The outline:

Questions for discussion:

Kazakh American University HAND-OUTS Discipline – Practical work on Culture of Speech Communication Academic year : 2013-2014 Number of credits – 2 Department “General Education and Humanities” Practical lesson№15-16: “Multi-meaning words and Borrowings” Translation Studies Students 2-year Academic Professor- G.M. Kassymova

1.What is meaning?

2. Semantic structure of the word

What is Meaning?

The question posed by the title is one of those questions which are easier to ask than answer. The linguistic science at present is not able to put forward a definition of meaning which is conclusive. However, there are certain facts of which can be reasonably sure, and one of them is that the very function of the word as a unit of communication is made possible by its possessing a meaning. Therefore, among the word’s various characteristics, meaning is certainly the most important. Generally speaking, meaning can be more or less described as a component of the word through which a concept is communicated, in this endowing the word with the ability of real objects, qualities, actions and abstract notions. The complex and somewhat mysterious relationships between referent( object denoted by the word), concept and word are traditionally represented . The mechanism by which concepts (i.e. Mental phenomena ) are converted into words (i.e. linguistic phenomena ) and the reverse process by which a heard or a printed word is converted into a kind of mental picture are not yet understood or described. That is the reason why the process of communication through words ,if one gives it some thought, seems nothing short of miracle. If magic exists in the world , then it is truly the magic of human speech; only we are so used to this miracle that we don’t realize its almost supernatural qualities.

he branch of linguistics which specializes in the study of meaning is called semantics. As with many terms, the term “ semantics “ is ambiguous for it can stand ,as well, for the expressive aspect of language in general and for the meaning of one particular word in all its varied aspect of language in general and for the meaning of one particular word in all its varied aspects and nuances(i.e the semantics of a word = the meaning(s) of a word).

As Mario Pei puts it in The Study of Language, “ Semantics is language in its broadest, most inclusive aspect . Sounds, words, grammatical forms, syntactical constructions are the tools of language. Semantics is language’s avowed purpose.“

The meaning of all the utterances of a speech community are said by another leading linguist to include the total experience of that community: arts, science, practical occupations, amusements, personal and family life.

The modern approach to semantics is based on the assumption that the inner from of the word ( i.e . Its meaning) presents a structure which is called the semantic structure of the word.

Yet, before going deeper into this problem, it is necessary to make a brief survey of another semantic phenomenon which is closely connected wit h it.

Polysemy. Semantic Structure of the Word

The semantic structure of the word does not present an indissoluble unity( that is, actually, why it is referred to as “ structure “ ), nor does it necessarily stand for one concept. It is generally known that most words convey several concepts and thus posses the corresponding number of meanings. A word having several meanings is called polysemantic, and the ability of words to have more than one meaning is described by the term polysemy. Most Engish words are polysemantic. It should be noted that the wealth of expressive resources of a language largely depends on the degree to which polysemy has developed in the language . Sometimes people who are not very well informed in linguistic matters claim that a language is lacking in words if the need arises for the same word to be applied to several different phenomena. In actual fact, it is exactly the opposite : if each word is found to be capable of conveying, let us say, at least two concepts instead of one, the expressive potential of the whole vocabulary increases twofold. Hence, a well developed polysemy is not a drawback but a great advantage in a language.

On the other hand, it should be pointed out that the number of sound combinations that human speech organs can produce is limited. Therefore a certain stage of a language development the production of new words by morphological means becomes limited, and polysemy becomes increasingly important in providing the means foe enriching the vocabulary does not consisting merely in adding new words to it, but, also, in the constant development of multi meaning word.

When analysing the semantic structure of multi meaning word, it is necessary to distinguish the differences of multi meaning word.

Dull, adj. –

Term, n.-

Reduce ,v -

Conclusion

The system of meanings of any multi meaning word develops gradually, mostly over the centuries, as more and more new meanings are either added to old ones , or oust some them. So the complicated process of multi meaning words development involve both appearances of new meanings and the los of old ones. Yet, the general tendency with English vocabulary at the modern stage of its history is to increase the total number of its meanings and in this way to provide for a quantitative and qualitative growth of the language’s expressive resources.

Borrowings in English

Contemporary English is a unique mixture of Germanic & Romanic elements. This mixing has resulted in the international character of the vocabulary. In the comparison with other languages English possesses great richness of vocabulary.

Through cultural contacts with Romans partly already on the continent and all through the influence of Christianity a very early stratum of Latin-Greek words entered the language.

Their origin is no longer felt by the normal speaker today in such word: pound, mint, mustard, school, dish, chin, cleric, cheese, devil, pepper, street, gospel, and bishop.

The same can be said about some Scandinavian words (from about the 10th century) that today belong to the central core of the vocabulary.

It means that their frequency is very high.

They, their, them, sky, skin, skill, skirt, ill, dies, take...

1. CELTIC BORROWINGS

• Pre-settlement Celtic borrowings

• These took place on the continent of Europe, before the Germanic tribes settled in England.

• - rice (kingdom)[bishopric]

• - dun (hill, mountain) [‘down’] (as in Portsdown Road)

• Celtic borrowings on-settlement

• Confined to a mere handful, since the original native Celts were displaced or suppressed by the Germanic invaders.

• Names of places, hills, rivers: Avon, Thames, Londinium

• - dun, bard, galore

• - coomb, Exe-(ter), Cam-(bridge), Devon, Kent

SCANDINAVIAN BORROWINGS

• Scandinavian influence on English great, but not EXPERIENCED as very dramatic. For all intents and purposes, therefore Scandinavian words may be taken as core, native-type words.

• They have the same quality, texture as Anglo-Saxon words.

• Examples: bag, dirt, fog, knife, flat, low, odd, ugly, want, trust, get, give, take, raise, smile, they, them, their, though.Also, the verbare(to be)

FRENCH BORROWINGS

• - Dominance and prestige of French

• - Norman French introduced a radically new social system: new institutions, relationships and practices, and a massive change of outlook, a fundamentally different view of reality.

• - France on the verge of a great cultural renaissance, the emergence of a very sophisticated, elegant, graceful, courtly kind of culture, based on elaborated hierarchy, rank.

• count, countess, sire, madame, duke, marquis,

dauphin, viscount, baron, chevalier, servant, master

• Administration, etc.: Parliament (cf. OE witagenemot),Chancellor, government, country, crown

• Finance:treasure, wage, poverty

• Law:attorney, plaintiff, larceny, fraud, jury, verdict

• War: battle, army, castle, tower, siege, banner

• Religion: miracle, charity, saint, pardon

• Morality, emotions, etc.: virtue, vice, gentle, patience, courage, mercy, courtesy, pity

• Recreation: falcon, covert, scent, chase, quarry

• Art, fashion, etc.:apparel, costume, gown, art, beauty, colour, image, design, cushion, tapestry

• Cuisine: stew, grill, roast, . . . (cf. OE: bake, carve)

• English: boar, calf, cow, deer, ox, sheep, swine

• French: bacon, mutton, pork, veal, venison

• Household Relationships: OE: father, mother, brother, sister (Scandinavian form of cognate OE sweoster)

• FR: uncle, aunt, nephew, cousin

1. LATIN BORROWINGS

• Pre-settlement Latin borrowings

These were Latin words borrowed before the Germanic tribes arrived in Britain. Generally reflected the superior material culture of the Roman Empire, which had spread across Europe:

street, wall, candle, chalk, inch, pound, port, camp

• Latin borrowings on-settlement

Strangely, the native Celts gave the Germanic settlers several Latin (‘vulgar Latin’) words which they had developed when they were ruled by the Romans:

sign, pearl, anchor, oil , chest, pear, lettuce

• A state needs a writing system – Christianity had such a system.

Therefore, the impact of Latin, the main language of Christianity.

• Religion:pope, bishop, monk, nun, cleric, demon, disciple, mass,priest, shrine,

• Learning:circul, not(note), paper, scol (school),epistol

• New demands on the language - recourse to the western classics to make good the grammatical, lexical and rhetorical deficiencies of the language.

• Large numbers of words poured in from Latin and Greek - mainly learned words introduced through writing rather than speech – scientific, mathematical, legal, & pertaining to the liberal arts:

• affidavit, apparatus, caveat, corpuscle, compendium, equilibrium, equinox, formula, inertia, incubate, momentum, molecule, pendulum, premium, stimulus, subtract, vaccinate, vacuum,

• RESULT: the appearance for the first time of the distinction between the LEARNED and the POPULAR.

Glossary

English	Russian	Kazakh

Student's individual work:

1.

Office Hours:

1.

Literature:

2. Barry J.Blake. Secret language. Oxford University Press. -2010.

3. Верещагин У.М., Костомаров В.Г. Язык и культура. – М., 1990.

4. Тер-Минасова Т.С. Язык и межкультурная коммуникация. – М., 2000.

The outline:

Kazakh-American University HAND-OUTS Discipline – Practical work on Culture of Speech Communication Academic year : 2012-2013 Number of credits – 2 Department “General Education and Humanities” Practical lesson№17-18 : “Intercultural communication” Translation Study Students 2-year Academic Professor- G.M. Kassymova

1.The origin of term “intercultural communication”.

2. The main notions in the field of intercultural communication.

3. The knowledge and perception of customs, traditions and ceremonials providing an adequate behavior of translator and interpreter.