Theoretical Grammar and Lexicology Overview

A comprehensive set of vocabulary flashcards covering the key concepts of English theoretical grammar, lexicology, and word-formation based on the provided lecture materials.

Theoretical Grammar

A course providing a description of the grammatical structure of the English language, including basic notions and problems of grammatical theory.

Morphology

The part of Grammar dealing with the modifications of words and word-forms.

Syntax

The part of Grammar dealing with laws governing the combination of words into word-groups, sentences, sentence-groups, and texts.

Syntagmatic relations

Linear relations or surroundings between words or units, defined in Latin as relations "in praesentia".

Paradigmatic relations

Relations between elements of a system outside their immediate surroundings, based on different formal and functional properties.

Ferdinand de Saussure

The linguist who first introduced the terms Syntagmatic and Paradigmatic relations.

Grammatical category

A number of classes of the same word which are mutually excluding and contain form-building morphemes opposed by their meaning.

Morpheme

The smallest indivisible unit having a definite meaning.

Free morphemes

Types of morphemes that build up words and can function independently.

Bound morphemes

Types of morphemes that never occur in isolation.

Suppletion

A type of word-form derivation consisting of a complete change of the phonetic shape of the root, such as "go - went".

Category of number

The grammatical category expressing the meaning of oneness and more than oneness.

Category of aspect

A category indicating the manner in which the action of the predicate verb is carried out, expressed by the opposition of continuous and non-continuous forms.

Category of mood

A category of the verb expressing the attitude of the speaker or writer towards the content of the sentence.

Category of voice

A category of the verb showing whether the subject of the sentence is the agent or the object of the action.

Category of tense

A category of the verb indicating the time of action expressed by the form of the verb.

Lexicology

A branch of linguistics dealing with lexical units and the vocabulary of a language.

Semasiology

A branch of lexicology dealing with the meaning of words and other linguistic units.

Homonyms

Two or more words identical in sound-form but different in meaning, distribution, and origin.

Homophones

Words that coincide in sound-form but differ in spelling.

Homographs

Words identical in spelling but different in sound-form and meaning.

Polysemy

The existence of several connected meanings within a single word.

Synonyms

Words similar in their denotational meaning but potentially different in connotation and distribution.

Antonyms

Words belonging to the same part of speech that express contrary or contradictory notions.

Sentence

The basic unit of communication that is grammatically organized and expresses a complete thought.

Conversion

A word-building process where words are built by changing the paradigm or word class without morphological change.

Blending

A word-formation process combining parts of two words, such as "brunch" or "smog".

Actual division of the sentence

The organization of a sentence into its communicative structure consisting of a theme and a rheme.

Denotational meaning

The component of meaning that provides a direct reference to reality.

Connotational meaning

The component of meaning considering emotive charge, evaluative components, and stylistic reference of words.

Phraseological units

Word combinations characterized by stability and idiomaticity.

Euphemism

Milder words and phrases used to refer to something unpleasant.

Etymology

The branch of linguistics investigating the origin, history, and development of words and their meanings.

Pluralia Tantum

Nouns that are used only in the plural form, such as "scissors".

Singularia Tantum

Nouns that are used only in the singular form, such as "information".

Practical Grammar

A type of grammar that prescribes rules for standard English and teaches how to speak and write correctly.

Zero morpheme

A linguistic element that expresses grammatical meaning in the absence of a physical form.

Shortening (Clipping)

A word-building process involving the reduction of the length of a word, such as "lab" or "exam".

Sound-imitation (Onomatopoeia)

A word-formation type where the word imitates a natural sound, such as "cock-a-doodle-doo".

Collective noun

A type of noun that denotes a group or collection, such as "orchestra".