Basic form – the word form in which the notion denoted is expressed in the most abstract way. For nouns it is the Common case singular, for verbs, the Infinitive.

Basic level term – a word representing one of the levels in the structure of a conceptual domain (other levels are general (the highest) and specific (the lowest) ones). B.l.t. is used most readily to refer to a given phenomenon. From a linguistic point of view, b.l.ts. are usually short and morphologically simple. From a conceptual point of view, the basic level constitutes the level where salience effects are most outspoken. For example, while learning a language, young children tend to acquire b.l.ts. such as tree, cow, horse, fish, skirt before more general terms like plant, animal, garment, vehicle, fruit or specific names such as oak tree, labrador, jeans, sports car, Granny Smith.

Table 1: Levels of conceptual domains:

Levels			Conceptual domains
general	plant			animal	garment	vehicle	fruit
basic term	tree			dog	trousers	car	apple
specific	oak tree			labrador	jeans	sports car	Granny Smith

Bias words – words which semantics involves ideological viewpoints, words with 'unpleasant' (derogatory or scornful) connotations which now tend to be substituted by politically correct equivalents (words with 'right' – non-harmful or neutral connotations), euphemistic by nature. – See Political correctness; Sexism; Euphemism

Blending/telescoping – combining parts of two words to form one word often including the letters and sounds they have in common as a connecting element (e.g. infotainment, edutainment – television programmes halfway between information and education and entertainment; screenager – teenager addicted to television or film screens). – See Abbreviation.

Blend/blending/fusion/portamanteau word – the result of blending: bit (binary digit), paratroops (parachute troops), Pakistan (Panjab, Afgania, Kashmir, Singh + Baluchistan). Depending upon the prototype phrases with which they can be correlated two types of blends can be distinguished (on the basis of semantic relations between the two words):

• additive type – is transformable into a phrase consisting of the respective complete stems combined by the conjunction and (smog < smoke and fog); Niffles (Niagara < Niagara Falls);

• restrictive type is transformable into an attributive phrase where the first element serves as modifier of the second: medicare < medical care; positron < positive electron.

Blue-print translation/ loan translation – a calque, a type of translation (usu. applied to translation of compounds or word combinations), when a notion is borrowed but word components are translated and the structure of the lexical unit is preserved (e.g. sky scraper – небоскреб, brain trust – мозговой трест). – See Borrowing, semantic loans

Borrowing – 1) (process) resorting to the word-stock of other languages for words to express new concepts, to further differentiate the existing concepts and to name new objects, etc.; 2) (result) a loan word, borrowed word – a word taken over from another language and modified in phonemic shape, spelling, paradigm or meaning according to the standards of the English language. – See Assimilation, Source of borrowing, Origin of borrowing. The following types of borrowings can be distinguished:

• loan words proper – words borrowed from another language and assimilated to this or that extent;

• loan translation – 1) (process) borrowing by means of literally translating words (usu. one part after another) or word combinations, by modelling words after foreign patterns; 2) (result) translation loans (calques) – words and expressions formed from the material already existing in the English language but according to patterns taken from another language by way of literal word-for-word or morpheme-for-morpheme translation: e.g. chain smoker::Germ Kettenraucher; goes without saying::Fr. va sans dire; summit conference::Germ. Gipfel Konferenz, Fr. conférence au sommet;

• semantic borrowings/loans – the term is used to denote the development in an English word of a new meaning due to the influence of a related word in another language (e.g. policy).

Bound form – a morpheme incapable of being used independently – See Free form

Bound cases – boundary cases between derivation, inflexion and composition: when it is difficult to draw a hard and fast line between roots and affixes on the one hand (-man in seaman, -like in ladylike, which can be called semi-affixes/semi-morphemes for they can occur as free forms) and derivational affixes and inflectional formatives on the other (noun-forming affixes –ing in amusing and –ed added to a combination of two stems: faint-hearted, long-legged)

Broadening of meaning – See Generalization of Meaning; Semantic changes; Shift

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