Добавил:
Upload Опубликованный материал нарушает ваши авторские права? Сообщите нам.
Вуз: Предмет: Файл:
лексикол. пособие для студ..doc
Скачиваний:
40
Добавлен:
08.09.2019
Размер:
391.68 Кб
Скачать

3. The theoretical and practical value of lexicology

We can speak about the theoretical value of lexicology if we realize that it forms the study of the vocabulary, one of the three main aspects of language. The other two are grammar and sound system.

Lexicology gives useful material to many different branches of applied linguistics, such as lexicography, literary criticism, standardization of terminology, and foreign language teaching.

It helps to stimulate a systematic approach to the facts of vocabulary. Its data can be useful in building up the learner's vocabulary by selection, grouping and analysis of new words. Knowing the system of word-formation a student can guess and retain in his memory the meaning of new words on the basis of their motivation and by comparing them with the previously learned patterns. Taking into consideration the collocability of words we can avoid many mistakes. E.g. in synonyms and the possibility of their usage in the context: to die - to pass away - to kick the bucket. Lexicology not only gives a systematic description of the vocabulary, but also helps students to master the literary standards of word usage.

For a philologist lexicology is important as it sums up the knowledge acquired at the lessons of Oral Practice. It also imparts the necessary skills of using different kinds of dictionaries, and prepares for future independent work on increasing one's vocabulary.

The task of the discipline English lexicology falls into two main parts: the the English word is studied as a structure and the English vocabulary is studied as a system. The aim of the course is to show the morphological and semantic patterns according to which the elements of this system are built, and to try to explain how these vocabulary patterns are conditioned by the structure of the language.

A.I. Smirnitsky suggested the following basic points of studying and teaching lexicology:

1. The problem of the word

2. The structural and phonetic characterization of modern English vocabulary

3. Semantic features of English vocabulary

4. Phraseological units

5. The origin of English vocabulary.

  1. Methods of lexicological research

The methods used for lexicological research are distributional analyis, transformational analysis, contextual analysis, componental analysis and various statistical methods.

The contextual analysis determins the minimal stretch of speech and the conditions necessary to reveal in which of its individual meanings the word in question is used.

The distributional analysis concentrates on the combining power or typical co-occurrence of lin­guistic elements or the distribution, i.e. the types of other elements of the same level with which it can occur.

The transformational analy­sis is based on transformations or changing of a sentence, phrase according to a prescribed model and following certain rules.

The componential analysis is interested in the meaning and is based on correlations of binary oppositions man- woman === boy- girl === bull- cow. The meanings of words man, boy, bull on the one hand, and woman, girl arid cow, on the other, have something in common.

LECTURE II