Lexicology and Structural Properties of Vocabulary 07
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Questions and Answers

What is the primary focus of ancient and medieval etymology?

  • Reconstructing a plausible sequence of events in the evolution of a word
  • Confirming the world-picture of their culture through linguistic data (correct)
  • Determining the historical motivation behind a word's development
  • Analyzing patterns of sound change and semantic change

Which of the following is NOT a characteristic of modern etymology?

  • Acceptance of circular derivations and multiple answers (correct)
  • Establishment of regular patterns of word-formation
  • Reliance on scholarly models of sound change and semantic change
  • Evaluation of the earliest available philological evidence

What differentiates the approaches of ancient and medieval etymology from modern etymology?

  • The assumption of a 'correct' world-picture reflected in language
  • The focus on finding patterns of sound change and semantic change
  • The reliance on the earliest available philological evidence
  • The acceptance of the arbitrariness of linguistic signs and the equality of languages (correct)

Why would some medieval etymological derivations seem 'perfectly acceptable' to members of the same culture?

<p>They confirmed the cultural worldview and assumptions of the time (D)</p> Signup and view all the answers

What is the potential consequence of modern etymology's focus on reconstructing a plausible sequence of events?

<p>It can result in findings that seem far-fetched to those outside the field (C)</p> Signup and view all the answers

What is the primary reason for the wealth of synonyms in the English language?

<p>The combination of elements from different languages within single words. (C)</p> Signup and view all the answers

According to the provided content, which of these words is a hybrid formation?

<p>air-craft (B)</p> Signup and view all the answers

Which language has had the largest influence on the English vocabulary?

<p>Latin (D)</p> Signup and view all the answers

Which of the following words is NOT a hybrid formation?

<p>re-write (A)</p> Signup and view all the answers

What is the main reason for the "hard-word problem" for less educated speakers?

<p>The influence of Latin and Greek vocabulary on English. (B)</p> Signup and view all the answers

What is the main takeaway from the chart showing the origin of the most frequent English words?

<p>The English language has been influenced by a diverse range of languages. (A)</p> Signup and view all the answers

Which of these words is NOT a direct loanword from another language?

<p>odd-ity (C)</p> Signup and view all the answers

Which of the following words is NOT derived from the Proto-Indoeuropean root *[gwiH₃-] ‘live’?

<p>zodiac (B)</p> Signup and view all the answers

What is the meaning of the Proto-Indoeuropean root *[gwiH₃-]?

<p>to live (C)</p> Signup and view all the answers

Which of the following concepts is NOT related to the 'etymological fallacy' as described in the text?

<p>The understanding that the meaning of a word can evolve over time (C)</p> Signup and view all the answers

The 'origin' of a word is:

<p>A point in the continuous development of a word, arbitrarily chosen due to lack of earlier evidence (D)</p> Signup and view all the answers

Which of the following words is presented as an example of a word whose meaning has changed over time:

<p>whisky (D)</p> Signup and view all the answers

What is the main point made by the text about the relationship between the etymology of a word and its meaning?

<p>Etymology can be useful but it is important to consider the evolution of meaning over time (B)</p> Signup and view all the answers

Who determines the synchronic status of a word in a language, according to the text?

<p>Speakers of the language (D)</p> Signup and view all the answers

What is the main point the text makes about the significance of etymology in understanding the meaning of words?

<p>Etymology can provide valuable insight but it is not the sole determinant of a word's meaning (A)</p> Signup and view all the answers

Which of the following examples demonstrates the phenomenon of dissociation in English vocabulary?

<p>The words &quot;calf&quot; and &quot;veal&quot; refer to different stages of the same animal. (A)</p> Signup and view all the answers

Which of the following is an example of a phrasal verb?

<p>Turn up (A)</p> Signup and view all the answers

What is the main process behind the loss of unstressed syllables in English words?

<p>Diachronic development (A)</p> Signup and view all the answers

Which of the following is an example of an idiom?

<p>Down to Earth (D)</p> Signup and view all the answers

What is the "principle of compositionality" in relation to language?

<p>The meaning of a complex expression can be derived from the meanings of its parts. (A)</p> Signup and view all the answers

Which of the following phenomena contributes to the development of idioms?

<p>Weakening of individual word meaning in specific contexts. (B)</p> Signup and view all the answers

Which of the following examples demonstrates the phenomenon of synonymy?

<p>Freedom - liberty (A)</p> Signup and view all the answers

How does the English language tend to change the meaning of individual words?

<p>By assigning specific meaning to fixed combinations of words. (D)</p> Signup and view all the answers

What is the term used to describe the irregular phonological changes that occur in English morphemes during word formation?

<p>Morphophonemic alternation (C)</p> Signup and view all the answers

Which pair of words best exemplifies the concept of morphophonemic alternation?

<p>long - length (D)</p> Signup and view all the answers

What is a 'unique morph' in the context of compound words?

<p>A morpheme that appears only in a specific family of compounds. (C)</p> Signup and view all the answers

Identify the 'formative' in the words "consist", "desist", "insist", "persist", "resist", and "subsist".

<p>sist (D)</p> Signup and view all the answers

Which of the following is NOT considered a 'unique morph' based on the examples provided?

<p>black- (B)</p> Signup and view all the answers

The Oxford English Dictionary (OED) is considered to be a comprehensive and historical resource. What does "historical" imply in this context?

<p>The OED includes information about the word's evolution over time. (C)</p> Signup and view all the answers

What is one of the core assumptions of ancient and medieval etymology, as discussed in the passage?

<p>The origin of a word reveals its true and timeless meaning. (D)</p> Signup and view all the answers

The example of "vir" (man) and "mulier" (woman) in the passage illustrates which of the following?

<p>The importance of etymology in understanding cultural values. (C)</p> Signup and view all the answers

According to the passage, what is the meaning of the Greek word 'étymo-', which forms the basis of 'etymology'?

<p>True, real (A)</p> Signup and view all the answers

The passage mentions that Archbishop Isidore of Seville wrote a comprehensive encyclopedia titled "Etymologiae." What does this title suggest about the content of the encyclopedia?

<p>It provides a comprehensive overview of ancient and medieval knowledge. (B)</p> Signup and view all the answers

Flashcards

Dissociation

Lack of formal coherence in semantically related words.

Homophony

Words that sound the same but have different meanings.

Synonymy

Near-equivalence of meaning among different words.

Collocations

Words that frequently occur together in a language.

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Light Verb Constructions

Phrases that use light verbs with specific meanings.

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Idioms

Phrases that have meanings not deduced from individual words.

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Phonological Mergers

Merging of phonetic sounds in language evolution.

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Decreasing Compositionality

Limited individual meanings in fixed word combinations.

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Morphophonemic alternation

Irregular phonological changes in morphemes during morphological processes.

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Base allomorphy

Variations in the form of a morpheme depending on phonological context.

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Unique morphs

Elements in compounds that lack a clear, identifiable meaning on their own.

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Formatives

Repeated elements in morphologically related forms without identifiable meaning.

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Synchronic word-formation

The study of how words are formed and related in a specific language at a given time.

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Ancient etymology

Believes in the correctness of languages through divine order and cultural reflection.

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Modern etymology

Assumes linguistic signs are arbitrary and values the equality of all languages.

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Historical motivation

Seeks to find the cultural background that influenced the formation of a word.

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Philological record

Evaluates early evidence and changes in word forms over time.

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Word-formation patterns

Established rules that show how words are created and develop meanings.

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Heterogeneity in spelling

Variation in the spelling of words, like 'nature' and 'mature'.

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Oxford English Dictionary (OED)

A comprehensive dictionary documenting English language history since 1860.

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Etymology

The study of the origin and development of words.

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Archbishop Isidore of Seville

Wrote 'Etymologiae', linking vocabulary to cultural understanding.

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Primordial correctness

The belief that word origins provide timeless definitions.

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Internationality

The characteristic of a language incorporating elements from many languages.

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Hybrid formations

Words that combine elements from different languages.

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Common English origins

Most frequent words in English come from native, French, Latin, Norse, and other languages.

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Diachronic

Study of changes in language over time.

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Major influences on English

Languages like Old Norse, French, Latin contribute significantly to English vocabulary.

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Examples of hybrid words

Words like 'aircraft' and 'countless' illustrate language blending.

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Lexicology

The study of the history and formation of words in a language.

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Language dissociation

The diverse influences in English lead to many synonyms and unique meanings.

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Proto-Indo-European

The hypothetical common ancestor language of the Indo-European languages.

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Etymological Fallacy

The belief that a word's original meaning should dictate its current use.

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Vīta

Latin term meaning 'life', connected to various derivative words.

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Jīva

Sanskrit term for 'life', significant in Hindu philosophy.

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Biology

The scientific study of living organisms, derived from the Greek 'bios'.

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Survive

To continue to live, derived from Latin 'vīvere' meaning 'to live'.

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Quick

An Old English term derived from Proto-Indo-European meaning 'alive'.

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Study Notes

Lexicology

  • Lexicology is the study of the vocabulary of a language.
  • It examines the structural properties of English vocabulary.

Structural Properties of English Vocabulary

  • Dissociation: A lack of formal coherence in semantically related words. Examples include: city - urban, end - final, mouth - oral.
  • Homophony and Homonymy: Words that sound the same but have different meanings (homophones) or share the same spelling but have different meanings (homonyms). Example: air - heir, key - quay.
  • Loss of unstressed syllables: English has lost some unstressed syllables over time. Example: Old English lufu (noun) changing to lufian (verb) and ultimately to love (noun/verb).
  • Phonological mergers: Changes in the pronunciation of similar-sounding words. Example: Middle English "see" /se:/ merging to *see /si:/.
  • Synonymy: Words with similar meanings. Example: freedom – liberty, big – great – large – tall.
  • Complex lexical items:
    • Collocations: Words frequently together. Examples: come to an end, keep a promise.
    • Light verb constructions: Common verbal phrases. Examples: do one's hair, give a call.
    • Phrasal and prepositional verbs: Verb phrases involving prepositions. Examples: turn up, look for.
    • Idioms: Fixed phrases with meanings not derived from individual words. Examples: a bad apple, down to earth. These phrases often need to be memorized.
  • Decreasing Compositionality: English words and phrases lose their literal meanings over time and develop fixed, figurative meanings that need to be learned.

Problems with Synchronic Analysis

  • Morphophonemic alternation: Irregular phonological transformations that occur in morphological processes. Example: *belief /f/ → to believe /v/.
  • Tolerance in the description of synchronic word-formation: Allowing for minor variations in pronunciation when identifying morphemes. Example: In the word national, the pronunciation difference from the morpheme nation is not enough to separate them as entirely distinct morphemes.
  • Unique morphemes in compounding: Compound words can contain elements that aren't found elsewhere and don't have clear meanings on their own. Example: cran-berry, black-berry, blue-berry.
  • Formatives: Elements that recur in related words but don't carry identifiable meanings on their own. Example: con-sist, de-sist.

Internationality

  • English lexicon has significant influence from other languages like Old Norse, French, Latin, and Ancient Greek.
  • It displays many borrowed words like: aardvark (Dutch), café (French).
  • A large amount of foreign influence in premodern times shaped the word origins and meaning that exists today.
  • Internationality is a reason for English's wide range of synonyms, and its variation in spelling and stress patterns.
  • Hybrid formations: words combining elements from different languages within a single word. Examples: air-craft, count-less, drink-able.

The Oxford English Dictionary (OED)

  • Comprehensive dictionary project documenting English words since 1860.
  • Historical origins, development, and use of words.
  • Multiple editions (10 volumes for the first edition; 20 volumes for the second; CD-ROM version)

Etymology

  • Etymology deals with the origin and history of words.
  • Ancient/Medieval etymology assumes that the origins contain the true, correct meaning of a word.
  • Modern etymology studies language in a more complex way, acknowledging changes in meaning across time.
  • Etymology studies the history of words to link their meanings over time.

Scholarly Etymology

  • Proto-Indo-European root linkages.
  • Roots are compared across many languages and their changes are noted.
  • Example of various descendants of the Proto-Indo-European root gwiH3- 'live'.

Etymological Fallacy

  • The belief that the original meaning of a word is the only correct or meaningful one.
  • Meanings evolve and change over time, influenced by various factors.

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Lexicology - Introduction to English Linguistics PDF

Description

Explore the fascinating field of lexicology and the structural properties of English vocabulary. This quiz covers key concepts such as dissociation, homophony, synonymy, and phonological changes in the evolution of English words. Test your understanding of how these elements shape the language we use today.

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