Fundamentals of English lexicography

1. Historical background of the art of dictionary-compiling.

2. The main principles of dictionary-compiling.

3. General classification of the types of dictionaries.

4. Encyclopedic dictionaries.

5. Linguistic dictionaries.

a) Explanatory dictionaries;

b) Translation dictionaries;

c) Specialized dictionaries.

6. Some of the main problems of lexicography.

a) Selection of entry words;

b) Arrangement of meanings;

c) Illustrative quotations;

d) Supplementary notes;

e) Structure of the dictionary.

 

R e f e r e n c e b o o k s:

 

1. Arnold I.V. The English Word. М., 1986. P. 9-25; 272-281.

2. Ginzburg R.S. et al. A Course in Modern English Lexicology.М., 1979. P. 7-11; 210-261.

Q u e s t i o n s

 

1. What part does lexicology play in the general linguistic training of philologists?

2. In what way is lexicology connected with other branches of linguistics?

3. What are the main branches of lexicology as a science?

4. What main factors in the life of the country determined the development of English vocabulary?

5. What approaches to the study of words exist in modern lexicology?

6. What does lexical system of the language represent?

7. What methods of lexicological analysis are applied to the study of the vocabulary?

8. What new trends in modern linguistics contributed to modern lexicological theory?

*** ***

1. How can you characterize the first English dictionaries?

2. What is a glossary?

3. What dictionary is an eighteenth century standard?

4. What encyclopedic dictionaries are known to you?

5. What is the number of entries in a good-size translating dictionary?

6. What kind of information can you derive from dictionaries of usage?

7. Do general dictionaries habitually exclude slang?

8. What is a capital investigation of phraseologisms in the form of a dictionary?

9. When did American lexicography begin to develop?

10. What dictionaries of new words do you know?

11. What is the role of supplementary notes?

12. What is the order of arrangement of different meanings of polysemantic words?

 

A s s i g n m e n t s

 

Assignment 1.

Characterize the Following Dictionaries:

1. The English-Russian Dictionary ed. by V.K. Muller.

2. A Dictionary of Slang and Unconventional English by E. Partridge.

3. A Dictionary of Modern English Usage by N.W. Fowler.

4. English Pronouncing Dictionary by D. Jones.

5. Thesaurus of English Words and Phrases by R.M. Roget.

6. An Anglo-Saxon Dictionary by J. Bosworth.

7. Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary of Current English.

8. Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology by Ch.T.Onions.

9. The Second Barnhart Dictionary of New English. – N.Y. 1980.

10. The Oxford English Dictionary (OED). A corrected reissue of the New English Dictionary on Historical Principles (NED): In thirteen vols/Ed. by Y.A.H. Murray, H. Brandley, W.A. Craigie, Ch.T. Onions. – Oxford, 1977.

 

Assignment 2.

Define the Dictionaries from Which the Entries Are Given.

1. Bach – elor n 1. unmarried man, spinster; (attrib) of, suitable for, an unmarried

person: a (= independent unmarried) girl, flats.

2. (man or woman who has taken the first university degree:

Br of Arts/Science

 

2. Alone, solitary, lonely, lone, lonesome, foreign, desolate

1. находящийся или чувствующий себя вне общества других

людей, одинокий, покинутый, оставленный…

3. cloister (s.v.) – ers, - ering, - ered

4. electricity ilek’trisiti [,elek-, i:lek-, elik-]

5. 79. Adam’s ale (или wine) шутл. «вино Адама», вода

Some take a glass of porter to their dinner, but I slake my thirst with Adam’s wine (Eliot G.) Многие выпивают за обедом стакан портера, я же утоляю жажду водой.

6. bishop OE. Biscop, corr. To OS. Biskop, OHG biscof (G. biscof), ON. Biskup pop L.* biscopus, for eccl. L. episcopus – Gr. Episkopos overseer(whence Goth. aipiskaupus) f. epi EPI + -skopos looking (cf. - scope)

7. Great Rebellion [`greitri`beljen] Великий мятеж (термин, принятый историографией для обозначения периода Английской буржуазной революции [English Revolution]; тж. Civil Wars, Commonwealth 2 и Protectorate)

8. Hyperbole [hai`pe:beli] n. (f. Gk. Hyperbole, a throwing beyond, excess f. hyperballein, to throw beyond; f. hyper – преувеличение, усиливающее выразительность слова. One of the types of semantic change. An exaggerated statement not meant to be understood literally but expressing an emotional attitude of the speaker to what he is speaking about, e.g. lovely! awfully! splendid!

9. Заклеивать, заклеить (вн.) glue up(d.) stick* up(d.); ~ окно seal up a window; ~ щели stop up the chinks; ~ конверты seal (up) an envelope, ~иваться, заклеиться 1.stick*; конверт не ~ ивается the envelope will not stick; 2. страдат. к заклеивать

10. HUN 1. One of Asiatic race of warlike nomades who invaded Europe c. AD 375, and in the middle of the 5^th c. under their King Atilla overran & ravaged a greater part of this continent.

3. transf. A reckless or willful destroyer of beauties of nature or art; an uncultured devastator. C.f. “Goth”, “Vandal”.

 

S E M I N A R 2

ETYMOLOGICAL SURVEY OF THE ENGLISH VOCABULARY. NATIVE WORDS VS BORROWED WORDS

I. The origin of English words. Words of native origin.

2. Common Indo-European and Germanic word-stock. Cognate words.

3. Characteristic features of native words.

4.Causes, ways and types of borrowings in English.

5. The problem of assimilation of borrowings. Types and degrees of assimilation.

6. Etymological hybrids, etymological doublets and international words.

Folk etymology.

7. Interrelation between native and borrowed elements.

 

S E M I N A R 3