Lectures on English LexicologyMain Sections for the Lectures:Chapter 1: Basic Concepts of Words and Vocabulary1.1What Is a Word?A word is a minimal free form of a language that has a given sound and meaning and syntactic function.1.2 Sound and MeaningA word is a symbol that stands for something else in the world.This symbolic connection is almost always arbitrary, and there is no logical relationship between the sound which stands for a thing or an idea and the actual thing and idea itself.The relationship between sound and meaning is conventional because people of the same speech community have agreed to refer to a certain thing with a cluster of sounds.In different languages the same concept can be represented by different sounds.1.3 Sound and FormIt is generally agreed that the written form of a natural language is the written record of the oral form.The English alphabet was adopted from the Romans.In spite of the differences, at least eighty percent of the English words fit consistent spelling patterns.1.4 VocabularyAll the words in a language make up its vocabulary.The general estimate of the present-day English vocabulary is over one million words.1.5 Classification of Words1.5.1 Basic Word Stock and Non-basic V ocabularyBasic words have the following characteristics:1.All national character: they denote the most common things and phenomena ofthe world around us, which are indispensable to all the people who speak the language.2.Stability: as these words denote the commonest things necessary to life, they arelikely to remain unchanged.3.Productivity:as they are mostly root words or monosyllabic words, they caneach be used alone, and at the same time can form new words with other roots and affixes4.Polysemy:words of this kind often possess more than one meaning becausemost of them have undergone semantic changes in the course of use and become polysemous.5.Collocability: most of these words enter quite a number of set expressions,idiomatic usages, proverbial sayings.“All national character” is the most important of all features that may differentiate words of common use from all others.Non-basic words include the following:1.Terminology（术语）: technical terms used in particular disciplines andacademic areas.2.Jargon（行话）: the specialized vocabularies by which members of particular arts,sciences, trades and professions communicate among themselves.3.Slang（俚语）4.Argot（黑话）5.Dialectal words（方言词语）6.Archaisms（古语）7.Neologisms（新词）1.5.2 Content Words and Functional WordsContent words denote clear notions and thus are known as notional words（实义词）.They include nouns, verbs, adjectives, adverbs and numerals, which denoteobjects, phenomena, action, quality, state, degree, quantity, etc.Functional words do not have notions of their own.They are also called empty words.The chief function of these words is to express the relation between notions, the relation between words as well as between sentences.They are known as form words.Prepositions, conjunctions, auxiliaries and articles belong to this category.Content words are numerous and the number is ever growing whereas the functional words which make up a small number of vocabulary, remain stable.However, functional words do far more work of expression in English on average than content words.1.5.3 Native Words and Borrowed WordsNative words: words brought to Britain in the 5th century by the Germanic tribes: the Angles, the Saxons, and Jutes, thus known as Anglo-Saxon words.Words of Anglo-Saxon origin are small in number, amounting to roughly 50,000 to 60,000, but they form the mainstream of the basic word stock and stand at the core of the language.Native words have two other features:1.Neutral in style: since native words denote the commonest things in humansociety, they are used by all people, in all places, on all occasions, and at alltimes.Stylistically, native words are neither formal nor informal whereas the words borrowed from French or Latin are literary and learned, thus appropriate in formal style.Frequent in use: Native words are most frequently used in everyday speech and writing.The percentage of native words in use runs usually as high as 70 to 90 percent.Borrowed word: words taken over from foreign languages are known as borrowed words or loan words or borrowings in simple terms.It is estimated that English borrowings constitute 80 percent of the modern English vocabulary.The loan words can be classified into four classes:1.Denizens（同化词）are words borrowed early in the past and now are wellassimilated into the English language. eg: pork----porc(F) cup---cuppa(L)2.Aliens（非同化词）are borrowed words which have retained their originalpronunciation and spelling. eg: bazzar (per) intermesso( IT)3.Translation loans（译借词）4.Semantic loans（语义借词）Questions and Tasks on P20: 1—6Chapter 2: The Development of the English VocabularyThe English language is not the language of the early inhabitants of the British Isles.A Historical Overview of the English vocabularyThe first peoples known to inhabit the land were Celts.Their languages were dialects of still another branch of the Indo-European language family—Celtic（克尔特语）.The second major language known in England was the Latin of the Roman Legions.In 55-54 B.C., the Romans invaded the British Isles and were to occupy the land until about 410.When the Roman empire began to crumble, the Germanic tribes came in.they are Angles, Saxons, and Jutes.2.2.1 Old English (450—1150)The Germanic tribes took permanent control of the land, which was to be called England (the land of Angles).Their language, historically known as Anglo-Saxon, dominated and almost totally blotted out the Celtic.People generally refer to Anglo-Saxon as Old English.Old English has a vocabulary of about 50,000 to 60,000 words.It was a highly inflected language just like modern German.2.2.2 Middle English (1150--1500)Old English began to undergo a great change when the Normans invaded Englandfrom France in 1066.the Norman Conquest started a continual flow of French words into English.Between 1250 and 1500 about 9,000 words of French origin poured into English.75 percent of them are still in use today.2.2.3 Modern English (1500—up to now)Modern English began with the establishment of printing in England.In the early period of Modern English, Europe saw a new upsurge of learning ancient Greek and Roman classics.This is known in history as the Renaissance.In the mid-seventeenth century, England experienced the Bourgeois Revolution followed by the Industrial Revolution and rose to be a great economic power.Although borrowing remained an important channel of vocabulary expansion, yet more words are created by means of word-formation.Growth of Present-day English VocabularyGenerally, there are three main sources of new words: the rapid development of modern science and technology; social, economic and political changes; the influence of other cultures and languages.Modes of Vocabulary DevelopmentModern English vocabulary develops through three channels: creation, semanticchange, borrowing.1.Creation refers to the formation of new words by using the existing materials,namely roots, affixes and other elements.In modern times, creation is the most important way of vocabulary expansion.2.Semantic change means an old form which takes on a new meaning to meet thenew need.3.Borrowing has played a vital role in the development of vocabulary, particularlyin earlier times.Questions and Tasks on P33: 3, 4, 10Chapter 3: Word Formation IThough borrowing has been playing an active role in the expansion of vocabulary, vocabulary is largely enriched on an internal basis.boys boy+schecking check+ingchairman chair+manMorphemes（词素）the smallest meaningful unit of language Morpheme is the smallest unit of language in terms of relationship between expression and content, a unit that cannot be divided into further smaller unitswithout destroying or drastically altering the meaning, whether it is lexical or grammatical, e.g. boys---boy+-s indicates pluralitychecking---check+-ingdisappointment词是由一个或一个以上的词素构成的。
第七章词汇：modes n. 模式elevation 提高shrinking v. 萎缩amelioration n. 改进humble adj. 谦逊的；简陋的；（级别或地位）低下的；不大的pejoration n. 恶化；堕落；语义的转贬derogatory adj. 贬损的Analogy 比拟要点：一.Vocabulary is the most unstable element of a language as it isunder-going constant changes both in form and content.The content is even more unstable than the forms.Word-meaning changes by modes isextension, narrowing, degradation, elevation and transfer. of these, extensionand narrowing are by far the most common.二.1.Extension (generalization)--is a term referring to the widening of meaning. It is a pro cess by which a word,which originally had a specialized meaning, has now become generalized.(Word old meaning now meaningManuscript handwriting :any author‘s writing whether written by hand or typed with a type-writer or a word-processorFabulous resembling:a fable incredible, marvelousBarn :a place for storing only barley storeroomPicture painting include "drawings" and even "photographs".Mill place for grinding into flour place where things are ma deJournal daily paper periodicalButcher one who kills goats one who kills animalsCompanion one who shares bread a company·. A large proportion of polysemic words of modern English have their meanings extended sometimes in the course of development. Some words are generalized to such an extent that they can mean almost anything.Word old meaning now meaningThing a public assembly or a council anythingBusiness, concern, condition, matter, article, circumstance ·.Technical termsWord old meaning now meaningAlibi (a legal term) plea that the accused is not at the place excuseWhen the crime is committedAllergic (a medical term) too sensitive to medicine averse or disinclined toFeedback (computer term) response ·.From proper nounsWord old meaning now meaningLynch the Lynch‘s Law kill without lawful trialSandwish a gambler‘s name to denote a kind of fast place or squeeze betweenFood Vandal a member of an East Germanic tribe malicious destruction of a thingA person of such behaviourV. vandalize Adj. Vandalic/vandalistic n. vandalization/vandalism2. Narrowing (specialization) --is a term referring to the shrinking of meaning. It is a proc ess by which a word ofwide meaning acquires a narrower or specialized sense.Word old meaning now meaningDeer animal Corn grain maize Garage any safe place a place for storing carsLiquor liquid alcoholic drinkDisease discomfort illnessPoison drink poisonous drinkWife woman a married womanAccident event unfortunate eventGirl young person of either sex female young person.Turn into a proper nounsThe City business center of LondonThe Peninsula Iberian PeninsulaThe Prophet Mohammed.For economy, some phrases are shortened and only one element of the original is left t o retain the meaning ofthe whole.e.g. a private = a private solidera general = a general officeran editorial = an editorial article.Material nounsWord old meaning now meaningSilver silver dollarsGlass cup-like container or mirrorIron device for smoothing clothes3.Elevation or amelioration--refers to the process by which words rise from humble beg innings to positions ofimportance.Word old meaning now meaningNice ignorant --- foolish delightful, pleasantMarshal / constable keeper of horses high-ranking army officer / policemenAngle messenger messenger of GodKnight servant rank below baronetEarl men countGovernor pilot head of a stateFond foolish affectionateMinister servant head of ministryShrewd evil, wickedness smartNimble be good at taking things without permission smartChamberlain servant high official of royal courtsSuccess result4. Degradation or pejoration of meaning --It is a process whereby words of good origin fall into ill reputation ornon-affective words come to be used in derogatory sense.Word old meaning now meaningBoor peasant rude, ill-mannered personChurl peasant / free man uncultivated or mean personWench country girl prostituteHussy housewife woman of low moralsVillain person who worked in a villa evil or wicked person or scoundrelSilly happy foolishKnave boy dishonest personLewd ignorant lecherousCriticize appraise find fault withLust pleasure sexual desire5. Transfer- words which were used to designate on thing but later changed to meansomething else.Word old meaning now meaningPaper an African plant papyrus·Associated transferE.g. the lip of a woundThe tongue of a bellThe nose of a planePurse for money, dish for food, glass for cup·Between abstract and concrete meaningWord old meaning now meaningAftermath second crop of grass after mowing consequence, resultHope e.g. Clinton is the hope of the family.·Between subject and objective meaningWord old meaning now meaningPitiful full of pity deserving pityDreadful / hateful subject meaning objective meaningFearful/ doubtful / suspicious subject and objective meaning·Transfer of sensationsE.g. clear-sounding (from sight to hearing)Loud colours (from hearing to sight)Sweet music (from taste to hearing)三.1. Extra-linguistic Factors1). Historical reason·A word is retained for a name though the meaning has changed because the reference has changed.Word old meaning now meaningPen featherCar two-wheel cart drown by horses and used automobile in warComputer person who computes electronic machine·Increased scientific knowledge and discovery are also important factorsWord old meaning now meaningSun the luminous heavenly body-one of the star around which the earth and other p lanets revolveseven planets revolving around the earthAtom any of the indivisible particles not the smallest and can be divided into evensmaller particles2). Class reaso n. Language is just like a mirror, reflecting everything that exists inhuman society. It records the speech and attitude of different social classes.As a result, different social varieties of language have come into being.Word old meaning now meaningChurl, hussy, wench, villain ill-mannered or bad peopleDemocracy, revolution, liberalism, human rights, communism different meaning in different societies and to different people3). Psychological reason. The associated transfer of meaning and euphemistic use of words are often due to psychological factors. people change word-meaning owingto various psychological(slang). Religious influence isanother kind psychological need.Word old meaning now meaningCopperhead a venomous snake2. Linguistic factors1). ShorteningGold for gold medalGas for coal gasBulb for light bulbPrivate for private solider2).BorrowingDeer / animal / beastPig / pork, sheep / mutton, cattle / beefBird / fowl, dog / hound, boy / knave, chair / stool3). AnalogyFortuitous happening by chance, accident fortunateFruition a pleasure obtaining from using or possessing something。
