1 scope of lexicology

object of lexicology

• vocabulary

• words

• word-forming morphemes

• complex morphemes

define vocabulary

a system of all the lexemes in a language or a field; all the words used by a person

approaches to the study of vocabulary

1. synchronic

2. diachronic

3. contrastive

synchronic study of vocab

• syn = together

• descriptive —> vocab at particular time

diachronic study of vocab

• dia = through, across

• historical/comparative —> history and evolution of words

contrastive study of vocab

correlation between the vocabs of 2 langs

what is the minimum free form

a word = a simple lexeme

define a simple lexeme

the basic unit of lang resulting from the connection of a specific meaning w a given sequence of sounds/letters capable of a particular grammatical employment

what characterizes a simple lexeme

• indivisibility

• positional mobility

• uninterruptability

2 types of words based on meaning

1. lexical —> denote ideas (mental reflections of reality)

2. grammatical —> express specific features of lexical words (gram cat) and syntactically organize words

word-forming morphemes

• the smallest meaningful units

• the basic constituent of the word

complex lexeme

• lexical unit consisting of 2+ words

• fixed phrases, proper names, technical terms

define extralinguistic reality

• set of impressions/mental images organized by our minds into concepts

• everything imaginable in our mind expressible by language

• not same for all the languages

differences in extralinguistic realities

phenomenon is:

• the same

• absent (halušky)

• slightly different = prototype

• the same but differently categorized (hand, arm - ruka)

• the same but its different features are linguistically processed (bedroom - spáľňa)

model of sign - Ch. S. Peirce

language units are signs representing something

types of signs - Ch. S. Peirce

1. symbols

2. icons

3. indexes

symbol

• conventionalized, arbitary sign

• linguistic - arbitary word = table

• non-linguistic - traffic sign

icon

• casual, natural sign

• linguistic - onomatopoeia = splash

• non-linguistic - pictogram

index

• casual, symptomatically dependent on another phenomenon

• context dependent

• linguistic - deictic expressions = that

• non-linguistic - smoke indicating fire

model of linguistic sign - F. de Saussure

• bilateral conception

• signifié (concept, mental image) associated with signifiant (the physical trace of the sound)

model of linguistic sign - Ch. Ogden & I. Richards

• symbol doesn’refer to the referent/object of reality directly but through thought/the idea in our mind

basic features of a word

1. displacement

2. arbitrairness vs motivation - phonological, semantic, morphological

3. universality vs reference

4. discreteness - effect vs affect

5. duality

6. semanticity

7. cultural transferability