lexicology 4 English Vocabulary classification and structure

Chapter 4English Vocabulary: Characteristics, Classification and Structure

Lecture 4

4.1 English Vocabulary: rich and heterogeneous“The English language has vast debts. In any dictionary some 80% of the entries are borrowed. The majority are likely to come from Latin, and of those more than half will come through French. A considerable number will derive directly or indirectly from Greek. A substantial contribution will come from Scandinavian languages, and a small percentage from Portuguese, Italian, Spanish and Dutch. Scattered words will be from various sources around the globe.” The Encyclopedia Americana (1980)

Lecture 4

Nativeask fast fire fear holy rise time goodness

Frenchquestion firm flame terror sacred mount age virtue

Latininterrogate secure conflagration trepidation consecrated ascend epoch probity3

Lecture 4

4.2 Classification of words: frequency : basic word stock and non-basic vocabulary

notion: content words and functional words origin: native words and borrowed words level of use: common, literary, colloquial, slang, technical4

Lecture 4

4.2.1 Basic Word StockAll national character: words of the basic word stock denote the most common things and phenomena of the world around us, which are indispensable to all the people who speak the language.

Lecture 4

Stability:

As they denote the commonest things necessary to life, they are likely to remain unchanged. Stability, however, is only relative.

Lecture 4

Productivity:Words of the basic word stock are mostly root words or monosyllabic words. They can form new words with other roots and affixes

Lecture 4

waterline waterfall waterlocked waterway waterskiing waterman

(船)吃水线，海岸线，水位 瀑布，波形长发 环水的 水道，航道 划水运动 船工，浆手

watermanship 划船技术，水性 watercart water pistol 卖水车，洒水车 玩具喷水手枪8

Lecture 4

waterhead

水源，(医)大头，脑积水

waterfrontwaterside

水边地，滨水区，码头区河滨，湖滨，海滨

waterskinwaterproof

(储水或运水用的)革制水袋防水的

water works

供水系统，自来水厂

watered-down 用水稀释的

water-ratewater-fast

水费，蒸汽消耗率 耐水的，不退色的9

脚步声 脚步 无拘束的

Lecture 4

尺数 页脚，脚注

footage footpath男仆

football footer微不足道的

footfallfootloose

footedfootling站稳，立足点 脚灯

footmanfootprint

footingfoot lights

Lecture 4

单马拉双轮 马车

狗性

折角的

非常便宜的

doglikedogcart dog-eared dogfight dog-paddle dogsbody dog’s breakfast狗打架，斗狗 狗爬式游泳

doghooddog-cheap dog-fall doghole dogsleep doggery dog’s chance

平局

狗窝，小煤窑 打盹，假寐 卑鄙行为 微小的机会

勤杂工 大杂烩，一团糟

Lecture 4

Polysemy:Words belonging to the basic word stock often possess more than one meaning becaus

e most of them have undergone semantic changes in the course of use and become polysemous.

Lecture 4

Collocability:Many words of the basic word stock have strong collocability:

Lecture 4

a change of heart after one’s own heart cry one’s heart out eat one’s heart out have a heart of gold

改变主意 称心如意 痛哭欲绝 忧伤过度 非常仁慈，非常善良

Lecture 4

at heart break one’s heart

内心里，本质上 令人伤心 在胸口划十字 吓得要命，非常紧张 热心地

cross one’s hearthave one’s heart in one’s mouth

heart and hand

Lecture 4

heart and soul take sth to heart

全心全意把。。。放在心上

wear one’s heartupon one’s sleeve

十分坦率，光明磊落

with all one’s heart

全心全意地