INTRODUCTION TO LEXICOLOGY

Lexicology

The study of words / The science of the vocabulary

Form of the word [План выражения]

the formal, perceptible side of a word, including its sound form or graphic representation, which is the established English term for Saussure's signifier

Meaning of the word [План содержания]

the conceptual, semantic side of a word representing the meaning conveyed, which is the established English term for Saussure's signified

Semantics

The process of naming an object to conceptualize it, forming the direct link between a symbol and its mental representation

Modality

A category broader than just modal verbs that expresses all relations and the speaker's attitude toward a statement

Pragmatics

The study of language in use, focused specifically on the speaker's goal and the conditionality of the context

General Lexicology

The branch of lexicology that studies all languages and looks for universal rules (e.g., how synonymy works in general)

Special Lexicology

The branch of lexicology that studies one specific language (e.g., English) and looks at specific features of that language's vocabulary

Historical Lexicology (Диахроническая лексикология)

The branch of lexicology studying the development and change of a language over a period of time (e.g., diachronic analysis: “through time”)

Descriptive Lexicology (Синхронная лексикология)

The branch of lexicology studying the state of a language at a single, specific point in time (e.g., synchronic analysis: “at the same time”)

Contrastive / Comparative Lexicology (Контрастивная лексикология)

The branch of lexicology that compares the vocabulary systems of two or more languages to find similarities and differences

Semasiology

The approach to vocabulary that goes from Word → Meaning, studying all meanings of one word (e.g., analyzing "дуб" as a tree, a stupid person, or a cultural symbol)

Onomasiology

The approach to vocabulary that goes from Meaning/Idea → Word, studying all words used for one concept (e.g., analyzing how the idea of a “stupid person” can be called дуб, пень, балда, or тормоз)

Synchronic analysis

An analysis derived from syn- “together” + chronos “time”, examining the state of a language at a single, specific point in time

Diachronic analysis

An analysis derived from dia- “through” + chronos “time”, examining the development and change of a language over a period of time

Naïve etymology

A popular but historically incorrect explanation of a word's origin based on random phonetic resemblances or cultural myths rather than scientific facts

Phonetics / Phonology (in Lexicology)

The relationship where sound form influences meaning and language-specific phonetic constraints (e.g., word stress shifting meaning, or phonetic rules restricting sound distribution)

Grammar (Morphology & Syntax in Lexicology)

The relationship where a word's meaning is directly linked to its grammatical form, category, or syntactic function (e.g., arm vs. arms)

Stylistics (in Lexicology)

The relationship analyzing a word's stylistic register, context appropriateness, and emotional connotations (e.g., father vs. dad)

Phraseology

The study of stable multi-word units that are equivalent in function to a single word (e.g., free and easy, to get under way)

Etymology

The study of the historical origin, derivation, and evolution of words

Lexicography

The academic and practical discipline concerned with systematic word descriptions and the compilation of dictionary data

Semasiology (as a core branch)

The specific branch of lexicology dealing primarily with the internal problems and structures of word meaning

Corpus (in linguistics)

A digital, annotated, and structured collection of texts with defined boundaries that serves as a representative and balanced sample of a language for research

National Corpus

A corpus designed to represent an entire language in all its diversity, acting as a complete, balanced, and authoritative digital snapshot where 'national' signifies scale and representativeness rather than state affiliation