NewArchive / 01 - Lexicology as a branch of linguistics

1. Lexicology as a branch of linguistics. Its main aspects and links with other branches of linguistics.

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∆ (from Gr lexis ‘word’ and logos ‘learning’)is the part of linguistics dealing with the vocabulary of the ℓ and the properties of words as the main units of ℓ.

exicology is a branch of linguistics, the science of language. The term Lexicology is composed of two Greek morphemes: lexis meaning ‘word, phrase’ and logos which denotes ‘learning, a department of knowledge’. Thus, the literal meaning of the term Lexicology is ‘the science of the word’. But this literal meaning gives only a general notion of the aims and the subject-matter of this branch of linguistic science.

So, to be more precise, LEXICOLOGY has its own aims and methods of scientific research, its basic task being a study and systematic description of vocabulary in respect to its origin, development and current use. Lexicology is concerned with words, variable word-groups, phraseological units, and with morphemes which make up words.

(∆ studies ώ. ώ is the subject of ∆ and its central unit.)

∆ is a very flexible system. ώs are united into dictionaries. But ∆ doesn’t study just lists of ώs. It studies vocabulary. Vocabulary= lexicon – words of a certain ℓ and relations between them +rules of their usage. It’s in the head of the speaker. But how vocabulary is stored in our minds is a disputable question.

∆ has several units. The ώ is central. Then goes morpheme, word-groups.

∆ studies morphemes because they have meaning.

# un-think-able

ώ-group is also a subject-matter of ∆:

# ‘a yellow dress’ vs ‘yellow pages’ ~certain idiomatic coloring – phraseological unit

The aim of ∆ is to describe systematically he vocabulary of a ℓ. ώ is hard to define. The classical definition is: ώ - the smallest autonomous meaningful unit o the ℓ. ώ is a twofaced unit (есть форма и содержание – Ф. де Соссюр). The ‘meaning’ has the same definition but it’s not autonomous, because it’s always a part of the ώ.

Branches of ∆

The meaning of a ώ is studied in semaseology (or semantics).

• semaseology- studies the meaning and everything around it.

• morphology – studies how we can split the ώ into parts, composition of ώs, studies the meanings.

• word-building/ formation = how the ώs are built.

• phraseology- how to combine ώs with adjectives and so on.

• etymology – studies the origin of the ώs.

• lexicography – how to write dictionaries

• dialectology – studies dialects and variants of English in the world.

Types of ∆

1) General Special

(-studies the lexicology of one ℓ)

2) Synchronic Diachronic

(investigation of a certain (how the meanings were changing

phenomenon at a certain time) during the time)

∆ is a branch of linguistics which studies ώs and lexicon in a system. Lexicology studies meaningful units: ώs +ώg +m

Links of ∆ with other branches

Тhе treatment of words in lexicology cannot bе divorced from the study of аll the other elements in the language system to which words belong.

Тhе word is studied in several branches of linguistics and not in lexicology only, and the latter, in its turn, is closely connected with general linguistics, the history of the language, phonetics, stylistics, grammar and such new branches of our science as sociolinguistics, paralinguistics and some others.

∆ + phonetics: a ώ is as association of a given group of sounds with a given meaning, so that top is one word, and tip is another. Phonemes have no meaning of their own but they serve to distinguish between meanings.

∆ +stylistics: stylistics analyzes texts that consist of ώs. How to choose the ώ that will be suitable in the context. Stylistics chooses the right word:# dad- father – parent.

∆ + grammar: head (v, n)

to come, go, turn – not modal, but can serve like modal

to be going – м/б в значении «собираться»

forms: brothers, brethren (=club)

tomorrow = future

∆ + sociolinguistics: language – society. Spanish borrowings in English (minorities).