Lexicology Quiz: Explore Branches of Lexicology

Podcast

Play an AI-generated podcast conversation about this lesson

Questions and Answers

What is the main focus of Lexicology?

The study of the origin and historical development of words

The study of the grammatical structure of sentences

The study of the sounds and sound patterns of a language

The study of the vocabulary of a language and the characteristics of lexical units (correct)

What is the difference between General Lexicology and Special Lexicology?

General Lexicology studies the process of creating new words, while Special Lexicology studies the process of borrowing words from other languages.

General Lexicology studies the acoustic level of words, while Special Lexicology studies the grammatical structure of words.

General Lexicology studies the etymology of words, while Special Lexicology studies the semantic structure of words.

General Lexicology studies the vocabulary of a language in general, while Special Lexicology studies the vocabulary of a particular language. (correct)

What is the connection between Lexicology and Phonetics?

Lexicology studies the vocabulary of a language, and Phonetics studies how the sounds and sound patterns of a language distinguish between word meanings. (correct)

Lexicology studies the process of creating new words, while Phonetics studies the process of borrowing words from other languages.

Lexicology studies the grammatical structure of words, while Phonetics studies the acoustic level of words.

Lexicology studies the semantic structure of words, while Phonetics studies the origin and historical development of words.

Which branch of Lexicology deals with the origin of words and historical changes in their meanings?

Etymology Signup and view all the answers

What is the focus of Semasiology in Lexicology?

The study of the semantic structure of words and the development of their meanings. Signup and view all the answers

What is the focus of Phraseology in Lexicology?

The study of word-groups with specialized meanings. Signup and view all the answers

What is the relationship between the phonemic or morphemic composition of a word and its meaning?

Motivation Signup and view all the answers

Which type of motivation is based on the direct connection between the morphological structure of the word and its meaning?

Morphological motivation Signup and view all the answers

What is the relationship between the lexical meaning of a word and its grammatical forms?

The lexical meaning can condition the grammatical forms Signup and view all the answers

What is the minimal meaningful unit of language after the morpheme?

The word Signup and view all the answers

What is the connection between Lexicology and Stylistics?

Differentiation of vocabulary according to functional styles conditions the connection of Lexicology with Stylistics Signup and view all the answers

Which type of motivation is based on the co-existence of direct and figurative meaning of a word?

Semantic motivation Signup and view all the answers

Study Notes

Lexicology: Definition and Objectives

Lexicology is a branch of Linguistics that studies the vocabulary of a language and characteristic features of lexical units.
The object of Lexicology is to study morphemes, words, word-groups, and phraseological units.

Branches of Lexicology

General Lexicology: studies words and vocabulary in general, regardless of specific features of any particular language.
Special Lexicology: studies the vocabulary of a particular language.

Aspects of Words

Etymology: studies the origin of words and historical changes in meanings.
Semasiology: deals with the semantic structure of words and development of meanings.
Word-building: studies the process of creating new words, their structural and semantic patterns.

Phraseology and Borrowing

Phraseology: studies word-groups with specialized meanings.
Borrowing: deals with the process of adopting and assimilating words from other languages.

Links with Other Linguistic Disciplines

Phonetics

Lexicology connects with Phonetics on the acoustic level, where words consist of phonemes that distinguish between meanings.
Examples: object vs. object, cop vs. cope, blackbird vs. black bird.

Grammar

The lexical meaning of a word can be conditioned by its grammatical forms.
Examples: glass (стекло), a glass (стакан), glasses (очки).
The lexical meaning of a word may affect its grammatical forms and syntactical functions.
Examples: come true, turn red, go wrong.
Grammatical meaning can be expressed by lexical means.
Examples: We are going there tomorrow instead of We shall go there.

Stylistics

Lexicology connects with Stylistics, which differentiates vocabulary according to the functional styles of the language.
Examples: father (neutral or formal) vs. dad (informal).

The Word as a Principal Object of Lexicology

The word is the minimal (after the morpheme) meaningful unit of the language, a two-plane linguistic sign.
The word possesses both form (the plane of expression) and meaning (the plane of content).

Motivation of Words

phonetical motivation: based on similarity between sounds and their meanings.
Examples: boom, splash, whistle.
phonetical motivation: based on association between sound-clusters and meaning.
Examples: [fl] (“quick movement”) – flap, flash, flutter.
Morphological motivation: based on direct connection between morphological structure and meaning.
Examples: poetess, overestimate, regain, blackberry.
Semantic motivation: based on co-existence of direct and figurative meaning.
Examples: foot of a page, eye of a needle, head of an army (metaphoric transfer).
Examples: astrakhan, china, tweed (metonymic transfer).

Studying That Suits You

Use AI to generate personalized quizzes and flashcards to suit your learning preferences.

Description

Learn about the aim and object of Lexicology, which is a branch of Linguistics focusing on the vocabulary of a language and characteristics of lexical units. Explore the branches of Lexicology, including General Lexicology and Special Lexicology.