillholdtheidentityofneologism(LiuShuxin.Fromthesemanticperspective,neologismsrefertowordsthatnewlyappearincommunicationandcarrythenewmeanings.However,thoseoldwordsthatholdthenewmeaningarealsoconsideredasneologisms.Sofarageneralcriterionfordefiningneologismscanbefound:1neologismsarethewordswhichdidn’toccurbeforeandarenewlybuiltandcurrentlyenterintothecommonlexicons.2Neologismsarethewordswhichwithinacertainperiodoftime,havebeenwidelyacceptedbypeopleandstillfindtheirapplicationsnowadays.3Neologismsarethoseoldwordswhichcarrythenewmeanings.Inthispaper,thetermsneologismsandnewwordsareusedalternativelywithThesisApplyingforMasterDegreeofW.U.Tthesamereference,thatis,thetermnewwordsinthispaperisonlyusedtorefertoneologisms,notinthesenseof“wordsonedonotknow”.1.3ASurveyoftheResearchBackgroundofEnglishNeologismThefamousAmericannewwordexpertJohnAlgeowroteintheprefaceofhisbookFiftyYearsAmongtheNewWords,“Althoughthedictionaryofnewwordiswarmlywelcomedbyreadersonlyinrecentyears,actuallythecompilingofEnglishdictionarybeganwiththecollectionofnewwordeversince1604.”TheearlyEnglishdictionarieslikeTableAlphabeticall(1604,RobertCawdrey,EnglishExpositor(1616,JohnBullokar,andTheEnglishDictionarie(1623,HenryCockeramallembodiedsome“hardwords”,whichwereabsolutelynewwordstopeopleinthosedays.Thus,thosedictionariessomehowheldthecharacteristicsofneologismdictionary.However,thescientificandsystematicstudyofneologismbeganat200yearslater,the20thcentury.In1902,LeonMeadpublishedabooknamedWord-Coinage,beinganInquiryintoRecentNeologisms,alsoaBriefStudyofLiteraryStyle,Slang,andProvincialisms,whichsaidtobethefirstbookstudyingneologisminthe20th.Althoughitwasnotaneologismdictionary,itcontainedsomearticlesaboutnewwords.What’smore,Meadputforwardtheideaofmakingresearchonnewwordsforthefirsttimeinthehistory.HealsoprovidedlotsofexamplesofnewwordscreatedbysomeAmericanwritersatthattime.In1920,C.AlphonsoSmith,thedeanoftheEnglishdepartmentofAmericanNavyInstitutewroteabookentitledNewWordsSelf-defined,inwhich420newwordswereillustratedbyexamples.Thishadprovedtobeabigprogressintheresearchontheneologisms.From1937to1940,thefamousAmericanscholarDwightBolingerfirstappliednewspapersandmagazinestointroducenewword.Hecreatedacolumn,TheLivingLanguage,inthenewspaper,Words.In1943,thecolumnwasbroughtintoAmericanspeechandthetitlewaschangedintoAmongtheNewWords.Then,inthenextyear,ProfessorI.WillisRusselltooktheplaceofBolingerandbecamethechief-editorofthecolumn.HewrotearticlesentitledWordsandMeanings,New,tointroducenewThesisApplyingforMasterDegreeofW.U.Twordsandtheirnewmeanings.Warissaidtobethemajorcradleforthebornofnewwords.MajorieTaylor,alibrarianinNewYork,collectednumerousneologismscreatedduringtheWorldWarII.In1944,Taylorcompiledaword-list,TheLanguageofWorldWarII:Abbreviation,captions,Quotations,Slogans,TitlesandOtherTermsandPhrases,inwhicheverynewwordwasexplained.Similarly,ClarenceBarnhartpublishedhisDictionaryofU.S.ArmyTerms.Atthattime,someacademicmagazinesalsopublishedarticlestointroducenewwords.Manyneologismdictionariesinthe1950sareverypopular,especiallytheDictionaryofNewWordsinEnglishcompiledbyPaulCharlesBergin1953andTheDictionaryofNewWordsbyMaryReiferin1955.During1950s,Mr.PaulCharlesBergdidalotofjobtocollectnewwordsaboutthewar,whichbroughtushisDictionaryofNewWordsinEnglishin1953.AftertheWorldWarII,scienceandtechnologydevelopmenthadgreatlyinfluencedthesociety.Subsequently,alotofscientificandtechnicalwordswerefloodingintothelanguagefield.Alotofneologismdictionariesaboutwordsinthosefieldswerepublished.Twoofthemaremostlywelcomed:AnExplainingandPronouncingDictionaryofScientificandTechnicalWordsbyW.E.Flood&MichaelWestandWordsofSciencesandtheHistoryBlindThembyIsaacAsimov.From1970son,thestudyofEnglishneologismdrewgreatattentionfromwesternscholars,manyofthemestablishedspecialcolumntointroducenewwordsinEnglish,suchasWilliamSafirewhowaswellknownforhisOnLanguageinNewYorkTimesweeklyandAnneH.Soukhanowwhowasthechief-editorofWordWatch.InSafire’scolumn,heprovidedaconsiderablyclearexplanationofnewwordsbycitingtypicalexamples,exploringtheiroriginsandperformingtheircurrentusage.Besides,theAmericanDialectAssociationDispatchesintroducedsomenewwordsyearlytothepublic.Forinstance,in1994,“informationsuperhighway”wasrewardedasthenewestword;“cybersex”wasthemostsurprisingwordand“mosaicculture”themostunnecessaryword.Thedigitalrevolutionin1990sistheradicalreshapingandrestructuringofsocialpatterns.“Becauseofthewildspreadofinternet,Americaisspeakingawholenewlanguage”,saidShawnHolleyinhisTheNewWordRevolution.LotsofneologismsthathaveahistoricalsignificancebyreasonoftheinfluencetheyexertedThesisApplyingforMasterDegreeofW.U.Tonthelanguagefieldarebroughtintoexistence.Accordingtothestatistics,morethan20neologismdictionarieshavebeencompiled,amongwhichsomeputemphasisontheacademicfieldandsomearedistinctivebytheirpopularity.OxfordEnglishDictionary,Webster’sThirdNewInternationalDictionaryandBarhartDictionaryofNewEnglisharetheoneswiththehighestacademicvalue.Newwordsarenumerous.Sometimesitseemsasifanewwordhasaboutasmuchchanceofdevelopingintoapermanentadditiontoourvocabulary.Onlyfewofthemwillremainasseriouscandidatesforthedictionary.Booksespeciallyaboutnewwordsareabundant.However,onlyafewscholarshaveventuredtoproposefactorsthatmakeforthesuccessofnewwords.OneisGoranKjellmer,whosearticle"PotentialWords"inthejournalWordforAugust2000alsoreviewspreviousproposals.TheotheristheexecutivesecretaryofAmericanDialectSociety,AllanMetcalfwhoproposedtheFUDGEscale.Thetworeacheddifferentconclusions.Alongwithbooksandperiodicals,thereistheInternet.Inparticular,itmakesmyextensivesearchesforexamplesofhowwordsareactuallyusedtodaypossible.HeretheauthorhassearchedthousandsofpagesindexedbyGcountlesstimestofindcurrentusesofwordsunderdiscussion.Ajumpofseveraldecadeshasshowedusmoreresearchesontheneologisms.Languagereflectsourlife,andtheresearchontheneologismshasneverbeenstopped.Bycollectingnewwordsorphrasesoccurringinlanguages,thepreviousresearcheshaveprovidedpreciousmaterialsforthefurtherexplorationinthisfield.Therefore,acarefullookattheresearchbackgroundofneologismscarriesanessentialacademicsignificance.Inchina,thestudyofneologismbeganfrom1980s.Mostofthespecificworksandpapersaremereintroductionoftheoriesfromabroadlackingofmuchoriginalstudy.TokeepupwiththelatestEnglishvocabularyisreallydifficult,thusathoroughandsystematicanalysisaboutEnglishnewwordsisofpracticalsignificancebothinlearningandteachingofEnglishasaforeignlanguage.ThesisApplyingforMasterDegreeofW.U.TChapter2:AnOverviewofEnglishNeologism2.1ReasonsfortheRiseofEnglishNeologismQuitealotofreasonsareresponsibleforthecreatingofEnglishneologisms.Anynewthingornewconcept,whichtakesplaceinoursociety,mayprovideafoundationforthecreatingofthenewwords.Inthefollowing,fourofthemajorreasonswillbeemphasized:1theriseofnewconceptsandnewideasinsocialculture;2newdiscoveriesinscienceandtechnology;3themanufactureofnewproductsineconomy,and4theeventsinthefieldofpolitics.Accompaniedbyaseriesofneologisms,wecanhaveaclearerunderstandingofthecurrentEnglishneologisms.2.1.1TheRiseofNewConceptsandIdeasinSocialCultureTheimprovinglivingconditionandtheenhancingculturalstandardhaveformedasolidbasisonwhichalargenumberofnewthingsfindtheiroccurrence.Itisnotnecessarytodemonstratethatwiththedevelopmentofsocialculture,newconceptsandideasareintroducedintousconstantly.Sincetherearemanymoreconceptsthanthereareexistingwords,therewillalwaysbenewwordscreated.Changesinsocialoutlookandmannersofbehaviorcallfornewtermssuchasbeatnik,peacenik,andhippie.EvennewculinaryarrangementsdemandnewlabelsandinEnglishtheyhavesomeforthintheformofcheeseburger,chiliburger,mushroomburger,etc.(Anderson,1973BrianFosterpresentsusastrikingexampleofhowfastEnglishvocabularychanges.Intheyear1914,ayounggirlnamedMonicaBaldwinenteredaconvent,remainingsecludedthereuntil1941.Whenshereturnedtotheouterworld,shefoundherselfinatotallydifferentworld:theconditionsofeverydaylifealteredbytechnicaldevelopmentsandsocialchangeswerebeyondrecognition.What’smorepuzzlingtoherwasthelanguagepeoplespeaking.Duringarailwayjourney,theterm“luggageinadvance”meantnothingtoher.Readingthedailynewspapersmadeherfeelidioticintheextreme,becausewordslikejazz,Gin,Hollywood,Cool,noshingandThesisApplyingforMasterDegreeofW.U.TIsolationismwerecompletelyincomprehensibletoher.Nottomentionhowbewilderedshewasathearingfriendssay,“It’syourfuneral”or“believeitornot”.(BrianFoster,1981Let’slookatanotherexample“moonlighting”.Itwasanythingbutnewtothevocabulary,anditgainedabrandnewmeaningin1957astheverbtomoonlightanditsrelatednoun,moonlighting.Timemagazine,beamedmoonlightingatitsreadersinitsissueofJuly22nd,1957.AccordingtoTime,itwasinfactnotjustanewname,butanewtrendandanewconcern."MOON-LIGHTING,"proclaimedtheheadline:"AProblemBornofProsperity."Asanoun,moonlightgoesbackwiththemoonitselftothebeginningoftheEnglishlanguageandevenear