1 English lexicology 1
1.1 Introduction 1
1.2 The relation of lexicology to other branches of linguistics 1
1.3 Tow approaches to the study of English lexicology 4
1.4 Aims and significance of the course of English lexicology 5
1.5 Questions and tasks 6
2 The development of the English vocaabulary 9
2.1 English today 9
2.2 The Indo-European language family 10
2.3 Native words and borrowed words 11
2.4 English people and English vocabulary 14
2.5 The divisions of the history of the English language 19
2.6 The perfection of the English language 28
2.7 Questions and tasks 32
3 Word 35
3.1 Introduction 35
3.2 Sound and meaning 36
3.3 Sound and form 37
3.4 Lexemes,words and vocabulary 39
3.5 Classification of words 39
3.6 Word structure 41
3.7 Questions and tasks 46
4 Word-formation I 48
4.1 Introduction 48
4.2 Affixation 48
4.3 Conversion 89
4.4 Compounding 92
4.5 Questions and tasks 94
5 Word-formation II 99
5.1 Blending 99
5.2 Clipping 101
5.3 Acronymy 103
5.4 Back-formation 104
5.5 Analogy 106
5.6 Word-formation by onomatopoeia 107
5.7 Words from proper names 108
5.8 Questions and tasks 109
6.1 Some general remarks on semantics and meaning 111
6 Word meaning and motivation 111
6.2 Relationship between meaning and the object 113
6.3 Meaning and motivation 114
6.4 Main types of word meaning 116
6.5 Questions and tasks 123
7 Sense relations I 127
7.1 Introduction 127
7.2 Polysemy 129
7.3 Homonymy 134
7.4 Semantic fields 137
7.5 Componential analysis 138
7.6 Questions and tasks 140
8 Sense relations II 143
8.1 Synonymy and synonyms 143
8.2 Antonymy and antonyms 149
8.3 Hyponymy 153
8.4 Questions and tasks 154
9 English vocabulary in motion 160
9.1 Neologisms 160
9.2 Archaisms 161
9.3 Changes in meaning 162
9.4 Four tendencies in semantic change 163
9.5 Semantic change from the literal use of words to their figurative use 169
9.6 Questions and tasks 172
10 English idioms 179
10.1 Introduction 179
10.2 The significance of studying English idioms 179
10.4 The features of English idioms 180
10.3 Sources of idioms 180
10.5 English idioms in different stuyles 187
10.6 Classification of English idioms 188
10.7 Using idioms 201
10.8 Questions and tasks 204
11 Regional varieties of English vocabulary 207
11.1 British and American English 207
11.2 The historical background of American English 208
11.3 Differences between British English and American English 210
11.4 Characteristics of American English 212
11.5 Questions and tasks 213
12.1 Introduction 216
12.2 Input,storage,and retrieval 216
12 The mental lexicon 216
12.3 Prototypes 222
12.4 Meaning and cognition 223
12.5 Collocation 224
12.6 Association 227
12.7 Questions and tasks 231
13 Vocabulary in use 235
13.1 Core vocabulary 235
13.2 Procedural vocabulary 237
13.3 Discourse 237
13.4 Register 245
13.5 Questions and tasks 248
14.1 Frequency 253
14 Vocabulary as data for learning 253
14.2 Range 255
14.3 Lexical density and variation 256
14.4 Concordances 258
14.5 Questions and tasks 260
15 Teaching Vocabulary 262
15.1 Language structure and vocabulary 262
15.2 Selecting vocabulary 263
15.3 What do students need to know? 265
15.4 Teaching vocabulary 268
15.5 Examples of vocabulary teaching 271
15.6 Questions and tasks 273
Glossary 276
References 281