Branches of linguistics. Synchronic vs diachronic approaches to the language study. Lexicology – ‘the science of the word’

Componential analysis
-Louis Hjelmslev (the Copenhagen School of Linguistics), Ward Goodenough Componential Analysis and the Study of Meaning (1956), Floyd Lounsbury A Semantic Analysis of Pawnee Kinship Usage Language (1956), Yuriy Apresian, Yuriy Karaulov (Moscow School of Linguistics)
-description of the meaning of lexemes as well as the inner structure of the lexicon through (structured) set of semantic features;
Immediate constituents analysis
-originally, a model of sentence analysis first explicitly introduced by Leonard Bloomfield (American Structuralism) in his book Language (1933); the most basic syntactic organisational principle of transformational grammar;
-the goal and consequence of IC analysis is to analyse a linguistic expression into a hierarchically defined series of constituents;
Sample analysis
1) un + gentlemanly - IC
2) un + {gentleman + ly} - IC
3) un + { [gentle + man] + ly} - IC
Transformational analysis
Method of semantic differential


3. Words of native origin and their distinctive features.
the native stock of words (25-30%) – words known from the earliest available manuscripts of the Old English period; high frequency value – 80% of the 500 most frequent words;
monosyllabic structure: eye, red, head, sun, door, help etc;
a wide range of lexical and grammatical valency: to raise / bend / bow / shake / bury one’s head; clear / cool / level head; above one’s head; in one’s head etc.
developed polysemy: head, n. 1) the part of the body; 2) the mind or brain; 3) ability; 4) a leader; 5) side of the coin etc.
great word-building power: headed, heading, headache, header, headline, to behead etc;
enter a number of set expressions: heads or tails; head over heels, to keep one’s head above water, from head to toe etc.