Module # 2 Theme # 5: “English vocabulary as a system” (2 hours)

Subtheme # 1: “Non-semantic grouping”

Case study tasks:

1. Match the classification types of grouping of English vocabulary.

1) non-semantic

2) morphological

3) lexico-grammatical

4) emotionally neutral and coloured

5) stylistically neutral and coloured

a) thematic, ideographic

b) collocation, fusion, unity

c) formal, informal

d) intensifiers, interjections, evaluatory words

e) morphological, phonetic, semantic

f) morpheme, notional, functional, word-family

g) lexical, familiar, low

h) alphabetical, rhyming, frequency, length

2. Prepare information about non-semantic grouping of English vocabulary and make a report on basic features. Show their importance in comparison with other types.

Problematic tasks:

1. Write about the non-semantic grouping and its types.

2. Say why the theoretical importance of that grouping is almost null.

3. Characterize each subdivision of non-semantic grouping and illustrate with examples.

Subtheme # 2: Morphological grouping”

Case study tasks:

1. Make a presentation on each type of morphological grouping and explain their importance in comparison with other types. Compare with your mother tongue.

Problematic tasks:

1. Comment on the fact that the morphological grouping is the basic grouping of English vocabulary.

2. Evaluate each subdivision of the morphological grouping and give examples.

3. Express your attitude on word families.

4. Analyze the structure of derived, compound and compound-derived morphemes.

Subtheme # 3: “Lexico-grammatical grouping”

Case study tasks:

1. Give possible definition and functions of the semantic field, then give the differences in their stylistic type of the lexemes belonging to the semantic field of “madness”. Match the lexemes with the categories:

1) literary, academic, technical in character

2) colloquialisms

3) dated or archaic

4) relatively recent in origin

5) stylistically neutral

a) neurotic, psychotic, schizophrenic, maladjusted, unbalanced

b) insane of unsound mind, not in full possession of one’s faculties, possessed

c) demented, unhinged, mental, non compos mentis

d) barmy, cuckoo, gaga, batty, loony, daft, crazy, nuts

e) bananas, bonkers, crackers, round the bend, off one’s chump

2. There given three controversial problems in the field of terminology. Give your specific characteristics on each problem and say which of them do you mostly close to and why.

1) a term loses its terminological status when it comes into common usage. Under the circumstances numerous terms pass into general usage.

2) there are linguists in whose opinion terms are only those words which have retained their exclusiveness and are not known or recognized outside their specific sphere.

3) according to some linguists an ideal term should be monosemantic. Polysemantic terms may lead to misunderstanding and that is a serious in professional communication.

3. Make a list of terms concerning with your profession.

Problematic tasks:

1. Give the definition of professional terminology.

2. Give the controversial problems of terms and express your point of view on the problems.

3. Point out the features of semantic field and give the possible definition with examples.

4. Compare the thematic and ideographic groupings and give examples.

Subtheme # 4: “Emotionally neutral and emotionally colored grouping”

Case study tasks:

1. Divide the following examples into the examples of interjections, the examples of intensifiers, the examples of evaluatory words.

How on earth!, marvelously, awfully, a devil of time, Heavens!, scandalmonger, Now well!. A hell of success, tremendously, Nonsense!, silly pig.

Problematic tasks:

1. Analyze the emotionally neutral and emotionally coloured grouping of words.

2. Characterize each subdivision of the grouping and illustrate with examples.

3. Define the differentiating features of the emotive speech.

Subtheme # 5: “Stylistically neutral and stylistically colored grouping”

Case study tasks:

1. From the following list of words choose the neutral words and comment on your opinion.

Parent – father – dad

Chum – friend – fellow

Large – big – tremendous

Like – love – worship

2. Pick up the examples of slang from the list and explain the functions in speech.

Paternal, solar, donkey, domestic, teenager, chap, computer, labial, to be on the beam, hereby, nut, hitch-hiker, mental, tape-recorder

3. Speak on the grouping of English vocabulary and state out the differences between formal and informal vocabulary. Find out the characteristic features of formal and informal vocabulary.

1) Formal

2) Informal

1. associated with professional communication

2. often prepared in advance

3. relaxed, free and easy

4. the listener can interrupt and demand additional information

5. occur in books and magazines

6. the vocabulary is elaborate

4. Speak on the role of learned words in the language – learning and language – teaching process and their role in the student’s functional and recognition vocabularies.

Analyze the extract and say what type of grouping they belong to and the style of it.

“A bat has noiselessly appropriated the space between, a flittering weaving almost substanceless fragment of the invading dark. … A collared dove groaned once in the final light. A pink rose reclining upon the big box hedge glimmered with contained electric luminosity. A blackbird, trying to metamorphose itself into a nightgale, began a long passionate complicated song ”.

Problematic tasks:

1. Say the importance of the stylistic structure of the word in comparison with morphological and semantic structures.

2. Give your opinion on why the vocabulary should be studied as a system.

3. State out differentiating features of formal and informal speech.

4. Explain the types of formal and informal vocabulary.

5. Show the differences between slang words, jargonisms and argot.

6. Contrast the difference between slang and colloquialisms. Give examples.

7. Give the difference between neutral and coloured or marked types of vocabulary.