A word. Lexicology.
word ?connection? object
Lexicology – a branch of linguistics which studies words
No definition is totally satisfactory in all aspects
Word = fundamental unit of language ← ?
?origin of language? =› ?origin of words?
Speaker’s sound groups
m
ental =
words
p
rocess =
acoustic phenomena
= concepts, ideas
Two-way process of communication
referent – object, phenomenon, quality, action, etc. denoted by the word
d
ifferent
sound groups
o
bject referent in
different languages
↑ = no direct relation
direct relation?
(
8)
vocabulary of the language = the stock of words
– the total sum of words of the language
nothing
accidental about it
wordwordword
wordword ← vast, efficient, perfectly balanced system
wordwordword why? how acquired?
We know:
a word is a unit of communication
word = the total of sounds which comprise it
word structurally possesses several characteristics
(3) Modern approach:
external structure of the word = morphological structure
e.g.:post-impressionists – in this word the following morphemes can be distinguished:
the prefixes post-, im- all these morphemes
the root press constitute the external
the noun-forming suffixes –ion, -ist structure of this word
the grammatical suffix of plurality s
(4) internal structure of the word = meaning = the word’s semantic structure – the word’s main aspect.
U
nity
external (=formal) internal (semantic)
≠ indivisibility
(5) bright light, to take for granted
(
6)
e.g.:blackbird
and
black
bird
1
.
formal unity
characterized by unity, each constituent can acquire
possesses a single grammatical grammatical forms of its own:
framing: blackbird/s the blackest birds I’ve ever seen.
The 1st constituent black is not Other words can be inserted b/w
subject to any grammatical the components: a black night bird
changes
susceptibility to grammatical employment (words can be used in different grammatical forms in which their interrelations are realized)
2. Semantic unity
conveys only 1 concept: each of the meaningful words conveys
the type of bird a separate concept: bird – a kind of
living creature; black – a colour
(
7)
SEMANTICS
Syntagmatic levelParadigmatic level
The semantic structure of the word The word is studied in its
isanalysed in its linear relationships relationships with other words
withneighbouring words in in the vocabulary system =>
connected speech, i.e. the semantic a word may be studied in
characteristics of the word are comparison with other words
observed, described and studied on - of similar meaning
the basis of its typical contexts. (work – labour; to refuse - to
reject – to decline) → synonimy
- of opposite meaning (busy -
idle; to accept – to reject)→ antonymy
- of different stylistic
characteristics(man – chap –
bloke – guy)→ functional styles
(8) e.g. to take the bull by the horns, to see red, birds of a feather, etc.
(
9)the
study of the vocab. as a system
synchronically diachronically
= at a given stage of its development = in the context of the processes
through which it grew developed
and
acquired its modern form
opposition is disputable