英语词汇学第2讲.ppt

1、English Lexicology,Homework check: reading Chapter I,第一单元 英语词汇概说 一般了解：一、英语的词汇(P1-10) 重点理解与掌握：二、英语单词的结构(P11-21) 包括：功能词与实意词及其分类(P11)，词素(P13)，自由形式(P13)，粘着形式(P13)，词素变体(P13)，词根(P13) ，自由词根(P13) ，粘着词根(P14) ，词缀(P14) ，屈折词缀(P14) ，派生词缀(P14)。,Review of Lecture I,1 Do you really know words? 2 What is language? 3

2、 What is linguistics? 4 What is lexicology? 5 The role of vocabulary 6 Other related disciplines 7 Assumptions in lexicology 8 English lexicology as a course,Lecture II,Basic Concepts of Words with a unity of sound and meaning (both lexical and grammatical meaning), capable of performing a given syn

3、tactic function. Therefore, from the lexicological point of view, a word is a combination of form (phonological) and meaning (lexical and grammatical). In addition, a word acts as a structural unit of a sentence.,WORD,To sum up, the definition of a word comprises the following points: A minimal free

4、 form of a language A sound unit A unit of meaning A form that can function alone in a sentence,A Brain Teaser,Which word is the longest in English? smile ! Or seriously pneumonoultramicroscopicsilicovolcanoconiosis n. 肺尘病,VOCABULARY,Broadly speaking, all the words in a language together constitute

5、what is known as vocabulary. The term vocabulary usually refers to a complete inventory of the words in a language. But it may also refer to the words and phrases used in the variants of a language, such as dialect, register, terminology, etc. There is a total English vocabulary of more than one mil

6、lion.,VOCABULARY,Learned and official vocabulary In the English language there is a multitude of words which are comparatively seldom used in ordinary conversation. Their meanings are known to every educated person, but there is little occasion to employ them at home or in the market-place. We learn

7、 them from books that we read, and lectures that we hear.,VOCABULARY,Poetic diction There remains in English vocabulary a set of words which contrast with all other words because having been traditionally used only in poetry; they have poetic connotation.,VOCABULARY,Slang, jargon & cant Slang is the

8、 language of a highly colloquial type, considered as below the level of standard educated speech, and consisting either of new words or of current words used in some social sense. Jargon are the terms peculiar to a class, sect, trade or profession. Cant means the vocabulary peculiar to the underworl

9、d.,VOCABULARY,Stylistically neutral words There are words equally fit to be used in a lecture, a poem, or when speaking to a child. These are said to be stylistically neutral. Stylistically colored words As a rule, stylistically colored words are words suitable only on certain definite occasion in s

10、pecific spheres and suggestive of specific conditions of communication.,Classification,The English vocabulary consists of different kinds of words, which may be classified by different criteria. In this section we will discuss three main criteria: By origin By usage By notion,By Origin,Native words

11、Loan words,By Origin: The Native Elements,Features of the native element: 1. All-national character 2. Great stability 3. Monosyllabic 4. Word-forming ability 5. Wide collocability 6. Plurality of meanings 7. High frequency value 8. Stylistically neutral,1. All-national character Every English perso

12、n uses the words of the native element. 2. Great stability The native element lives for centuries providing the English with a basis for the formation of new words.,Features of the native element,3. Monosyllabic The native element in Modem English is mostly monosyllabic. 4. Word-forming ability The

13、great stability and semantic peculiarities of Anglo-Saxon words account for the great word building power.,Features of the native element,5. Wide collocability Many native words enter quite a number of set expressions, idioms, phrases and proverbial sayings. 6. Plurality of meanings Most of the nati

14、ve words have undergone striking transformations in semantic structure, and are nowadays highly polysemantic.,Features of the native element,7. High frequency value The native element (words of Anglo-Saxon origin) forms the bulk of the most frequent elements used in any style of speech. 8. Stylistic

15、ally neutral Most native words are stylistically neutral.,Features of the native element,By Origin: The Borrowed Elements,Ways of their entry into the English vocabulary a. Through oral speech by immediate contact between the peoples. b. Through written speech by indirect contact through books. c. T

16、hrough invasion.,a. Aliens b. Denizens c. Translation-Loans d. Semantic Loan words,Classification of the borrowed,Aliens are words borrowed from a foreign language without any change of the foreign sound and spelling. From French: elite, coup,The Borrowed: Aliens,A coup,Denizens are foreign words wh

17、ich have been conformed to native English in accent, spelling and even in adoption of an English affix, or words made up of two parts both from foreign soil. get (a Scandinavian borrowing) theater (a French loan) sociology (socio- from French and -logy from Greek),The Borrowed: Denizens,Translation-

18、Loans are words and expressions formed from the material already existing in English, but according to patterns taken from another language, by way of literal morpheme-for-morpheme translation. black humour (from French humor noir) found object (from French object trouve),The Borrowed: Translation-L

19、oans,Found object,Found object,Semantic Loans are words of a new meaning due to the influence of a related word in another language, or words which acquired new meanings under the influence of language or languages other than the source tongue. gift meant “the price of a wife” in Old English and aft

20、er the semantic borrowing of the meaning of gift or present of the Scandinavian term gipt, it meant and still means “gift” in the modern sense of it.,The Borrowed: Semantic Loans,The first period Some geographical names ending in -chester, as Manchester, Lancaster, etc The second period Some words o

21、f religion and foreign products The third period the Norman Conquest The forth period abstract and scientific words,The Borrowed: From Latin,The majority of Greek borrowings are of a highly learned and specialized character.,The Borrowed: From Greek,a. Norman French After the Norman Conquest in 1066

22、, Norman French was the language of the court, of the nobility and of the clergy until 1362. b. Central French (Parisian French) Towards the end of the 13th century, Parisian French began to enter England, and more still in the early and middle fifteenth century.,The Borrowed: From French,a. They ar

23、e practical everyday words. b. Words relating to naval warfare entered Old English, but they disappeared after the Norman Conquest. c. There was great similarity between the languages of the English and Scandinavians. d. Most of Scandinavian borrowings belong to the English basic stock of words.,The

24、 Borrowed: From Scandinavian,Italian Element: in the 16th century Spanish Element: came through trade and war. Portuguese Element: small in number. German Element: considerably rare, words of mineralogy, geology, biology, philosophy Dutch Element: numerous nautical terms.,The Borrowed: From Others,R

25、ussian Element: the Great October Revolution Hungarian and Polish Elements: coach (from Hungarian), mazurka (Polish dance), Polack (a Polish), and polka (a Polish dance) Arabic Element: chemistry, mathematics, and medicine Indian Element: features of life. Hebrew Element: Biblical words,The Borrowed

26、: From Others,By Usage,Common words Literary words Colloquial words Slang words Technical words,By Usage: Common words,Common words are connected with the ordinary things or activities necessary to everyday life. The core of the common words is the basic word stock. They are stylistically neutral, h

27、ence they are appropriate in both formal and informal writing and speech.,By Usage: Literary words,Literary words are chiefly used in writing, especially in books written in a more elevated style, in official documents, or in formal speeches. They are comparatively seldom used in ordinary conversati

28、on. In English, most of the literary words are of French, Latin or Greek origin. Many of them have their everyday synonyms. For example, cast (throw), edifice (building), endeavor (try), purchase (buy), etc. More examples: recognition, distinction, inclination, dubious, amelioration,By Usage: Colloq

29、uial words,In contrast with literary words, colloquial words or expressions are used mainly in spoken English, as in conversation among friends and colleagues. They can also be use in informal writings, but are inappropriate in formal speeches or writings. They are marked colloq. or informal in dict

30、ionaries. Such as: kid, guy, fellow, gay,Compare,Feeling fatigued, Tom retired early. (literary) Tom felt so dog-tired he hit the sack early. (colloquial) John was dismissed for petty thieving. (common) John was fired for petty thieving. (colloquial),Compare,Penalties for overdue books will be stric

31、tly enforced. (literary) You have got to pay fines for overdue books. (colloquial) They approved of the plan. (literary) They agreed to the plan.(common),By Usage: Slang words,Slang is defined as language, words or phrases of a colorful, humorous, or taboo nature, invented for specific occasions, or

32、 uses, or derived from the unconventional use of the standard vocabulary. The chief reason for the formation and use of slang expressions is to secure freshness and novelty.,Slangs,beaver (girl) smoky, bear (police) nut, dome, upper, bean, block (head) elevated, merry, jolly, comfortable, boiled, ti

33、ght, blue-eyed, stiff (drunk),By Usage: Technical words,Technical or special words refer to those words used in particular disciplines and academic areas.They are also called terminologies or technical terms. Every branch of science, every profession or trade, every art and every sort of sports has its own technical terms.,Technical Words,In music: symphony, sonata, orchestra, concerto. In education: audiovisual, microteaching In mathematics: algebra, geometry, calculus In biology: clone, embryo, cell , organism, DNA(de