3. The main methods of lexicological research

As a branch of linguistics lexicology has its own methods of scientific research of lexical units.

Methods of scientific investigation used in linguistic studies have always been closely connected with the general trends in the science of language. Thus, for instance, in the beginning of the XX-th century vocabulary studies were mainly concentrated on historical problems. So, the historical and comparative method became very popular in studying kindred languages. Later linguistics developed the typological study of languages, both kindred and non-kindred.

Then B. de Courtenay (1845-1929) and F. Fortunatov (1848-1914) in Russia and F. de Saussure (1857-1913) in Switzerland developed the systematic approach to language.

The American school of descriptive linguistics developed the distributional analysis and the immediate constituents analysis (the IC-analysis).

The theory of transformational grammar, a new linguistic theory, appeared in the 50-s of the XX-th century. The theory has brought transformational analysis.

To sum it up in brief, the main methods of linguistic research widely applied by lexicology in recent times are the historical and comparative method, the typological study of language, the systematic approach to language, distributional analysis often accompanied by substitution tests, the IC-analysis, transformational analysis, contrastive method, componential analysis, statistical techniques, contextual analysis, etc.

4. The place of lexicology among other sciences

Lexicology is connected both with linguistic sciences (phonology, grammar, stylistics and language history) and non-linguistic sciences (philosophy, psychology and history).

It is but natural that all branches of linguistics should be organically related. Thus, phonology will always help us in studying the phonetic peculiarities of words that come from other languages; then, again, it is phonology that helps us to explain the appearance of some words alike in form but different in meaning, etc. Correlation between the meanings of words and their prosodic arrangement is a source of special linguistic interest.

E.g. Absent [ ] (adj) – 1) отсутствующий; 2) рассеянный;

Absent [ ] (v) – отлучиться, отсутствовать;

Object [ ] (n) – 1) предмет, вещь; 2) объект; 3) цель;

Object [ ] (v) – 1) возражать; 2) не любить, не переносить.

The meaning of a word in these cases relies on the situation of the accent expressed mainly in terms of pitch.

Lexicology makes use of the information provided by the history of the language. Changes in the word-stock of the language, the appearance and disappearance of certain word-building elements in the process of language development, the productivity of different ways of vocabulary enrichment, etc. may be well followed only on the basis of a profound historical study. For instance, from the history of the language we learn that the modern word teach goes back to Old English t can (“указывать, руководить”) and from that the derived meaning “обучать” has arisen.

A systematic vocabulary description is hardly possible without some information provided by stylistics, which treats of selection among different linguistic forms. The study of the vocabulary leads us to the observation that some words are neutral and colourless in tone, but other words have a distinctly literary or poetic flavour, which may be colloquial, humorous, vulgar, slangy, childish, stilted, technical and so on. E.g. Farewell! (poetic), Adieu! (humorous), Good-bye! (neutral), Ta-ta! (familiar), So long! (conversational). All these words literally mean the same, but they are unequal stylistically.

Interaction between lexicology and grammar is the most important.

For example, word-building can be assigned equally well to the provinces of lexis and grammar. The categories and types of word-formation which characterize the present-day English linguistic system are largely dependent upon its grammatical structure.

Grammatical forms favour the differentiation of meaning of words. Take such examples as nouns in the plural number in a special sense:

Advice = counsel, advices = information,

Colour = tint, colours = 1) plural of tints, 2) flag;

Custom = habit, customs = 1) plural of habit, 2) duties,

Damage = injury, damages = compensation for injury;

Spectacle = sight, spectacles = 1) plural of sight, 2) eye-glasses;

Work = job, works = a plant, factory;

Cloth = material, clothes = the things that people wear;

Humanity = mankind, humanities = the arts.

The interrelation between vocabulary and grammar is not less characteristic in making new words through conversion which has existed at all stages of the language development and has flourished most in Modern English. A converted word develops a meaning of its own and diverges so far from its original function that it is left to be an independent word, a homonym, e.g.

House (n) = building, dwelling, house (v) = to contain;

Garden (n) = сад, garden (v) = возделывать сад;

Wine (n) = вино, wine (v) = to drink wine, to entertain smb well with wine.

Topic II. The Morphological Structure of the English Word

Plan

1. The morphological structure of the English word.

2. The structural types of English words.

3. The morphemic analysis of the word.

Literature:

1. Antrushina G.B., Afanasyeva O.V., Morozova N.N. English Lexicology. – M.,

1999.

2. Kashcheyeva M.A., Potapova I.A., Tyurina N.S. Practical Lexicology. – L., 1974.

3. Kveselevich D.I., Sasina V.P. Modern English Lexicology in Practice. – Zh., 2000.

4. Kuznetsova V.S. Notes on English Lexicology. – K., 1966.

5. Rayevska N.M. English Lexicology. – K., 1979.

6. Бабич Г. Н. Лексикология английского языка. – М., 2008.

7. Гороть Є.І., Бєлова С.В. Нариси з лексикології сучасної англійської мови. –

Луцьк, 2008.

8. Дубенец Э.М. Современный английский язык. Лексикология. – М., 2004.

9. Минаева Л.В. Лексикология и лексикография английского языка. – М., 2003.