Task 134

Set I

Fill in the gaps with the suitable terms:

sweater trousers pinafore dress undershirt knickers vest suspenders

This drift of meaning can happen with almost any­thing, even our clothing. There is a curious but not often noted tendency for the names of articles of apparel to drift around the body. This is particularly apparent to Britons in America (and vice versa) who discover that the names for clothes have moved around at different rates and now often signify quite separate things. A Briton go­ing into a New York department store with a shopping list consisting of vest, knickers, suspenders, jumper and pants would in each instance be given something dra­matically different from what he expected. (To wit, a Brit­ish vest is an American ...... .An American ...... is a British waistcoat. Where the British use braces to hold up their ...... , the Americans use ...... to hold up their pants. They never use pants to signify underwear, nor do they use ..... except as a term for the kind of knee-length trousers that golfers used to wear. Jumper as an­other word for .....is quite unknown in America; there jumper means a .......) (from Btyson B. Mother Tongue. The English Language [61:72-73])

Set II

Here are the original meanings of a few words for clothing and their current meanings in British English and Ameri­can English. Match the meaning and the language in which it is used.

VEST

original meaning: "clothing"

1. "a waistcoat"

2. "an undershirt"

a) British

b) American

JUMPER

original meaning: "a loose jacket"

1. "a light pullover"

2. "a pinafore"

a) British

b) American

PANTS

original meaning: "men's breeches extending from waist to ankle"

1. "trousers"

2. "underpants"

a) British

b) American

SUSPENDERS

Original meaning: “straps to support trousers”

1. unchanged

2. “garters”

a) British

b) American

Laboratory work 8

“Lexicography. English Dictionaries”

Discussion:

1. Lexicography as a branch of linguistics, its aims and significance.

2. Classifications of dictionaries. Main types of dictionaries of the English language.

3. Typical dictionary structure.

4. Typical word entry structure.

5. The distinctive features of the dictionary families: Oxford, Hornby, Webster, etc.

6. Electronic dictionaries and encyclopedias.

Practice:

1. Establish the typological features of 3-4 dictionaries of your choice. Point out the differences between them.

2. Describe the structure of the entries of the same word in 3-4 dictionaries of different types. Bring out the similarities and differences between them.

3. Compare the systems of pronunciation presentation employed in British and American dictionaries (International Phonetic Alphabet vc. specific phonetic notation). Give examples and all necessary explanations.

4. Take 3-4 explanatory and translation dictionaries and analyse the types of labels illustrated by examples.

5. Describe the Oxford English Dictionary (in 12 volumes) according to the scheme: its history, its editors, dictionary structure, structure of word entry.

6. Tell your fellow students about the father of American lexicography Noah Webster and his dictionaries. Speak on modern Webster’s dictionaries and their distinctive features.

7. Describe the peculiarities of the dictionary series initiated by A.S.Hornby

Literature:

1. Современный английский зык (слово и предложение). – Иркутск, 1997. – С. 372-378.

2. Arnold I.V. The English Word. – М.: Высш. шк., 1986. – Р.272-276.

3. Ginzburg R.S., Khidekel S.S. Knyazeva G.Y., Sankin A.A. A Course in Modern English Lexicology. – M.: Higher School Publishing House, 1966. – P.256-268.

4. Ступин Л.П.Лексикография английского языка. - М.: Высш.шк., 1985.–167 с.

5. Internet