Лексикология английского языка. Practice Makes Perfect. Учебное пособие

12.In Japan they have replaced the impersonal and unhelpful Microsoft error messages with Haiku poetry messages. Haikus are used to communicate a timeless message, often achieving a wistful powerful insight through extreme brevity. Read some Haiku poetry messages and speak about the stylistic effect achieved through the change

1. Your file was so big It might be very useful.

But now it is gone.

2. The Web site you seek Cannot be located, but Countless more exist.

3. A crash reduces Your expensive computer To a simple stone.

4. Serious error.

All shortcuts have disappeared. Screen. Mind. Both are blank.

5. Yesterday it worked. Today it is not working. Windows is like that.

13.Below are some fragments of language taken from different contexts. Suggest a possible source for each

A. ...cool dry place. Keep well out of …

B.…acknowledge the assistance of my colleagues, and lastly …

C.…magnificent vistas of coastline, beautiful beaches, …

D.…bringing scattered thundershowers …

E.…opens with a sad little melody …

F.Simmer gently …

G.Arrived Leopoldville. Met at terminus by M., …

H.Trap for catching birds or animals, esp. made …

I.Carriage hereunder is subject to …

J. ..the Canadians were hammered …

14.Read the text and write out informal words and word collocations which occur in it. Say whether they are colloquial words or slang? Be ready to speak about the peculiarities of the informal register

A Dog Skirt Makes Dog Days It was on account of style that I first noticed him:

a tall guy on a sleek powerful bike with piercing brown eyes and dark curve hair. He looked like a rock star in those ripped jeans. He was obviously neither a man about town nor Mr. Right who could charm your Mum and make an impression on your Dad. All his looks shouted he was not just a man in the street.

I got quite a kick out of the way he moved and touched his hair. He had some magnetic power about him that could easily catch you on fire and make you feel a zero gravity. Men like that have always been right down my alley.

I was staring at him like a little girl. Well…, no wonder, women have always had greater sensitivity! But if you want to be treated like a lady, get a grip on yourself.

Meanwhile the two parts of my consciousness were at war with each other: one part wanted the rock prince to look back and the other was terribly afraid that he would think I was a dodo staring at him so much. I started talking to myself: “Ok, do stop it and turn back to choose an ice-cream”.

I watched him parking. Then he raised his head and smiled at me. Gosh! I thought I was not a nervous Nelly until then. But was it a polite smile or a real McCoy? The guy certainly knew the ropes of

behavior with women. The rational part of my mind seemed to have been on the ropes. I was afraid to say something wrong on the spur of the moment.

Suddenly the guy said: “Hello, can I help you?”

Help me? He might have said something better or what’s the story?

He smiled and said: “I could buy you a new skirt, for example.” I looked down and saw a little puppy playing with my skirt that had turned into a mini. Nice! I wasn’t concealing much from the public…, so he could see me on through.

Words and Their Origin

1.Subdividethefollowingwordsofnativeoriginintothefollowing groups: a) Indo-European; b) Germanic; c) English proper

Bird, deep, build, six, boy, grey, winter, sit, girl, grow, shoe, cow, lady, bear, heavy, goose, father, tell, spring, tale, woman, always, fox, brown, nose, red, boat, all, hair, glad, sad, star, foot, daisy, stand, brother, milk, honey.

2.Read the text. Why does the text sound funny? How is the humorous effect achieved? Explain the etymology of the italicized words. If necessary, consult a dictionary

Two new chemical elements have recently been discovered. Here for the first time is a description of the properties of one of them.

Name: WOMAN (synonyms: girl, lady) Symbol: WO

Atomic Weight: (don’t even go there!)

Physical Properties: Generally round in form. Boils at nothing and may freeze any time. Melts whenever treated properly. Very bitter if not used well.

Chemical Properties: Very active. Highly unstable. Possesses strong affinity to gold, silver, platinum, and precious stones. Violent when left alone. Able to absorb great amounts of exotic food. Turns slightly green when placed next to a better specimen.

Usage:Highlyornamental.Anextremelygoodcatalystfordispersion of wealth. Probably the most powerful income reducing agent known.

Caution: Highly explosive in inexperienced hands.

3.Look at the map of the British Isles and try to find a placename, containing the following Celtic words:

Afon, avon – a river; lan, llan – a church; dun, dum – a hill or a fort; cum, combre – a deep valley; pen – a hill, a head or a top.

4.Put the Modern English spelling alongside the Old English. Define the etymology of the words

5.Read the following jokes. Explain the etymology of the italicized words

A. Do you know the punishment for bigamy? – Two mothers-in-law.

B.A beggar walked up to a well-dressed woman shopping on Rodeo Drive and said, “I haven’t eaten anything in four days”. She looked at him and said, “My God! I wish I had your willpower”.

C.I haven’t spoken to my wife for 18 months. I don’t like to interrupt her. I married Miss Right. I just didn’t know her first name was Always.

D.An English professor wrote the words, “Woman without her man is nothing” on the blackboard and directed the students to punctuate it correctly. The man wrote: “Woman, without her man, is nothing”. The woman wrote: “Woman! Without her, man is nothing”.

6.Classify the words into three groups according to the period of Latin borrowings. What are the characteristic features of the words belonging to each group?

Select, money, wine, sonic, hymn, cup, pear, collect, magnitude, butter, elect, solar, solitude, separate, cheese, omit, wall, candle, street, educate, plum, dish, school, psalm, aggravate.

7.Read the following words. When did they appear in English? What historical event are they connected with?

Alter, candle, hymn, monk, nun, organ, pope, priest, psalm, rule, temple, lily, school, master, verse.

8.In the following sentences find examples of Latin borrowings: identify the period of borrowings

I have nothing to declare except my genius. 2. To be intoxicated is to feel sophisticated but not being able to say it. 3. Age is a high price to pay for maturity. 4. Do infants enjoy infancy as much as adults enjoy adultery? 5. However, it was when he told me that 99 per cent of the Icelandic population are literate that I got excited. If Icelandic schools can produce such results, why can’t ours in Britain? 6. I knew their house was like our house, with a sideboard and a big black poker for working fire and a picture of the Pope pinned up on the wall. 7. My tutors spoke to me with respect as if I were a sentient and sensitive being; this was a relief after a routine sarcasm of nuns. 8. Language is the instrument of culture, the instrument of domination and liberation (Angela Carter).

9.Read the following examples of Scandinavian borrowings. What can be said about their stylistic characteristics? Find some examples with the words in fiction

Nouns: anger, egg, sky, skin, bat, bark (part of a tree), club, dirt, gap, kid, leg, law, mistake, skull, window.

Adjectives: clumsy, cunning, flat, loose, odd, gruesome, nasty, rotten, tight.

Verbs: bet, hit, raise, snub, bloom, take, happen.

14.In the sentences given below find the examples of French borrowings

A.I am in Birmingham sitting in a cafe2 opposite a hairdresser’s. I’m trying to find courage to go in and book an appointment.

B.There’s one piece of advice I have always given and always continue to give: read books.

C.William leads a gang called “The Outlaws”, but he is not a wicked boy. Although it has to be admitted that his catalogue of crimes – breaking and entering, kidnapping, forgery, arson – would put him in the care of the social services.

D.Whenever you want to marry someone, go have lunch with his ex-wife.

E.A man’s home may seem to be his castle on the outside, inside it is more often his nursery.

F.Being a parent is tough. If you just want a wonderful little creature to love, you can get a puppy.

G.By marrying an aristocrat, he gained entree2 into higher social circles.

H.When a man does a thoroughly stupid thing, it is always from the noblest motives.

I.The most precious things in speech are pauses. (R. Richardson).

J.If all the world is a stage, where is the audience sitting?

15.Some words were borrowed into English from Italian. They belong to several thematic groups. Read the words and add your own examples to each group

A.Music: opera, solo, soprano, libretto, maestro

B.Art and literature: novella, stanza, studio, miniature.

C.Food: lasagna, aperitif, gorgonzola, broccoli.

16.Read the following loan words. Explain their origin and meaning. If necessary, use a dictionary

Doberman pinscher, hamster, hertz, kaput, lager, lederhosen, leitmotiv, deli (delicatessen), diesel, edelweiss, ersatz, fest.

17.Read the following words and explain their meaning. Identify the source of borrowing

Adios, alligator, armada, avocado, barbecue, booby, cargo, cigar, cigarette, mosquito, tornado, vanilla.

18.Read some examples of words of African origin. What do these words usually name?

Baobab, dik-dik, gnu, goober, limbo, kalimbra, gumbo, yam, yambalaya.

19.Many words that came into English from Arabic reflect the contribution of Arabic culture to the world. Analyze the words and speak of their cultural aspect

Azimuth, zenith, zero, magazine, marzipan, coffee, alcohol.

20. Identify the origin of the following words

Banana, chocolate, hurricane, coffee, spaghetti, solo, kangaroo, yoghurt, kimono, blitz, tea, bungalow, yacht, snack.

21.Read the following sentences. Define the etymology of the words given in italics (Revision)

A.If money does not grow on trees, why do banks have branches?

B.A successful man is the one who makes more money than his wife can spend.

C.Life is a span of time of which the first half is ruined by our parents, and the second half– by our children.

D.Teenagers are people who express a burning desire to be different by dressing alike.

E.Children are small people who are not permitted to act as their parents did when they were the same age.

F.The true University of these days is a Collection of Books.

G.If it is true that the violin is the most perfect musical in- strument, then the Greek is the violin of human thought (H. Keller).

22.Use a dictionary and find the etymology of the following words. Write them out in three columns: a) fully assimilated words; b) partially assimilated words; c) barbarisms. Explain the reason for your choice

Ciao, padre, tornado, alligator, bronco, delicatessen (deli), camp, mile, street, egg, window, armada, leitmotiv, alter, odd, cup, anger, school, select, fiancee,2 fiasco, solitude, algebra, lesson, soldier, a-la carte, casino, a la mode, crime, roulette, sauna, tycoon.

23.Find synonyms to the words given below. Explain the difference in meaning

Tongue, book, ask, wedding, smell, sorrow, rise, time, childish, friendly.

24.Explain the etymology of the italicized words; identify the stage of assimilation

A.I was walking down a street in London when I saw the coat in a shop window. It was ankle length, suede and lined in sheepskin.

B.The price of the coat is a secret I will take to my grave. My daughters who take an almost obsessive interest in the price I pay for my clothing, put me through their usual KGB interrogation routine, but I didn’t crack.

C.When traveling, always buy a local newspaper, even if you can’t read the language. You can sit or lie on it. You can use it as a plate. You can roll it up and swat insects with it. The uses are endless.

D.Bear in mind that the fire brigade has been busier since it became more fashionable to bathe by candlelight.