1. Lexicology as a branch of linguistics. Lexical units

1. Lexicology as a branch of linguistics. Lexical units.
Lexicology (from Gr lexis ‘word’ and logos ‘learning’) is the part of linguistics dealing with the vocabulary of the language and the properties of words as the main units of language.
Lexicology has an object of its research, which is lexicon or vocabulary.The term lexicon was previously referred to as a book containing a selection of language units and meanings (dictionary). It is still used today in this meaning.
The term lexicon has developed a more abstract sense. Today it refers to the total stock of meaningful units in a language (parts of words, combining forms).
One of the major tasks of lexicology is to reveal how lexicon is organized, structured, systematized and how it is used for the purposes of communication.
The general study of words and vocabulary, irrespective of the specific features of any particular language, is known as general lexicology. Linguistic phenomena and properties common to all languages are generally referred to as language universals.Special lexicology devotes its attention to the description of the characteristic peculiarities in the vocabulary of a given language. A relatively new branch of study is called contrastivelexicology.It provides a theoretical basis on which the vocabularies of different languages can be compared and described.
To study the lexicon of English is to study all aspects of the vocabulary of the language: how words are formed, how they are developed, used, related in meaning to each other, how words are handed in dictionaries.
The importance of English lexicology is based on the fact that at present it is the world’s most widely used language. It is spoken as a native language by nearly three hundred million people in Britain, the United States, Ireland, Australia, Canada, New Zealand, South Africa and some other countries. The knowledge of English is widely spread geographically — it is in fact used in all continents. It is also spoken in many countries as a second language and used in official and business activities there. This is the case in India, Pakistan and many other former British colonies. English is also one of the working languages of the United Nations and the universal language of international aviation. More than a half world’s scientific literature is published in English and 60% of the world’s radio broadcasts are in English. For all these reasons it is widely studied all over the world as a foreign language.
The theoretical value of lexicology becomes obvious if we realise that it forms the study of one of the three main aspects of language, i.e. its vocabulary, its grammar (morphology, syntax) and sound system.
The treatment of words in lexicology cannot be divorced from the study of all the other elements in the language system to which words belong. It should be always borne in mind that in reality, in the actual process of communication, all these elements are interdependent and stand in definite relations to one another. So Lexicology is closely connected with Phonetics, Grammar, Stylistics, History of English.Lexical units.Linguistics is not a science in the full sense of the word. However, many linguists aim to make it a science. Any branch of re search must define its basic units.Lexicology is associated with such terms as lexical item or unit, then with the term lexeme. Lexeme is an abstract unit.Narrow interpretation — it is a notion word.Broad interpretation — …+idioms, lexical phrases.In English lexeme may be a single word, a group of words, compounds (blackboard), idioms or shortened forms (flu, UK).
Aristotel — word is the smallest significant part of speech.
Blumfield — word is a minimum free form.
Ullmann — word is the smallest unit of language capable of building an utterance.
Computer — word is a sequence of graphics which can occur between spaces.
It is obvious that the term word must be defined afresh within a system of every language. As a result the word as an element of speech is language specific, not language universal.
There are word variants:Regional — colour/ color, centre/ center;Phonetic variants;Morphological.
1 Lexicology as a branch of linguistics. Lexical units.
Lexicology is a part of linguistics that studies vocabulary of a language. The term “lexicology” came from Greek “lexicos” – related to words & “logos” – learning. Lexicology: 1) general – universal features of words common to all l-ges; 2) special – peculiarities of notional l-ges & words). subbranches of lexicology: 1) semasiology – meaning types of change of semantic structure of words; 2) etymology – the evolution of the word (origin change & development); 3) word-formation (morphology) – word structure; 4) phraseology – phraseological units / idioms; 5) lexicography – dictionary compiling. Lexical units: 1) morpheme – is the smallest indivisible, meaningful lang. unit reproduced in word patterns. 2) word – a nominative unit, names things & notions. 3) idioms – units of meaning larger than a single word.
Lexicology is one of the main constituent parts of linguistics. Like any brunch in linguistics lexicology has the object of its research which is lexicon or sometimes lexis, vocabulary, or word stock, the aims of research & research methods. The term “lexicon” is known in E-sh from the early 17 cent., it refers to a book containing a selection of words arranged in order. It is still used today in this meaning. Gradually the term “lexicology” has developed into a more abstract sense. Today it refers to a total stock of meaningful units in a l-ge (words, set phrases, affixes). Lexicology as the branch of linguistics is concerned with the nature meaning history & use of words & also with the description of lexical items in dictionaries. One of the major tasks of lexicology is to reveal how lexicon is structured, organized & how it’s used for the purposes of communication. Today lexicologists are committed to the theoretical study of lexicon within a broad linguistic, cognitive & cultural context. Directions: synchronic, contrastive, cognitive. The present course of modern E-sh lexicology contains elements of contrastive lexicology: E-sh & Russian. Most statements about l-ge in general may be called contrastive, as we deal with similarities & differences. To study the lexicon of E-sh is to study all aspects , all the vocabulary. We discuss how the words were formed, their meaning, the changes in their meaning: semantic, non-sem. aspects of words, variability of E-sh words. Branches of E-sh: phonetics, History of E-sh, stylistics, Lexicography.


2 General characteristics of the E. lexicon
Lexicon – the total stock of meaningful units in a l-ge: words, idioms. 1) polysemantic words; 2) homonyms, homographs, homophones; 3) borrowings; 4) phrasal verbs, stone wall constructions & idioms; 5) various local dialects & modification; 6) neologisms (800 per year). A neologism – a “new word” in a l-ge. Neologisms can develop in 3 main ways: 1) neologisms proper – a new lexeme is introduced to denote a new object / phenomenon (speaker-phone – домофон, machine translation); 2) semantic neologisms – a lexicon existing in a l-ge change its meaning to denote a new object / phenomenon (umbrella / under the NATO umbrella); 3) transnomination – a new lexicon develops to denote some “old” object / phenomenon (slum – ghetto – трущобы).