
- •1.The subject-matter of lexicology and its main problems
- •2.English vocabulary as a system
- •3. The classification of the English vocabulary
- •Idiographic groups
- •4.Moderrn methods of lexicological research
- •5.Etymological composition of the English Word- Stock
- •6.Causes and ways of borrowing into English. Etymological doublets.
- •7. Mechanism of borrowing
- •1)True loan words
- •3) Semantic loans
- •8. Criteria and assimilation of borrowings
- •9. International Words. Translator’s false friends. Culturally oriented words. Popular (false) etymology
- •10. The morpheme. Its types of meaning. The allomorph
- •11. Ic method. Morphemic and word-formation analysis
- •Ic method
- •12. Affixation. The classification of affixes. Semi-affixes. Hybrids.
- •13. Productivity of word-formation means. Conversion. Main types oа semantic relations between the members of a conversion pair.
- •14. Composition. Structural and semantic types of compounds. Compound words and word combinations.
- •15. Shortening(clipping, abbreviation, blending)
- •16. Minor Types of Modern Word-Building.
- •17.Word-meaning as a controversial linguistic problem
- •18. Types of word meaning
- •19. Polysemy. Meaning and context. Types of context.
- •20. The fundamentals of the componential analysis
- •21. Semantic change. Linguistic & extra-linguistic causes
- •22. Linguistic metaphor and metonymy. Types of semantic change
- •23. Definitions and criteria of synonyms. Main sources of synonymy. Synonymic dominant versus generic term.
- •24. The classification of synonyms.
- •25.Euphemisms as a specific type of synonyms
- •26. Antonyms: definition and criteria. The classification of antonyms.
- •27. Definition and sources of homonymy
- •28.The classification of homonyms
- •29. Phraseological units versus free word-groups.
- •30. Classification of phraseological units
- •31. Proverbs, familiar quotation and clichés
- •32. Standard English and local varieties of the English Language on the British Isles.
- •34. Functional varieties of the English vocabulary
- •35. Lexicography. Main lexicographical problems.
- •36. Types of dictionaries. The arrangement of entries in a dictionary.
14. Composition. Structural and semantic types of compounds. Compound words and word combinations.
Composition - a way of forming a new word by combining at least two stems.
Compounds are not homogeneous in structure. Traditionally three types are distinguished:
1) neutral the process of compounding is realised without any linking elements, by a mere juxtaposition of two stems.
2) morphological Morphological compounds are few in number. This type is nonproductive. It is represented by words in which two compounding stems are combined by a linking vowel or consonant, e. g. Anglo-Saxon, Franko-Prussian, handiwork, handicraft, craftsmanship, spokesman, statesman
3) syntactic In syntactic compounds (the term is arbitrary) 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, as in the nouns lily-of-the-valley, Jack-of-all-trades, good-for-nothing, mother-in-law, sit-at-home. Syntactical relations and grammatical patterns current in present-day English can be clearly traced in the structures of such compound nouns as pick-me-up, know-all, know-nothing, go-between, get-together, whodunit. The last word (meaning "a detective story") was obviously coined from the ungrammatical variant of the word-group who (has) done it.
There are three subtypes of neutral compounds depending on the structure of the constituent stems.
1. they consist of simple affixless stems
blackbird, shop-window, sunflower, bedroom, tallboy
2. compounds which have affixes in
their structure are called derived or
derivational compounds, e.g.
absent-mindedness, blue-eyed, golden-haired, broad-shouldered, lady-killer, film-goer, music-lover, honey-moon-er, first-nighter, latecomer, newcomer, early-riser, evildoer.
3. contracted compounds These words have a shortened (contracted) stem in their structure: TV-set (-program, -show, -canal, etc.), V-day (Victory day), G-man (Government man "FBI agent"), H-bag (handbag), T-shirt, etc.
The criteria for distinguishing between a compound and a word-combination
1)graphic criterion- solid, e.g. tallboy through the hyphen
2)semantic criterion a compound forms a unit expressing a single idea which is not identical to the same of meaning of its
components in a free phrase, e.g. black-bird
3)phonetic criterion the presence of a single stress. The criterion is convincingly applicable to many compound nouns, yet does not work with compound adjectives: cf. 'slowcoach, blackbird, 'tallboy, but: blue-'eyed, 'absent-'minded, 'ill- 'mannered.
4)morphological and syntactic criterion In the word-group a tall boy each of the constituents is independently open to
grammatical changes peculiar to its own category as a part of speech: They were the tallest boys in their form. Between the constituent parts of the word-group other words can be inserted: a tall handsome boy. The compound tallboy - and, in actual fact, any other compound - is not subject to such changes. The first component is grammatically invariable; the plural form ending is added to the whole unit: tallboys. No word can be inserted between the components, even with the compounds which have a traditional separate graphic form.