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Differentiation of lexis according to the spheres of usage. Expressive-stylistic colouring of words.

First of all it’s necessary to say what means to know a word. To know a word means to know its form (phonetic form and graphic form), meaning (there are a lot of polysemantic words in English, and children should know the most frequently used meanings; phrasal words are also interesting) and use. Speaking about use we can’t but mention connotation. Here we should say that there are neutral words and stylistically, emotionally coloured words.

Scheme

Meaning

lexical grammatical lexico-grammatical

denotational connotational

stylistic emotional evaluative intensifying

Grammatical meaning – is the component of meaning repeated in identical sets of individual forms of words (for ex., the category of number in nouns).

Lexico-grammatical meaning – is a common denominator of all the meanings or words belonging to a definite part of speech.

Lexical meaning (Russian linguistic school) – is the realization of concept or emotion by means of a definite language system. Lexical meaning is not homogeneous.

Denotational meaning – expresses the conceptional content of the word. It makes communication possible.

Connotation – is the emotive change and the stylistic value of the word.

Stylistic connotation – is the associations concerning the situation in which the word is uttered, the social circumstances, social relationships between the interlocutors.

Evaluative – expresses the speaker’s approval or disapproval.

Emotional – indicates the emotional attitude of a speaker.

Words are not used in speech to the same extent. Those words that are indispensable in every act of communication have nothing particular about them. They cause no definite associations. On the contrary words used only in special spheres of linguistic intercourse have something attached to their meaning, a certain stylistic colouring.

Indispensable words are stylistically neutral. Words of special spheres are stylistically coloured.

All the words are divided into neutral and non-neutral. It’s evident that certain groups of stylistically coloured words must be placed, figuratively speaking, above the neutral words. These groups are formed by words with a tinge of officiality or refinement about them, poetic words, high-flown words in general. Other words are to be placed below the neutral words. Their sphere of use is socially lower than the neutral sphere. We can name them “super-neutral” (elevated) and “sub-neutral” (words of lower ranks), respectively.

Super-neutral words

They are used in official documents, diplomacy and commercial correspondence, legislation, etc. they are called “solemn words”. Poetic words are also in this category. Stylistic colouring of elevation occurs in archaisms (old words, which are not used in present days), bookish words (used in cultivated speech only – in books or public speeches, official negotiations, etc.) and foreign words (but they shouldn’t be confused with borrowed words; f.w. have preserved their original pronunciation and spelling).

Sub-neutral words

  1. Words used in informal speech only – colloquial words (with a tinge of familiarity or inofficiality)

  • Colloquial proper (substitutes of neutral) – chap, for ex.

  • phonetic variants of neutral words – fella (fellow)

  • diminutives of neutral words – daddy, piggy

  • words the primary meaning of which refer them to neutral sphere while the figurative – to outside the neutral sphere – spoon (a man with a low mentality)

  • interjections – well, er.

  1. Jargon words (appear in professional or social groups) and slang (the part of the vocabulary made by commonly understood and widely used words and expressions of humorous kind – intentional substitutes of neutral and elevated words and expressions); cant is close to jargon (a secret lingo of criminals)

  2. Vulgar words (offensive for polite usage)

  • Lexical vulgarism (such words express ideas considered unmentionable in a civilized cociety)

  • Stylistical vulgarism (stylistic connotation of such words express derogatory attitude of the speaker towards the object of speech)

Exercises:

Generally: gap-filling, matching, answer the questions, give your definition of the word, say in one word, multiple choice, jumbled letters, sentence completion, find synonyms/antonyms, find the word with general meaning, cross the odd one out, etc.

To differentiate stylistically: choose the right word from the synonymous row, cross the odd one out, find the most neutral, gradation, complete the table with words according to the style (formal/informal)