5. Lexicology as a level of analysis

   Lexicology is just one of many levels of language analysis, others being phonology, morphology, syntax, and semantics. Even though attempts have been made to treat any of these levels in isolation, it must be noted yet again that none of them can be studied profitably without reference to the others. All these different levels of analysis interact with one another in various ways, and when we use language, we unconsciously call on all of them simultaneously. Since we have briefly touched on morphology and semantics, we will now consider the relation of lexicology to phonology and syntax. 

5.1. Lexicology vs. Phonology

   On the face of it, it may seem that these two do not really relate in any significant manner. A closer look, however, will reveal that words are conditioned by a number of phonological features. Phonology is a subfield of linguistics which studies the sound system of a specific language (or languages). Whereas phonetics is about the physical production and perception of the sounds of speech, phonology describes the sound function within a given language or across languages [Wikipedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phonology]. In view of this, we are concerned here with phonological features of sounds, rather than their articulatory characteristics, which may have little  to do with semantics, variation and, ultimately, distinctions between sounds.

   A close analysis will reveal that in many cases the difference between two otherwise similar-sounding – and sometimes identically spelt – lexical items amounts to a difference at the level of phonology. Phonemes follow each other in fixed sequences and if a sequence is changed, words do not make sense.  Consider the pairs of words deep and dip, pin and pen, meat and mitt, leak and leap, row (line of things) and row (short angry argument), lead (show the way) and lead (metal), wind (phenomenon of nature) and wind (to turn or twist s/th) and many others. They differ only in one sound and yet the difference has a serious effect at the level of lexical semantics.

   In some cases, the phonological difference is caused by the stress pattern, which may occur at the initial, medial, or final position. Compare the following pairs of words 'content (noun), vs. con'tent (adj), sus'pect (verb) vs. 'suspect (noun), 'subject (noun; adj.) vs. sub'ject (verb) or 'import (noun) vs. im'port (verb).

   Stress in compounds provides another example to show the links of phonology and lexicology. A 'green 'house is any house that is green, and equal prosodic stress can be found on both elements (or, according to psycholinguist Steven Pinker, the second one is accented more heavily). A 'greenhouse, the compound, may have started out as any other green house, but now it is a special house – “a glass house for growing plants”. In some cases, however, there may be little or no difference in meaning between two lexical items that are written as one word or as two separate words. A case in point is sea bed vs. seabed.

   Thus, sound patterns, such as stress placed on particular syllables, may indicate whether the word is a compound or whether it is an adjective + noun phrase.

   Compare the stress patterns of the compound nouns and the corresponding adjective + noun phrases:

Compound	Adjective + Noun
'redhead 'second-guess 'greyhound 'sandbag	̗̗̗̗̗͵red 'head ̗̗͵second 'guess ͵gray 'hound ͵sand 'bag

 

As a rule, the main, or the primary stress (‘) falls on the first component of the compound as in: sandbag – a bag filled with sand, used for protection against floods, explosions etc. [LDOCE, 4^th ed., 2003].

   However, in the adjective + noun or noun + noun phrases like black berry, as opposed to any berry of green, yellow or red, both words can be equally stressed.

   Besides, in English, as in many other languages, there are certain phonological features which mark word-limits and thus divide the flow of speech into words.