1. Lexicology as a branch of linguistics

1. True or false? Correct the wrong statements.

1. Lexicology is the study of the word.

2. Special lexicology is based on the principles worked out by the General Lexicology.

3. A course in Modern English Lexicology is a course in Special Descriptive Lexicology.

4. The word is an elementary indivisible part of the lexicon.

5. Comparative Lexicology compares the vocabularies of two or more languages.

6. Apart from Phonetics, Grammar and Stylistics, Lexicology is most closely connected with Sociolinguistics, Psycholinguistics and Pragmatics.

2. Answer the questions.

1. Why is it so difficult to define a word?

2. What is the difference between notional words and functional words?

3. What is a two-facet unit? Is the word a two-facet unit? Why or why not?

4. What is the external and internal unity of the word?

5. What are the main approaches to the study of the word?

6. What is the difference between studying the word paradigmatically and syntagmatically?

3. Complete these statements.

1. The word is …

2. The vocabulary of a language is a system because …

4. David Crystal suggested that the term “word” should be replaced by such terms as “lexical item”, “lexical unit” or “lexeme”. What do you think about this suggestion?

V. 1) What is the external and the internal structure of the word cattish?

2. Which of the following can be considered a unity: a redcap- a red cap- a red carpet? Explain your answer.

3. Which of the following possesses a semantic unity: a dark room-a darkroom? Explain.

4. Choose a word and give all its forms and variants. State the type of the variants. (Use a good dictionary).

VI. How can we study the word cat within the framework of the systemic approach, the functional approach, the nominative approach, the communicative approach? Illustrate your ideas with examples. (Use a good dictionary).

2. Nomination

1. Could you define these terms?

Onomaseology, nominatior, referent, concept, meaning.

2. What are the main stages in the process of nomination?

3. What are the relations between :

the concept and meaning?

the concept and the referent?

meaning and the word / the sound-form?

the nominator and the referent?

4. Do you agree or disagree with this statement? Explain your answer.

"The meaning of the word "water" can be expressed with the help of its chemical formula H2O".

5. Why are concepts basically similar, though not identical for all people – speakers of different languages? Give examples to support your arguments.

6. True or false? Correct the wrong statements.

1. All words are nominative units.

All nominative units are words.

2. There are two main sources of sound-forms:

Borrowing from other languages and using existing language units.

3. By secondary nomination we mean internal ways of nomination.

4. Secondary nomination is more important than primary nomination.

5. Ways and means of nomination should be distinguished.

7. State the way of nomination.

Adidas spacelab AIDS to butterfly boycott

infotainment pass-fail ASH to acupuncture retro

infomercial spacefarming TOEFL to summit referee

Personal organizer undivided customs prof Muggle

Silent majority adressee authorities doc Quidditch

Gender gap ex-MP powers zine Quaffle

8. Could you define the meaning of the following new words? What is the way of nomination?

1. Workaholic (b) user-friendly (c) student-oriented

Bookaholic ozone-friendly money-oriented

Milkaholic customer-friendly job-oriented

Cocaholic nature-friendly classroom-oriented

4. teletext

telecast

telebanking

teleshopping

Could you add two more words to each set?

9. Shifting meaning (semantic derivation):

A word acquires a new meaning.

State the original and the new meaning of the following words (use a good dictionary):

to debug, spam