- •Table of contents
- •Part 1. Lecture guides
- •1. Lexicology as a Branch of Linguistics
- •2. Word as a Basic Lingual Unit
- •3. The Word Meaning
- •Classification of lexical meanings
- •4. Semantic Change
- •The causes of semantic changes
- •I. Extra-linguistic causes of semantic change
- •II. Linguistic causes of the semantic change
- •Nature of semantic change
- •Results of semantic change
- •5. Polysemy. Semantic Structure of the Word. Context
- •6. The English Vocabulary as a System
- •Paradigmatic relations in vocabulary
- •Syntagmatic relations in vocabulary
- •Associative relations in vocabulary
- •7. Homonyms. Paronyms
- •8. Lexical Synonymy and Antonymy
- •Sources of synonymy
- •Semantic classification
- •9. Morphological Structure of the Word
- •Types of meaning in morphemes
- •10. Word-building
- •Classification of compounds
- •11. Etymology of the English Word-Stock
- •Native words
- •12. Stylistic Differentiation of the English Word-Stock
- •Literary words
- •Colloquial vocabulary
- •13. Phraseology of Modern English
- •Semantic classification of phraseological units
- •Structural classification of phraseological units
- •Functional classification of phraseological units
- •Contextual classification of phraseological units
- •Structural-semantic classification of phraseological units
- •14. Territorial Differentiation of the English Word-Stock
- •Vocabulary
- •15. English Lexicography
- •Classification of linguistic dictionaries
- •Problems of lexicography
- •Stages of development of English and American lexicography
- •Part 2. Seminars Seminar 1. Word as a Linguistic Sign
- •Test Questions
- •What phonetical variants do the following words have:
- •2. Link the variants below with the-identity-of-unit problem.
- •3. What problem (the sign nature of the word, the size-of-unit, the identity-of unit problems) do we deal with when we ask questions like:
- •5. How many words with root fast can you follow in the exercise? Group variants of the same word, discriminate between different words, prove their identity and separateness.
- •6. Speak on the lingual sign arbitrariness using the following examples:
- •7. Speak on the lingual sign asymmetry (correlation of content and expression) using the following examples:
- •Seminar 2. The Word Meaning
- •6. Establish the types of lexical meaning realised in the following sentences.
- •9. Use an explanatory dictionary, analyse the definitions of the following words and break up the semantic components into integral and differential semes.
- •Seminar 3. Causes, Nature and Results of Semantic Change
- •Test Questions
- •1. Determine the extralinguistic causes of semantic development of the words: historical, social, psychological.
- •2. Establish the linguistic cause of semantic development of the words: ellipsis, differentiation of synonyms, linguistic analogy.
- •3.* Define the type of semantic change:
- •4. Read the given passage. Speak on the linguistic phenomenon described in it.
- •6. Translate the cases of stylistic metaphor:
- •7.* The metonymical change may be conditioned by various connections such as spacial, temporal, causal, symbolic, instrumental, functional, etc. Establish the model of transfer in each case:
- •8. Find cases of semantic change based on hyperbole, litotes and irony.
- •11. Guess about reasons for the following euphemistic transfers:
- •Seminar 4. Polysemy and Context
- •Test Questions
- •6. Identify the meaning of the verb have in the semantic, grammatical and phrasal contexts:
- •7. Translate the sentences. Avoid looking up for the underlined words:
- •Seminar 5. The Vocabulary of a Language as a System
- •Test Questions
- •1. Find the hypernyms (superordinates) in the given lexico-semantic groups:
- •6.* Arrange the following units into three lexical sets, give them corresponding names.
- •8.* Think of one word only which can be used appropriately in all three sentences.
- •9. Using the data of various dictionaries compare the lexical valency of the words:
- •10. Suggest a frame of your own for the concept “trade”.
- •Seminar 6. Homonymy and Paronymy
- •Test Questions
- •1.* Find the homonyms in the following extracts. Classify them into:
- •5.* Identify the source of homonymy for the following lexical units:
- •7. Comment on the meanings of the following interlingual paronyms (international words, “false friends of the interpreter”):
- •8. Suggest Russian translation of the underlined pseudo-international words:
- •Seminar 7. Synonymy and Antonymy
- •Test Questions
- •1. Analyze the synonyms given and find the difference between them. Consult a dictionary. Give examples of your own:
- •2. Classify the synonyms into stylistic, ideographic and semantico-stylistic ones.
- •3. Use the following words to make up paradigms of synonyms. Point to the dominant synonyms. Pay attention to the polysemy of some words.
- •4. Within the following synonymic sets single out words with:
- •5. Make all necessary diagnostic tests and decide if these words are synonyms:
- •13. Provide the appropriate translation for the following contronyms.
- •Seminar 8. Word-structure
- •Test Questions
- •Seminar 9. Word-formation
- •Test Questions
- •1.* Classify the given affixes into native and borrowed:
- •2.* Break up the given affixes into productive and non-productive:
- •3. State the origin and explain the meaning of the suffixes in the following words:
- •4.* Give corresponding verbs or nouns to the following words:
- •5.* Form adjectives from the given nouns:
- •7. Read the following sentences. Translate the italisized words into Russian.
- •8. Find the cases of conversion in the sentences, identify the part of speech of the converted word.
- •9. Arrange the following compounds of:
- •11. In accordance with the part that is cut off to form a new word classify the clippings into four groups: 1) final clipping; 2) initial clipping; 3) intial and final clipping; 4) medial clipping.
- •12.* Determine the original components of the following blends.
- •13. Distinguish between phrasal verbs and prepositional verbs below:
- •14.* From the sentences given below write out the words built up by back-formation. Give the original words from which they are formed.
- •16. What serves as a word-formation means in the given words?
- •17. Define the type of word-building.
- •Seminar 10. Etymology of the English Word-Stock
- •Test Questions
- •6.* Build up pairs of etymological doublets:
- •9.* Etymology Quiz
- •1) Match the word on the left to its definition on the right, using the Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English on the cd-rom or any etymological dictionary to help you.
- •2) From this list, guess which language or country the words above came from originally, then check with the Word Origins in the cd-rom:
- •Seminar 11. Stylistic Classification of the English Vocabulary
- •Test Questions
- •1. State the difference in the pragmatic aspect of meaning of the given synonyms. Consult a dictionary.
- •2.* Break up the following words into formal, informal and neutral:
- •3.* Which unit is the odd one out in each of the following sets of formal words?
- •7. What word-building model was employed for coining the underlined nonce words?
- •9.* Replace the colloquial expressions by more neutral ones.
- •10.* Say whether you feel the following remarks are ok, too formal or too informal for each situation described. If the remark is unsuitable, suggest what the person might say instead.
- •11. Find proper Russian equivalents and stylistically neutral counterparts of the following jargon expressions. Comment on their metaphorical nature:
- •12.* Classify the given words into neologisms, archaisms and historisms:
- •13.* Classify the neologisms into three groups: 1) neologisms proper; 2) semantic neologisms; 3) transnominations.
- •Seminar 12. Phraseology
- •Test Questions
- •1. State which of the italisized units are phraseological units and which are free word combinations. Give proof of your answer.
- •2. Translate the phraseological units, giving their literal and figurative meaning.
- •4.* Make up five phraseological paradigms united by thematic features: 1) people’s qualities; 2) people in the classroom; 3) feelings or mood; 4) praise; 5) using language.
- •5. Classify the phraseological units on the semantic principle into: 1) phraseological fusions; 2) phraseological unities; 3) phraseological combinations.
- •7. Translate the following binominals into Russian.
- •8.* Decide which word or phrase completes the sentence and insert it. You may consult the dictionary of collocations.
- •9.* Group the given phraseological units into native and borrowed ones. State the sources of their origin.
- •10. The following phraseological units are biblical in origin. Find the corresponding Russian equivalents for them.
- •11. Comment upon the interrelation of lexical components in the following English and Russian praseological units:
- •12. The following is a collection of traditional proverbs. Give Russian equivalents of the following English proverbs.
- •13. Try to decide which proverb could help you express yourself in the following situations.
- •Seminar 13. Variants and Dialects of the English Language
- •Test Questions
- •5.* Find historical Americanisms, proper Americanisms and American borrowings:
- •7.* Translate the following words into English, giving British and American variants:
- •8.* Translate the following phrases, using the prepositions current in America and then in England:
- •9.* Can you avoid some of the most common confusions arising between British and American speakers? Try the following quiz¹.
- •10.* Convert the following sentences into British English:
- •11.* What do you think these examples of Australian colloquialisms mean? They are all formed by abbreviating an English word which you probably know.
- •13.* Below you have some statements made by a Scot. Answer the questions about them.
- •14.* Answer the following questions relating Black English.
- •Seminar 14. English Lexicography
- •Test Questions
- •1.* Judging only by the names of the dictionaries elicit as much information about them as possible and define the types:
- •2. Analyse the entries for the word thesaurus and determine the type of dictionaries they are borrowed from.
- •3. Which unit does not belong to the set?
- •4. Look up the answers to the following questions.
- •5. Give the full form of the following labels:
- •8. Compare two or three general-use dictionaries and comment on the similarities and differences.
- •Part 3. Supplemental material What to Read
- •Abbreviations
- •Bibliography
- •English lexicology: theory and practice Учебное пособие
- •690950 Г. Владивосток, ул. Октябрьская, 27
- •690950 Г. Владивосток, ул. Октябрьская, 27
Semantic classification of phraseological units
This classification was suggested by acad. V.V. Vinogradov for Russian phraseological units. He developed some points first advanced by the Swiss linguist Charles Bally and gave a strong impetus to a purely lexicological treatment of the material. It means that phraseological units were defined as lexical complexes with specific semantic features and classified accordingly. Phraseological units can be classified according to the degree of motivation аnd idiomaticity of their meaning. He pointed out three types of phraseological units:
1) phraseological fusions are completely non-motivated word-groups where the meaning of the whole expression is not derived from the meaning of components, it’s highly idiomatic, e.g. show the white feather ‘to act in a cowardly manner’, to talk through one’s hat ‘to talk foolishly’, a fishy story ‘a suspicious story’, on Shank’s mare ‘on foot’;
2) phraseological unities are partially non-motivated word-groups where the meaning of the whole can be guessed from the meaning of its components, it’s less idiomatic, e.g. to show one’s teeth ‘to threaten’, to stand to one’s guns ‘to refuse to change one’s opinion’, to skate on thin ice ‘to take risks’, to be caught napping ‘be taken unawares’. Phraseological unities can vary structurally, substitutions of their components are sometimes possible, e.g. to stick to / hold / stand one’s ground, old boy / chap / fellow; against / for a rainy day ‘until a time in the future when you might need it (esp. money will be needed)’.
3) phraseological combinations (collocations) are relatively stable motivated word groups which contain one element used in its direct meaning, while the other is used metaphorically, e.g. to meet the demand / the requirements / the necessity / the needs, to break a word / a promise / an agreement / a rule, to inflict harm / injury / strike / blow / a loss / damage. These above substitutions are not synonymic as the meaning of the whole changes, while the meanings of the verbs ‘meet’, ‘break’ and ‘inflict’ are kept intact.
The shortcoming of the classification is that it’s difficult to distinguish between the phraseological fusions and phraseological unities basing on the criterion of motivation only, as the latter works differently for people of different background.
Structural classification of phraseological units
Prof. A.I. Smirnitsky states that a phraseological unit may be defined as specific word groups functioning as word-equivalents, and characterized by semantic and grammatical unity. He suggested two semantic classes of phraseological units: idioms (to wash one’s dirty linen in public), which are metaphoric and stylistically marked, and phraseological combinations (to fall in love, to get up), which are trite metaphors who have lost their figurativeness, that’s why they are stylistically neutral. Only the second group of the set expressions is given a detailed analysis.
A.I. Smirnitsky worked out structural classification of phraseological combinations according the number and semantic significance of their constituent parts. He points out one-top (one-summit) units which have one semantically significant element in their structure. They are called phrasal verbs now. He compares one-top units with derived words because derived words have only one root morpheme. He points out two-top (two-summit) units which have two semantically significant elements in their structure. He compares them with compound words because in compound words we usually have two root morphemes. He also distinguishes multi-top (multi-summit) units. The number of tops (summits) is defined by the number of notional words.
Among one-top units he points out three structural types:
a) units of the type “to give up” (verb + postpositive particle), e.g. to start up, to back up, to drop out, to nose out, to buy into, to sandwich in, to try out, to drop in, to make out, etc.;
b) units of the type “to be tired”. Some of these units remind the Passive Voice in their structure but they have different prepositions with them, while in the Passive Voice we can have only prepositions “by” or “with”, e.g. to be tired of, to be interested in, to be surprised at, to be up to, to be akin to, to be aware of, etc.;
c) prepositional-nominal phraseological units, e.g. by heart, on the doorstep, on the nose, in the course of, on the stroke of, in time, on the point of, etc.
Among two-top and multi-top units A.I. Smirnitsky points out the following structural types:
a) attributive-nominal two-top units, e.g. a month of Sundays, grey matter, high road, a millstone round one’s neck, first night, blind alley, bed of nails, etc. Units of this type function as noun equivalents;
b) verb-nominal phraseological two-top units, e.g. to read between the lines, to sweep under the carpet, to fall in love, not to know the ropes, to burn one’s boats, to vote with one’s feet, to take to the cleaners’, etc.;
c) phraseological repetitions, e.g. now or never, part and parcel, ups and downs, back and forth, cakes and ale, as busy as a bee. These units are equivalents of adverbs or adjectives;
d) adverbial multi-top units, e.g. every other day, to take a back seat, a peg to hang a thing on, lock, stock and barrel, to be a shadow of one’s own self, at one’s own sweet will, etc.