英语词汇学要览.docx

1、英语词汇学要览Chapter One: Introduction Lexicology defined Lexicology is a branch of linguistics, inquiring into the origins and meanings of words. English lexicology aims at investigating and studying the morphological structures of English words and word equivalents, their semantic structures, relations,

2、 historical development, formation and usages. Practical significance for the learner deice (amorphous) “de-” combines with nouns to form verbs which indicate that the thing referred to by the noun is removed. More examples: defrost; de-inking; de-feather; deforest; debug; de-color; de-fat; prefix r

3、e-: re-cover, recover; re-collect, recollect; re-count, recount; re-sound, resound; etc. The bell re-sounded. The hall resounded with applause. Other examples: recede; reject; rebound; reflect; suffix -ful A basket / basketful of apples Nouns formed this way refers to the quantity or amount of somet

4、hing that a container mentioned can hold. A “spoonful” is the amount of powder or liquid that a spoon will hold An “armful” of something is the quantity of it you can carry in one or both of your arms. Root Free and bound root: eatable; edible -pos-: preposition;deposit; propose; compose; oppose; di

5、spose; expose; interpose; transpose; superimpose -tract- attract; extract; retract; distract; protract; contract; subtract; detract; tractor -scrib- describe; inscribe; prescribe; subscribe; transcribe; circumscribe; （circumlocution circumlunar circumnavigate circumspect）；manuscript; postscript; scr

6、ibble -ject- reject; project; object; subject; inject; deject -pel- compel; impel; propel; repel; expel; dispel Related disciplines General Linguistics Morphology-a branch of linguistics investigating word structure and word formation through the use of morphemes. Semantics -the study of meaning in

7、language. Though it deals with meaning in general, it is often confined to those aspects which are relatively stable and context-free. It also gives much emphasis to the study of the relationships of meaning between linguistics forms; for example, synonyms, antonyms, and hyponyms. Stylistics It is c

8、oncerned with the language users choice of proper linguistic forms in a particular context for special effects. horse; steed (literary); courser, charger, palfrey (poetic); plug (slang); nag (colloquial); gee (child English) commence-begin, start woo, court (outdated, old fashioned, archaic) Colloqu

9、ial and slang words taboo words obscene words Etymology the study of the origin and history of the meaning and form of words. sheep-mutton; pig, swine-pork; ox-beef; calf-veal; chicken-poultry get; obtain; procure Phonetics Lexicography-theory and practice of compiling dictionaries. Lexicography pro

10、vides the principles necessary for documenting the vocabulary of a language very often by drawing on the discoveries of lexicologists. Christian name (given name, first name, forename) Eskimo-Inuit; negro (colored)-black; Oriental-Asian; Crippled-disabled (differently-abled, physically challenged) R

11、eptiles were here long before man appeared on the earth. man-human being; mankind-humankind; history cf. herstory (but man-made, manpower, etc.?) native a native of Boston This dance is a favorite with the natives. New York in the summer was too hot even for the natives. (referring to the local inha

12、bitants of a particular place) In some other contexts, it has an old-fashioned feel and, because of being closely associated with a colonial European outlook on non-white peoples living in remote places, it may cause offence. Some basic ideas concerning vocabulary (p. 4) -The vocabulary of any langu

13、age never remains stable, but is constantly changing, growing, and decaying, together with the development of human society. Everyone has their own ideas about it. Has everybody eaten as much as they want? Modifier of absolute words (such as basic, unique, complete(ly), perfect, full(y), essential,

14、excellent, thoroughly, etc.) Her most essential quality is kindness. (DCE 1978) creating a more perfect union. (American Constitution) I have never seen a more complete investigation. (Quirk, 1973) His views on the subject are more extreme than mine. (ibid)-The word is the principal and basic unit o

15、f the language words vs lexemes (lexical units)1. The term word is used in ways that obscure the study of meaning. For example: walk, walks, walked, and walking. Question 1: Are they different words? Or the variants of the same underlying unit, walk? Question 2: Can we say that “these four words are

16、 different forms of the same word”?2. The term word is useless for the study of idioms, which are also units of meaning; e.g. put forward; kick the bucket3. The term word has in any case been appropriate for use in elsewhere in linguistic study-in the field of grammar, where it does sterling service

17、 at the junction between syntax and morphology. -The word is a two-facet unit possessing both form and content-Beside its lexical meaning, the word also has its grammatical meaning-English words can be approached both diachronically and synchronically Size of the English vocabulary (p. 6)a) Dr. Samu

18、el Johnsons dictionary (1755) contained 50,000 words.b) Websters Third New International Dictionary (1983) contains 559,000 words. c) The Oxford English Dictionary (the second edition 1989 ) contains 616,500 words. d) Collins Cobuild English Dictionary (1987) has a coverage of 70,000 references. e)

19、The New Oxford Dictionary of English (2001) contains 350,000 words. (the biggest single-volume dictionary) Some interesting figures Shakespeare made use of 15,000 words; Milton used 8,000; A Princeton University student (upper-classman) had an average vocabulary of 16,500 words (in 1916); A similar

20、test ten years later showed that the same class of students had a vocabulary of 17,500; An English major is required to have 12,000 words at graduation; Palmer offers a list of 3,000 word-units, which would cover 95% of any text written in everyday English. Divisions in the history of English1. The

21、Old English (Anglo-Saxon) Period-roughly 450 to 1150 Characteristics: a. pronunciation: differing somewhat from that of their modern equivalents; b. vocabulary: almost purely Teutonic; c. full inflections.2. The Middle English Period-1150 to 1500 Characteristics: a. resembling Modern English more th

22、an Old English; b. With a vast number of borrowed words; c. Gradual disappearance of inflections.3. The modern English period-1500 to the present a) The Early Modern English (1500 to 1700) b) The Late Modern English (1700 to the present) c) Contemporary English Features of Contemporary English: a tr

23、end of simplicity in structures; faster growth and change of vocabulary; wide use of colloquial, slang, and vogue words.Review Questions:1. What is lexicology?2. What will be covered in the study of English lexicology?3. What subjects is English lexicology correlated with?4. Why should the students

24、of English study English lexicology? And how could they benefit from it? 5. Give a brief account of the divisions in the history of English. Chapter Two: Sources of the English Vocabulary Indo-European Family (cf. Sino-Tibetan Family) The family of languages spoken over the greater part of Europe an

25、d Asia as far as northern India. Similarity in vocabulary Sanskrit Greek Latin Italian French German English mata meter mater madre mre mutter mother Germanic (sub-family)1) East Germanic (Group) - Gothic2) North Germanic Swedish, Danish, Icelandic, Norwegian3) West Germanic English, High (Low) Germ

26、an, Frisian, Flemish Celtic Irish, Gaelic, Welsh Latin Latin, French, Italian, Spanish, Portuguese, Romanian Slavic Russian, Slovenian, Bulgarian, Czech, Polish, Serbian Baltic - Latvian, Lithuanian Indic - Hindi, Pali, Sanskrit Iranian -Persian, Alfgan Greek, Albanian, Armenian, Tocharian, Hittite

27、History of the People (p. 3) Iberians (3,000-2,000 B.C.) Celts (the 7th century B.C.) Roman conquerors (55-54 B.C. by Julius Caesar; 43 B.C. by Claudius) Angles, Saxons, Jutes (the 5th century A.D.) Scandinavians (the 8-9th century) Normans (the 11th century)Renaissance Elizabeth IThe Tudor Monarchy

28、Queen Victoria Elizabeth II List of Royal Houses of Britain House of Normandy (1066-1154) William I (the Conqueror); Henry I, etc. House of Plantagenet (1154-1399) Henry II-III; Richard I-II; Edward I-III, etc. House of Lancaster (1399-1485) Henry IV-VI House of Tudor (1485-1603) Henry VII-VIII; Edw

29、ard VI; Mary I; Elizabeth I House of Stuart (1603-1649) James I; Charles I The Commonwealth (1649-1660) Oliver Cromwell (Lord Protector); Richard Cromwell House of Stuart (1660-1714) Charles II; James II; William III and Mary II; Anne House of Hanover (1714-1910) George I-IV; William IV; Victoria; E

30、dward VII House of WidsorGeorge V; Edward VIII; George VI; Elizabeth II (1952- ) The Native Element in Modern English (p. 9) Before about 450 A.D., there was no English language in Britain. Words of native origin consist for the most part of very ancient elements-Indo-European, Germanic and West Ger

31、manic cognates. Besides, a number of Scandinavian, Latin and French elements have become part of the English basic stock of words. The native stock of words is estimated to make 25-30% of the English vocabulary. Semantic features of words of Anglo-Saxon origina. the numerals up to a thousand; b. the most intimate family relation