Transcript 1.5.1 Basic and non

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Word and Vocabulary
1.1 What is a word?
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Four characteristics of a word:
(1) a minimal free form of a language;
(2) a sound unit;
(3) a unit of meaning;
(4) a form that can function alone in a
sentence.
1.1 What is a word?
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Definition:
A word is a minimal free form of a
language that has a given sound and
meaning and syntactic function.
1.1 What is a word?
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Simple words:
sun, book, fine, eat, well
Complex words:
internationalization
(inter + nation + al + iz[e] + ation)
national
international
nationalize
internationalize
nationalization
internationalization
1.1 What is a word?
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internationalization
de-internatinalization 废除国际化
non-internatinalization非国际化
1.2 Sound and Meaning
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A word is a symbol that stands for
something else in the world.
dog
woman
bird
tree
The connection is
arbitrary and conventional.
1.2 Sound and Meaning
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arbitrary: no logical explanation
conventional: People of the same
speech community have agreed to use
the sound to refer to the entity.
1.2 Sound and Meaning
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English
dog
/d‫כ‬g/
woman /`wumən/
bird
/bə:d/
tree
/tri:/
Chinese
/gəu/
/fùnǚ/
/niau/
/shu:/
1.2 Sound and Meaning
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Same sound:
/s٨n/
son
sun
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/flauə/
flour
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flower
1.3 Sound and Form
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Form = written record of the oral form
The two forms of a language should
agree with each other, such as
Russian, German, Old English.
1.3 Sound and Form
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In modern English, sound (pronunciation)
and form (spelling) have a lot of
differences.
Indication: phonetic transcription to
show the pronunciation of each word
What are the reasons?
1.3 Sound and Form
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1. More phonemes than letters
Not enough letters to represent
phonemes
phonemes ≥ letters
1.3 Sound and Form
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2. Quicker change of sound than
spelling
Sound and spelling do not change
simultaneously.
Printing stabilized spelling while sound
continued to change.
1.3 Sound and Form
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3. Spelling affected by scribes
i u v m w n made handwriting
difficult to recognize and the scribes
changed spelling forms.
sum cum wuman wunder munk
some come woman wonder monk
1.3 Sound and Form
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4. Un-assimilated borrowings
A large proportion of them are not
assimilated yet:
stimulus (L)
dénouement (F)
fiesta (Sp)
eureka (Gr)
kimono (Jap)
1.4 Vocabulary
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All the words in a language make up its
vocabulary.
vocabulary of a book
vocabulary of a period: Old English V.
personal vocabulary: 5000-8000-10000
active vocabulary: 3000-3500
passive vocabulary: 10000-?
1.5 Classification of Words
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Criteria for classification:
1. use frequency:
basic word stock & non-basic V.
2. notion:
content words & functional words
3. origin:
native words & borrowed words
1.5.1 Basic and non-basic
vocabulary
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Basic word stock = common core
1. All national character
snow, fire, water, sun
hand, face, father, mother
apple, tree; horse, cow
eat, hear, good, old,
I, you, in, out
1.5.1 Basic and non-basic
vocabulary
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2. Stability
man, fire, mountain, water, sun, moon
BUT
bow, chariot, knight, rickshaw
(out of common use)
plane, computer, internet, cellphone
(in common use)
1.5.1 Basic and non-basic
vocabulary
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3. Productivity
dog: doglike, doghood, dogcart, dogcheap, dog-ear, dog-fall, dog-fight,
doghole, dog paddle, dogsleep
1.5.1 Basic and non-basic
vocabulary
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4. Polysemy
Most words have plural meanings.
get
go
give
1.5.1 Basic and non-basic
vocabulary
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5. Collocability 搭配力强
able to form collocations
a change of heart 改变主意
after one‘s heart
正中下怀
a heart of gold
金子般的心
at heart
在心底
1.5.1 Basic and non-basic
vocabulary
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at heart
break one‘s heart
cross one‘s heart
cry one‘s heart out
在心底
令人心碎
上帝保佑; 祈祷
痛哭
eat one‘s heart out
因伤心而消瘦
have one's heart in one's mouth
忐忑不安;紧张万分
1.5.1 Basic and non-basic
vocabulary
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heart and hand 全心全意
heart and soul
全心全意
One‘s heart sinks within one 心寒
take something to heart 把……放在心上;
在意
wear one‘s heart upon one’s sleeve 流露
感情
with all one‘s heart 诚心诚意
1.5.1 Basic and non-basic
vocabulary
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BUT
Not all the words of the basic word stock
have these characteristics.
pronouns, numerals: monosemous
non-productive
“All national character” is the most
important of all characteristics.
1.5.1 Basic and non-basic
vocabulary
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Non-basic vocabulary
1. Terminology
photoscanning 扫描
audiovisual
视听
indigestion
消化不良
1.5.1 Basic and non-basic
vocabulary
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2. Jargon = shop talk 行话
hypo = hypodermic syringe皮下注射
buster = bomb
1.5.1 Basic and non-basic
vocabulary
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3. Slang （sub-standard）
dough, bread = money
smoky, bear = police
drunk = elevated, merry, jolly,
comfortable, boiled, grassy,
tight, knocked out, blue-eyed,
fried, paralyzed, pickled, stiff,
stunned
1.5.1 Basic and non-basic
vocabulary
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4. Argot (language of the in-groups or
criminals) 隐语, 黑话
can-opener = all-purpose key 万能钥匙
persuader = dagger 匕首
1.5.1 Basic and non-basic
vocabulary
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5. Dialectal words
station (AusE） = ranch
auld (ScotE） = old
bluid (ScotE）= blood
1.5.1 Basic and non-basic
vocabulary
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6. Archaisms 古旧词
words now restricted in use such as in
older poems, legal documents and
religious writing or speech
thou = you
ye = you (plural)
thee = you (objective case)
therefrom = from that or there
1.5.1 Basic and non-basic
vocabulary
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7. Neologisms 新词
pm2.5 = 微颗粒2.5
e-fiction = 网络小说
on-line education = 网上教育
netizen = 网民
1.5.1 Basic and non-basic
vocabulary
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7. Neologisms 新词
水饺
睡觉 sleep
秒杀
seckill
白金汉 elite bachelor (with high qualifications,
high income and good taste)
单贵女 single woman noble (smart, successful
with good income)
考碗族 people obsessed with tests for a a
government position
拼爹
compete by means of powerful fathers
1.5.2 Content words
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By notion
content words = notional words
noun, verb, adjective, adverb
functional words = form/empty words
prep, article, pronoun, conjunction, etc.
1.5.2 Content words
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Characteristics:
Content
Functional
numerous
small in number
changing/growing
stable
less frequent
more frequent
Eg. It is certain that they have forgotten
the address.
1.5.3 Native and foreign
words
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By Origin
Native words
Foreign words
1.5.3 Native and foreign
words
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Native words
Words of Anglo-Saxon origin (Germanic
tribes)
50,000 to 60,000 : 1,000,000 5%
BUT
form the mainstream of the basic word
stock
1.5.3 Native and foreign
words
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Characteristics:
1. all national character
2. stability
3. productivity
4. polysemy
5. collocability
6. neutrality in style
7. higher frequency in use
1.5.3 Native and foreign
words
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neutrality in style
begin ( E) — commence (F)
brotherly (E) — fraternal (F)
kingly (E) — royal (F) — regal (L)
rise (E) — mount (F) — ascend (L)
1.5.3 Native and foreign
words
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higher frequency in use
(See statistics on page 11)
1.5.3 Native and foreign
words
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Borrowed words/borrowings/loan
words
constituting 80% of modern English V.
Criteria of classification:
1. Degree of assimilation
2. Manner of borrowing
1.5.3 Native and foreign
words
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1. Degree of assimilation
(1) denizens = fully assimilated
portus (L)
port
skipta (ON)
shift
1.5.3 Native and foreign
words
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(2) Aliens = unassimilated words
décor (F)
blitzkrieg (G )
kowtow (CH )
bazaar (Per )
intermezzo (IT)
emir (Arab )
1.5.3 Native and foreign
words
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2. Manner of borrowing
(3) Translation loans
translated according to sound
tofu wok china tea
wonton
yen
1.5.3 Native and foreign
words
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translated according to meaning
long time no see
lose face
paper tiger
four modernizations
one country two systems
1.5.3 Native and foreign
words
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(4) Semantic loan = meanings
borrowed for the existing forms
young pioneer = 少先队员 (Russian)
dumb = ①unable to speak
②stupid (from dumm [G])
Summary
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