Добавил:
Upload Опубликованный материал нарушает ваши авторские права? Сообщите нам.
Вуз: Предмет: Файл:
lexicology 2 module.doc
Скачиваний:
87
Добавлен:
09.11.2018
Размер:
364.54 Кб
Скачать

43. Say the characteristic features of dominant synonyms and examples.

All synonymic groups have a central word of this kind whose meaning is equal to the denotation common to all the synonymic group. This word is called the dominant synonym. E.g. to surprise-to astonish, to amaze; to tremble, to shiver, to shudder, to shake.

In each group of synonyms there is a word with the most general meaning, which can substitute any word in the group.

44. Define the types of compound words.

Compounds are not homogeneous in structure. Traditionally three types are distinguished: neutral, morphological and syntactic.

In neutral compounds the process of compounding is realized without any linking elements, by a mere juxtaposition of two stems. There are three subtypes of neutral compounds depending on the structure of the constituent stems. 1) simple neutral compounds, they consist of simple affixless stems. 2) derived or derivational neutral compounds, they have affixes in their structure. 3) contracted neutral compounds, they have a shortened stem in their structure.

Morphological compounds are few in number. This type is non-productive. It is represented by words in which two compounding stems are combined by a linking vowel or consonant.

In syntactic compounds we once more find a feature of specifically English word structure. These words are formed from segments of speech, preserving in their structure numerous traces of syntagmatic relations typical of speech: articles, prepositions, adverbs.

The compounds whose meaning do not correspond to the separate meanings of their constituent parts are called idiomatic compounds. F : blackboard, blackbird, lady-killer, chatterbox, in these compounds one of the components or both has changed its meaning: a blackboard is neither a board nor necessarily black, a chatterbox not a box but a person, and a lady-killer kills no one but is merely a man who fascinates women, a blackbird is some kind of bird.

45. Find out the reason of borrowings and assimilation of borrowings.

The term “source of borrowing” should be distinguished from the term “origin of borrowing”. The first should be applied to the language from which the loan word was taken into English. The second, on the other hand, refers to the language to which the word may be traced. Borrowing resorted to the word-stock of other languages for words to express new concepts, to further differentiate the existing concepts and to name new objects, phenomena. The term loan word is equivalent to borrowing. Alongside loan words proper, we distinguish loan translation and semantic loans. Translation loans are words and expressions formed from the material already existing in the British language but according to patterns taken from another language, by way of literal morpheme-for-morpheme or word-for-word translation. The term “semantic loan” is used to denote the development in an English word of a new meaning due to the influence of a related word in another language.

The question of why words are borrowed by one language from another is still unanswered. According to surveys we can mention four main reasons of borrowings:

1) Sometimes it is done to fill a gap in vocabulary, they did it because their own vocabulary system lacked words for new objects.

2) It is borrowed because it represents the same notion in some new aspect, supplies a new shade of meaning or a different emotional colouring. This type of borrowing enlarges groups of synonyms and greatly provides to enrich the expressive resources of the vocabulary, there may be a word which express some particular object.

3) It is borrowed by historical circumstances. Each time two nations come into close contact, certain borrowings are a natural consequence. The nature of the contact may be different. It may be wars, invasions or conquests, trade, international cultural relations.

4) It is borrowed “accidentally”, it means words may be borrowed “blindly” so to speak for no obvious reason.

Assimilation of borrowings.

English history is very rich in different types of contacts with other countries, that is why it is very rich in borrowings. The Roman invasion, the adoption of Cristianity, Scandinavian and Norman conquests of the British Isles, the development of British colonialism and trade and cultural relations served to increase immensely the English vocabulary. The majority of these borrowings are fully assimilated in English in their pronunciation, grammar, spelling and can be hardly distinguished from native words.

Borrowings can be classified according to different criteria:

a) according to the aspect which is borrowed

b) according to the degree of assimilation

c) according to the language from which the word was borrowed

According to the borrowed aspect there are the following groups-phonetic borrowings, translation loans, semantic borrowings, morphemic borrowings.

Phonetic borrowings are most characteristic in all languages, they are called loan words proper. Words are borrowed with their spelling, pronunciation and meaning. Then they undergo assimilation, each sound in the borrowed word is substituted by the corresponding sound of the borrowing language. In some cases the spelling is changed. The structure of the word can also be changed. The position of the stress is very often influenced by the phonetic system of the borrowing language. The paradigm of the word and sometimes the meaning of the borrowed word are also changed.

Translation loans are word-for-word (or morpheme-for-morpheme) translations of some foreign words or expressions. In such cases the notion is borrowed from a foreign language but it is expressed by native lexical units.

Semantic borrowings are such units when a new meaning of the unit existing in the language is borrowed. It can happen when we have two relative languages which have common words with different meanings.

Morphemic borrowings are borrowings of affixes which occur in the language when many words with identical affixes are borrowed from one language into another, so that the morphemic structure of borrowed words becomes familiar to the people speaking the borrowing language.

The degree of assimilation of borrowings depends on the following factors:

a) from what group of languages the word was borrowed, if the word belongs to the same group of languages to which the borrowing language belongs it is assimilated easier

b) in what way the word is borrowed: orally or in the written form, words borrowed orally are assimilated quicker

c) how often the borrowing is used in the language, the greater the frequency of its usage, the quicker it is assimilated

d) how long the word lives in the language, the longer it lives, the more assimilated it is.

Accordingly borrowings are subdivided into-completely assimilated, partly assimilated, non-assimilated (barbarisms).

Completely assimilated borrowings are not felt as foreign words in the language. Partly assimilated borrowings are subdivided into the following groups: a) borrowings non-assimilated semantically, because they denote objects and notions peculiar to the country from the language of which they were borrowed, b) borrowings non-assimilated grammatically, c) borrowings non-assimilated phonetically, d) borrowings can be partly assimilated graphically.

Non-assimilated borrowings are borrowings which are used by Englishmen rather seldom and are non-assimilated.

Classification of borrowings according to the language from which they were borrowed are Romanic borrowings (Latin, French, Italian), Germanic borrowings (Scandinavian, German, Holland, Russian).

Соседние файлы в предмете [НЕСОРТИРОВАННОЕ]