Etymological survey of the English vocabulary (cont. ) borrowed words against their historical Background

1. Early borrowings in the English language. Celtic element.

2. Classical element in the English vocabulary. Stratification of Latin borrowings.

3. Norman-French and later French borrowings. Gallicisms.

4. Borrowings from Spanish and Italian.

5. Eastern borrowings. Borrowings from other languages.

6. Peculiarities of modern borrowings in the English language.

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

1. Arnold I.V. The English Word. M.,1986. P. 252-260.

2. Ginzburg R.S. et al. A Course in Modern English Lexicology.

M., 1979. P.160-175

3. Амосова.H.H. Этимологические основы словарного состава современного английского языка. M.,1956.

4. Ретунская М.С. К истокам английского слова / ч.1 и 2/ Горький, 1987.

 

Q u e s t i o n s

 

1. What is the difference between words of Common Indo-European and Common Germanic word stock in the English Vocabulary?

2. What historical events in the life of the country are connected with the influx of borrowed words?

3. What languages contributed greatly into the vocabulary of the English language?

4. How did classical borrowings enrich the English language?

5. What semantic spheres can be pointed out in French borrowings?

6. How can you account for a high degree of assimilation of Scandinavian borrowings in English?

7. What are the semantic peculiarities of Italian and Spanish borrowings in English?

8. How does English adopt borrowed words?

9. What are the most popular etymological Dictionaries of the English language?

10. What is the difference between ‘source of borrowing’ and ‘origin of borrowing’?

11. What do we call words and expressions formed from the material existing in English but according to patterns taken from other languages?

12. What do we call loan words denoting objects and notions peculiar to the country from which they come?

13. What is a barbarism?

14. What is the basics of Etymological doublets?

15. What do we call words of identical origin that occur in several languages as a result of simultaneous or successive borrowings?

 

A s s i g n m e n t s (seminar 2)

 

Assignment 1.

Find Cognates to the Following Native Words of Common Indo-European and Germanic Word Stock:

Ear, mother, fish, sit, water, eat, ask, brother, green, foot, beaver, head, work, three, winter, tell, blood, red, cold, new, apple, I, song, heart, old.

 

Assignment 2.

State the Origin of Words Given Below:

Bird, girl, dog, bog, kilt, bear, cart, kill, owl, pen, glen, end, fun, fox, bard, may, cosy, spot, Tory, mood, crowd, well.

 

Assignment 3.

Comment on the Degree of Assimilation of the Following Words:

Pen, phenomenon, restaurant, mill, zemstvo, chronicle, sauerkraut, allegretto, sky, luftwaffe, bacilli, beret, paper, schnitzel.

 

Assignment 4.

Give Etymological Doublets to the Following Words:

Major, senior, ward, captain, salon, cart, poor, fragile, memory, shade, skirt, hospital, screech, corps, canal, artist, wage cavalry, abridge, disc, legal.

 

Assignment 5.

Comment on the Structure of Etymological Hybrids:

Eatable, fortune-teller, undertake, easy-chair, afternoon, relationship, tea-cup, dukedom.

A s s i g n m e n t s(seminar 3)

 

Assignment 1.

a) Give English Equivalents for the Following Latin Borrowings:

Caupones, pondo, catillus, castra, clericus, magister, piper, molina, vinum, diabolus, uncia, discus, monachus

b) Discriminate Between Different Strata of Latin Borrowings and Latinized Greek Borrowings:

Copper, bishop, psalm, professor, street, port, deacon, cheese, Chester, grammar, wall, monk, butter, school, chart, pound, verse, candle, wine, line, apostle, chronicle, elephant, mule, mint, paper, inch.

 

Assignment 2.

Comment on the Etymology of the Following International Words:

Moment, robot, glasnost, meeting, antenna, antibiotics, snob, democrat, villa, football, bandit, domino, time-out.

 

Assignment 3.

State the Origin of the Following Words:

Prison, skipper, junta, just, yacht, ranch, tailor, embargo, take, lieutenant, guess, leg, joy, waltz, tomato, corridor, skin, Mafia, concert, die, pencil, money.

 

Assignment 4.

Comment on the Type of the Following Borrowings:

Blue blood, swan-song, the fifth column, war to the knife, masterpiece, blood and iron, superman, the Knight of the Rueful Countenance, self-criticism.

 

Assignment 5.

Discriminate Between Native and Borrowed Words:

Shake, castle, widow, dock, rock, book, needle, get, plant, loud, fellow, flat, fire, home, kid, attack, parade, glad, easel, crime, sorry.

 

S E M I N A R 4

 

WORD STRUCTURE. AFFIXATION

1. Morpheme as one of the basic linguistic units.

Classification of morphemes.

Segmentation of words into morphemes.

Free and bound morphemes.

Morphemic types of words.

2. Aims and principles of derivational analysis.

Derivational types of words. Word stem.

Degrees of derivation.

3. The analysis of words into Immediate Constituents.

4. Derivational and functional affixes. Semi-affixes.

5. The nomenclature of affixes in the English language.

Prefixation and suffixation.

6. Different principles of classification of derivational affixes.

7. Historical changeability of word structure.

8. Peculiarities of affixation as a way of word-building in modern English.

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

1. Arnold I. V. The English Word. P. 77-106.

2. Ginzburg R. S. et al. A Course in Modern English Lexicology. M., 1979, P. 89-106, P.114-126

3. Каращук П.М. Словообразование английского языка. М., 1977.

4. Кубрякова Е.С. Основы морфологического анализа. М., 1974.

5. Кубрякова Е.С. Типы языковых знчений. Семантика производного слова. М., 1981.

6. Мешков О.Д. Словообразование современного английского языка. М., 1976.

Q u e s t i o n s

1. What is the difference between a word and a morpheme?

2. What is the aim of analysis into immediate constituents?

3. What is the difference between derivational and functional affixes?

4. What is a bound morpheme?

5. How do we classify derivational affixes?

6. What is meant by simplification of stems?

7. What is the number of derivational affixes?

8. What are the peculiarities of English prefixation?

A s s i g n m e n t s

 

Assignment 1.

Translate the Following Terms into Russian and Comment on Their Essence:

Сompound derivatives, level of analysis, UCs (ultimate constituents), structural pattern, non-productive, polymorphic, word stem, semi-affix.

 

Assignment 2.

Discriminate Between Productive Affixes of Germanic and Romanic Origin:

Мis-, -y, -en, -ize, -let, in-, -ess, -al, -ie, sub-, -ly, -ish, de-, -ate, -ness, -er, -ee.

 

Assignment 3.

Give Full Characteristics of the Affixes:

-Ship, -ly, pre-, -ism, -fold, super-, anti-, -ster.

 

Assignment 4.

State the Morphological Structure of the Words Below:

Ailment, fair-minded, unforgetfullness, headline, booklet, forget-me-not, window-shopping, waste-paper-basket.

 

Assignment 5.

Give the Primary Forms of Words:

Sheriff, always, lady, neighbour, breakfast, barn, elbow, lord, daisy, cupboard, window, husband, gossip, forehead.

 

S E M I N A R 5

 

WORD - BUILDING

1. Word composition.

a) General characteristics of the process of compounding;

b) The criteria of compounds;

c) Specific features of English compounds;

d) Classification of compounds;

e) The historical development of English compounds.

2. Conversion.

a) The historical development of conversion in English;

b) Conversion in modern English as a morphological-syntactical way of word-building;

c) Traditional and occasional conversion;

d) Semantic relationships in conversion.

3. Minor ways of word-building.

a) Shortening;

b) Blending;

c) Onomatopoeia;

d) Back-formation;

e) Distinctive stress;

f) Sound interchange.

 

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

1. Arnold I. V. The English Word. M.,1986, P. 108-163

2. Ginzburg R. S. et al. A Course in Modern English Lexicology. M., 1979, P.108-114, P. 127-158.

3. Marchand H. The Categories and Types of Present Day English Word-Formation. Wiesbaden, 1960.

4. Мешков О.Д. Словообразование современного английского языка. М.,1976.

5. Смирницкий А.И. Лексикология английского языка. М., 1956.

6. Загоруйко А.Я. Конверсия – морфолого-синтаксический способ словообразования. Автореф.дис….канд.филол.наук. М., 1968.

 

Q u e s t i o n s

1. What is a compound word?

2. What structural types of compound words exist in English?

3. What is the difference between a compound word and a combination of words?

4. Which type of composition is productive in Modern English?

5. How old is conversion as a way of word-building?

6. How do you account for a high productivity of conversion in Modern English?

7. Why do we call conversion a morphological-syntactical way of word-building?

8. What serves as a word-building means in case of conversion?

9. What word is called a compound derivative?

10. What is the difference between a shortened word and its prototype?

A s s i g n m e n t s

 

Assignment 1.

Analyse the Morphological Structure of the Following Words:

Мind-reader, woman, shortsightedness, egg-shell, always, Anglo-African, cabman, double-decker, reckless, hide-and-seek, highway, salesman, radio-equipped, brick-paved, lord.

 

Assignment 2.

Discriminate Between Motivated and Non-motivated Compound Words:

Мicrofilm, master-key, brainwash, sweet-tooth, whores-marine, to speedread, backseat-driver, green-yellow, blackskirt, frontbencher, brick-layer, lady-killer, handbag.

 

Assignment 3.

Form Verbs from the Nouns by Conversion and Compare Their Meaning with that of the Original Words:

Station, dog, back, star, fish, head, ass, pocket, face, man, rat.

 

Assignment 4.

Give Full Words of the Following Shortened Ones:

Pub, taxi, CIA, lb., UNESCO, dorm, id., ad., gap, specs, M. P., comfy, V-day, phiz, KKK, maths, NASA, UFO, mam, fancy, ad, chap, i. e., van, dz.

 

Assignment 5.

Comment on the Formation of the Blends:

Good-bye, brunch, Irangate, republicrat, fruice, electrocute, flush, Nixonomics, zebrule, dollarature.

 

Assignment 6.

Give the Derivational Origin of the Following Words:

To spring-clean, to beg, to type-write, to enthuse, to burgle, to baby-sit, to edit, to orate, t o automate, to butle.

 

Assignment 7.

Comment on the Nature of the Following Onomatopoeic Words:
Ding-dong, buzz, croak, yelp, grumble, hiss, clap, tinkle, sizzle, bellow, boom, twitter, neigh, murmur, babble, grunt, bleet, jungle, crash.

 

S E M I N A R 6

S E M A S I O L O G Y

1. Word meaning. Different approaches to the study of meaning.

2. Types of meaning. Lexical and grammatical meaning.

3. The semantic structure of words. Central and peripheral elements of it.

4. Denotational and connotational components of meaning, their constituents. Stylistic reference, evaluation, emotive charge.

5. Polysemantic words. The interrelation of lexico-semantic variants (LSVs). Polysemy and context.

6. Word-meaning and motivation.

7. Semantic change. Linguistic and extra-linguistic causes of semantic change.

8. Types of semantic change:

a) Generalization of meaning;

b) Specialization of meaning;

c) Degradation (pejoration) of meaning;

d) Elevation (amelioration) of meaning.

8. Different types of semantic transfer (metaphoric and metonymic). Shifts of meaning through hyperbole, litotes, irony and euphemism.

 

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

1. Arnold I.V. The English Word. M., 1986. P.37-73.

2. Ginzburg R.S. et al. A Course in Modern English Lexicology. M., 1979. P.13-38.

3. Palmer F. Semantics. A New Outline /Pref.and commentaries by M.V. Nikitin/. M., 1982.

4. Ullman St. Semantics: An Introduction to the Science of Meaning. Oxford, 1962.

5. Никитин М.В. Лексическое значение слова., М., 1983.

6. Уфимцева А.А. Лексическое значение слова. М., 1986.

 

Q u e s t i o n s

 

1. What are the main approaches to the study of word-meaning?

2. What is the structure of word-meaning?

3. What words are non-motivated?

4. Why do words change their meaning?

5. What is meant by plurality of meaning?

6. What are the basic types of semantic transfer?

 

Assignment 1.

Use the Following Terms in Sentences:

LSV, emotive charge, evaluative component, radiation, concatenation, basic meaning, split of polysemy, phonological motivation, demotivation, pejoration, hyperbole, euphemism, connotational.

 

Assignment 2.

Characterize the Interrelation of Denotational and Connotational Components of meaning:

Abdomen, controversialist, oldie, algebraic, buck, beseech, brine, smartie, cycloid, drinko, departmentalism, trascendental.

 

Assignment 3.

Discriminate Between Different Types of Motivation:

Conventionalism, to howl, go-getter, cold, disreputable, sizzle, actor-manager, blackleg, eye, murmur, moon, coatless.

 

Assignment 4.

Comment on the Semantic Development of Words:

Starve, arrive, ready, style, camp, rival, girl, fowl, season, meat, pipe, write, hound.

 

Assignment 5.

Characterize Types of Semantic Changes in Words:

Knight, lord, villain, Tory, silly, nice, sad, clown, boor, steward, marshal, knave.

 

Assignment 6.

Explain the Logic of Semantic Transfer:

China, heaps of time, mouth of a cave, astrakhan, the best pen of his epoch, jeans, boicott, tongues of flame, a musical ear, champaign, rising spirits, a Ford, not half as bad, to burn with a desire, madeira, bookworm, hooligan.

 

S E M I N A R 7

 

S E M A S I O L O G Y (cont.)

 

1. Polysemy and homonymy.

a) Classification of homonyms.

b) Sources of homonymy.

c) Etymological and semantic criteria of polysemy and homonymy.

2. Synonyms.

a) Semantic equivalence and synonymy.

b) Criteria of synonymy.

c) Sources of synonymy in English. Euphemisms.

d) Types of synonyms. The role of synonymy in the development of the vocabulary.

3. Semantic contrasts and antonymy.

Root antonyms and derivational antonyms.

4. Thematic groups and semantic fields.

5. Methods and procedures of semasiological analysis.

 

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

1. Arnold I.V. The English Word. M., 1986, P. 182-238.

2. Ginzburg R.S. et.al. A Course in Modern English Lexicology. M., 1979, P.39-62.

3. Апресян Ю.Д. Англо-русский синонимический словарь. М., 1979.

4. Уфимцева А.А. Лексическое значение слова. М., 1986.

5. Стернин И.А. Проблемы анализа структуры значения слова. Воронеж, 1979.

6. Арнольд И.В. Семантическая структура слова в современном английском языке и методы ее исследования. Л., 1966.

7. Медникова Э.М. Значение слова и методы его описания. М., 1974.

8. Принципы и методы семантических исследований. Сборник. М., 1976.

 

Q u e s t i o n s

 

1. How can you account for a highly developed polysemy in English?

2. What elements form the semantic structure of polysementic words?

3. What are the main sources of homonymy in English?

4. How do we treat homonymy synchronically?

5. What are the main principles of classification of synonyms?

6. What are the basic criteria of synonymy?

7. What synonyms are called contextual?

8. What is the essense of the law of synonymic attraction?

9. How do you understand the terms “hyponym” and “hyperonym”?

10. What is a synonymic dominant?

 

A s s i g n m e n t s

 

Assignment 1.

Comment on the Lexico-Semantic Variants of the Following Polysemantic Words:

Take, heart, letter, go, hand, do.

 

Assignment 2.

State the Development of Semantic Structure of the Following Words:

Sorrow, impression, guest, institute.

 

Assignment 3.

Give Perfect Homonyms to the Following Words, State Their Origin and Meaning:

Bill, pupil, spell, like, can, bat, fit.

 

Assignment 4.

Comment on the Origin of the Following Homonyms:

Flower - flour, rite – write - right, a bit - to bit, back – to back, box(1) – box(2), scene – seen, spring – to spring, capital (adj) – capital (n), know – no, rear (1) – rear (2), love – to love, chest (1) – chest (2), case (1) – case (2), sea – see.

 

Assignment 5.

Give Antonyms to the Following Words and Discriminate between Their Types:

Ugly, legal, continue, fortunate, courage, slow, light, distinct, wet, frequent, kind, clean, painful, movable, use.

 

Assignment 6.

Define the Source of Synonymy:

To ask – to question – to interrogate, poor – unprivileged, girl – lass, vegetable – veg, pretty – bonny, heaven – sky, foe – enemy, anxiety – anxiousness, house – residence, lodger – a paying guest.

 

Assignment 7.

Find Synonyms to the Following Words and State Their Types:

Disciple, shudder, sweat, heaven, warrior, holy, bare, bobby, mom, courage, dread, earth.

 

Assignment 8.

Discriminate between Synonyms in the Following Synonymic Groups and Point Out a Synonymic Dominant:

Anger – indignation – wrath – fire – rage – fury.

Mad – maniac(al) – crazy – crazed – insane – demented – deranged.

Apartment – flat – rooms – lodgings – chambers – quarters – tenement.

 

Assignment 9.

Explain the Usage of the Following Partial Synonyms:

Dear – expensive, frontier – border, mature – ripe, labyrinth – trap, mean – stingy.

 

S E M I N A R 8

P H R A S E O L O G Y

1. Phraseology as a branch of lexicology. Its theoretical basis.

2. Different approaches to the study of phraseological units in different linguistic schools.

3. The criteria of distinguishing phraseological units from free word combinations.

4. The origin of phraseological units in the English language.

5. The problem of classification of phraseological units:

a) The classification of phraseological units given by V.V. Vinogradov;

b) A.I. Smirnitsky’s classification of phraseological units;

c) Contextual approach to the classification of phraseological units suggested by N.N. Amosova;

d) A.V. Koonin’s conception of English phraseology.

6. Phraseological status of proverbs, sayings, familiar quotations and cliches.

7. Lexicological presentation of phraseological units.

8. Different modifications of phraseological units in actual speech.

9. Some debatable problems of phraseology.

 

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

 

1. Arnold I. V. The English Word. M.,1986. P. 165-179

2. Ginzburg R. S. et al. A Course in Modern English Lexicology. M., 1979. P. 64-88.

3. Longman Dictionary of Current English Idioms. Harlow and L.:

Longman Group Limited., 1979, 841 P.

4. Benham’s Book of Quotations and Proverbs. L.: George G.,

Harrap and Co., 1948. 1412 P.

5. Кунин А.В. Англо-русский фразеологический словарь. /Лит.ред. М.Д.

Литвинова. – М.: Русский язык, 1984. 944 С.

6. Кунин А.В. Курс фразеологии современного английского языка: Учебное

пособие…М.: Высшая школа, 1986. 336 С.

Q u e s t i o n s

 

1. What is the difference between free word combinations and set expressions?

2. What are the most problematic aspects in the study of phraseological units?

3. In what way do phraseological units come to enrich the vocabulary of English?

4. How do we use phraseological units in actual speech?

5. Can we call phraseology a separate level of the language?

 

A s s i g n m e n t s

Assignment 1.

Define the Source of Phraseological Units:

Cakeand ale, an artful Dodger, a skeleton in the closet (cupboard), the lion’s share, what will Mrs. Grundy say?, to cast pearls before swine, to carry coals to Newcastle, a marriage of convenience, to blow one’s own trumpet, baker’s dozen.

 

Assignment 2.

Classify the Following Phraseological Units According to Difference Principles Advanced by V. Vinogradov, N. Amosova, A.Kunin:

To rob the cradle, to oil one’s palm, to appear on the scene, high spirits, sharp as a razor, to open old wounds, a white elephant, to swallow one’s words, maiden speech, small talk, a black sheep, the game is not worth the candle.

 

Assignment 3.

Dwell on the Extralinguistic Background of the Following Phraseological Units:

Beefeater, Christmas stockings, Jack the Ripper, April Fool, the mailed fist, fight like Kilkenny cats, Hobson’s choice, Barkis is willin, The Swan of Avon, to grin like a Cheshire cat.

 

Assignment 4.

Outline the Situation in Which You Can Use the Following Proverbs and Sayings:

He will never set the Thames on fire.

Cut your clothes according to your cloth.

An empty bag cannot stand upright.

 

S E M I N A R 9

D E V E L O P M E N T O F T H E V O C A B U L A R Y

1. The problem of obsolete words in English.

Lexical and grammatical archaisms. Historisms. Their classification and functional role.

2. The problem of new words in English.

a) New meanings and new vocabulary units;

b) Neologisms, different ways of building new words;

c) Occasional words, their types and functions.

3. The fundamentals of neology. Dictionaries of new words.

 

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

 

1. Arnold I. V. The English Word. M.,1986. P. 219-221

2. Ginzburg R. S. et al. A Course in Modern English Lexicology. M., 1979. P. 180-193.

3. Barnhart C.L., Steinmetz S. Barnhart R.K. The Second Barnhart Dictionary of New English. 1973-1979. N.Y., 1980.

4. Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English. 11 th ed. London, 1978.

5. Berg P.Ch. A Dictionary of New Words in English. N.Y., 1953.

6. Новые слова и словари новых слов. АН СССР. Ленинград, 1978.

7. Волошин Ю.К. Новообразования и собственно неологизмы английского языка /опыт дифференциации новых слов/. Автореф.канд.дисс. М., 1971.

8. Ретунская М.С. Английское окказиональное словообразование. Автореф.канд.дисс. Горький, 1974.

9. Трофимова Э.С. Словарь новых слов и значений в английском языке. М: “Павлин”, 1993. 304 С.

10. Жордания С.Д. Проблема архаизмов: Автореф.канд.дисс. М., 1970.

 

Q u e s t i o n s

1. How can we prove the dynamic character of the English vocabulary?

2. Why does some part of the vocabulary grow old and go to the periphery of the language's vocabulary?

3. Under what circumstances do obsolete words revive?

4. What dictionaries of new words do you know?

5. What are the productive ways of building neologisms?

6. What is the difference between neologisms and occasional words?

A s s i g n m e n t s

Assignment 1.

Define Extralinguistic Background of the Following Historisms:

Clavichord, frigate, musket, hoopskirt, galley, soaper, gauntlet, childe.

 

Assignment 2.

Substitute Modern Forms and Words for:

Quoth, thine, ye, kine, albeit, thy, eke, bade.

 

Assignment 3.

Give Modern Synonyms to the Following Obsolete Words:

Spoil-paper, carry-tail, nose-wise, eldern, disport, fisher.

 

Assignment 4.

Outline Semantic Spheres in Which the Following Neologisms are Used:

Intifada, AIDS, preschooler, Thatcherism, washeteria, pulsar, bookaholic, wrongo, bionics, deglamorize.

 

Assignment 5.

Find Russian Equivalents for the Following Neologisms:

Arrestee, laser card, narcodollars, televangelist, video jockey, relaunch, beach music, leonovise, paramedic, robototics.

 

Assignment 6.

Comment on the Meaning of the Following Occasionalisms:

Lord-and-masterdom, nostalgia-monger, womanthrope, word-waster, to pretend-read, Harvardism, monomania, not-my-cup-of-teaness, library-grinding, waspitality.

 

S E M I N A R 10