THƯ VIỆN TRƯỜNG ĐẠI HỌC NGOẠI NGỦ DẠI HỌC THUỶ SẢN CB 428.1 Ng 527 H VƯNG Ễ Compilers ệỉặỊỆfâÌỂỀt*i N g u y ễ n M ạnh H àn g Chủ Biên mà " ' mm L ê AQ uoc I  n ^ H ạnh mBBM ÍpI THU VÍEN DAI HOC THUY SAN CDNHA XUÃT BAN GIÁO DỤC TRƯỜNG ĐẠI • HỌC • NGOẠI • NGỬ HÀ NỘI • TỪ VỤNG HỌC TIẾNG ANH L&icoLogr NGUYỄN MẠNH HỪNG (Chủ biên) LÊ QUỐC HẠNH (Tối bẫn lẩn thứ nhất có sửa chữa và bổ sung) r "p T'd ọ c ~ ì 1T ự CHỌN I NHÀ XUẤT BẢN GIÁO DUC - 2003 i V ặ s0 UOfA, i^OÄ, ¿WvU Trong cuốn giáo trinh này, người học sẽ tìm được những điều cơ bản quan đến kho tư vựng tiếng Anh, những đặc điểm và sự phân chia. M ỗi bài là m ột mảng trọn vẹn trong từ vựng học, cắc vấn đề quan trong đó được trình bày dư ới những tiêu đề riêng để người học dễ theo dõi. Các vấn đề có tính thuyết được trình bày m ột cách giản dị, dễ hiểu kèm theo những dụ cụ thể, sinh động. Cuốn giáo trình này được biên soạn phục vụ cho sinh viên tiếng Anh (học năm thứ 3 và năm thứ 4) học môn từ vựng học tiếng Anh.
Nó đáp ứng dầy đủ những yêu cầu của chương trình học vể môn học này. Cuốn giáo trình này có th ể còn là m ối quan tâm thích thú cho những đọc giả mà trình độ tiếng Anh của họ đã khá đủ để đọc những vẫn bản tương dổi khó và họ m uốn có thông tin • Tài nguyên từ vựng của tiếng Anh hiện đạl (ví dụ, vê từ đồng nghĩa, từ đối nghĩa) • Các đặc điểm tu tư của từ vựng tiếng Anh • Bản chất phức tạp vể nghĩa của từ và các phương pháp nghiên cứu chúng, • Thành ngữ tiếng Anh • Những thay đổi mà từ vựng tiếng Anh đã trải qua trong lieh s ử ph á t triển của chúng và vể những khía cạnh khác của tữ vựng học tiếng Anh. Người ta khó mà làm chủ hoàn hảo m ột ngôn ngữ nếu thiếu kiến thức vê những vấn đề này, bởi sự làm chủ hoàn hảo m ột ngôn ngữ bao hàm cách tiếp cận có ý thức tới các tà inguyên của ngôn ngữ đó và nhất, đòi hỏi phải có m ột sự hiểu nhất định về cơ cấu bên trong đã làm cho hệ thống ngôn ngữ khổng lồ vận hành được. Nhằm làm cho cuốn sách thêm sinh động, hấp dẫn, chúng tô i có đưa vào khá nhiều mẩu chuyện cười và những g iai thoại trích đoạn từ các sách của m ột số nhà vàn nổi tiếng, cũng qua đó làm sáng tỏ việc các vấn để từ vựng được s ử dụng cho m ục đích tu tư.
N guyễn M ạnh Hùng iii PREFACE In this course-book the learner willfind the fundamentals o f the ma with English vocabulary, itscharacteristics and subdivisions. Each u theory and vivid examples. The course-book isintended for English language students (3rd and 4th years o taking the course o f English lexicology and fullymeets the subject. It may also be o f Interest to areaders sufficient to enable them to read texts o f average difficulty and who would to gain some information about the vocabulary resources of Modern English (for example, about synonyms and antonyms), about the stylistic peculiarities of English vocabulary, about the complex nature of the word's meaning and the modern methods of Investigation, about English idioms, about those changes that English vocabulary underwent historical development and about some other aspects o f English lexicology.
One can hardly acquire a perfect command o f a language without having knowledge of these things, for a perfect command of a language implies the conscious approach to the language's resources and at least a partial understanding of the "Inner mechanism" which makes the huge language system work. To make the lessons more interesting, a number o f jokes, anecdotes, extracts from some famous writers' works are included inthem. These also words for stylistic purposes. If I try to thank everyone who has helped me the preparation of this material, the list of names would be longer than the Begats.
Lexicology is the sort of field, I am happy to say, that is distinguished by a constant and lively exchange of Information. The names mentioned below are but a minimal expression o f my gratitude. Thanks are due to Mr. Lể Quốc Hạnh, senior lecturer o f the English Department, whose advice and cooperation have been invaluable during the process o f compilation and revision.
Thanks are due to Profs. David Smith, Dr.S), who did their best to teach me so much about the English language. Thanks are due to. my Australian colleagues Jenny Anderson, Jane Hower for their helpful suggestions.
I am grateful to Mr. Lê Ngọc Tường, Deputy Director o f HUFS and the Scientific Research Department of HUFS for their strong support. Finally, My sincere thanks go to my fond colleagues and students o f the English Department for their very constructive Ideas and feedback. None of them, or anyone else mentioned, isresponsible Nguyen Manh Hung iv AIMS AND OBJECTIVES OF THE COURSE By theend of the course students will 1.
Be familiar with the fundamentals of the word theory and of the main problems associated with English vocabulary, its characteristics and subdivisions; 2. Have developed a better understanding of the vocabulary resources of Modern English, the stylistic peculiarities of English vocabulary, and of the complex nature of the word's meaning, the modem methods of its investigation and those changes that English vocabulary underwent in its historical development; 3. Establish links between the theory of lexicology and the reality of living speech; 4. Be conscious of the "inner mechanism" which makes the huge language system work; 5.
Develop a better command of English and thus being more confident in using English; v CONTENTS Unit 1 WORDS & LEXICOLOGY 1 • What isa word? What islexicology? • What do you know about the word? 2 • Major peculiarities of the word 2 • The main lexicological problems 4 Unit 2 ETYMOLOGY OF ENGLISH WORDS • History of the English language • Changes borrowed words go through 12 • International words 13 • Etymological doublets 14 • Translation - loans 15 • Relationship between etymological and stylistic 16 Unit 3 WORD BUILDING 18 • Oveniew 18 • Affixation 19 • Conversion 29 • Composition 32 • Shortening 38 • Minor types of modern word-builcling 40 Unit 4 MEANING 43 • What is meaning? 43 • Semantic structure of the word 44 • Types o f semantic components 47 vi • Polysemy • Meaning and context 51 • Foundation for current research isemantics • How words develop new meanings 54 • Causes of development of new meanings 55 • Process of development and change of meaning 56 • Generalization and specialization of meaning 58 • Degeneration and elevation 59 Unit 5 HOMONYMS 62 • What are homonyms? 62 • Types of homonyms 62 • Sources of homonyms 64 • Classification o f homonyms 69 Unit 6 SYNONYMS 71 • What are synonyms? 71 • Criteria of synonymy 73 • Types of synonyms 76 • Types of connotations 77 • Dominant synonym. ANTONYMS 82 • What iseuphemism? 82 • Euphemisms inuse • Why euphemism? 85 • How to create euphemisms 92 • Bad effects o f overusing euphemisms 94 • Antonyms • What is antonym 96 Vll • Distribution o f antonyms 96 « Classfrcationof antonyms • 97 Unit 8 FORMAL OR INFORMAL? 99 • Basic vocabulary 99 • Informal style 99 • Format style 104 Unit 9 PHRASEOLOGY 109 • Overview 109 • Main characteristics 109 • Phraseological units versusfree word-groups 111 • Principles of classification • Proverbs 123 Unit 10 REGIONAL VARIETIES OF ENGLISH 126 • English in America 126 • Vocabulary o f American English 126 • Grammar system o f American English 129 • American English phonetic peculiarities 137 • American English spelling 138 • English inAsia • English in Australia and New Zealand 143 • English inCanada • English inthe Indian Subcontinent 146 GLOSSARY 147 LANGUAGE AND HUMOUR 151 REFERENCES 154 viii HUFS - English Department UNIT 1 WORDS & LEXICOLOGY WHAT IS A WORD? WHAT IS LEXICOLOGY? These and similar questions are answered by lexicological research. The word lexicology derives from Greek with meaning word, or the total stock of words and logos meaning science or theory, discourse. Thus, Lexicology, a branch of linguistics, isthe study It is significant that many scholars have attempted to define the words as a linguistic phenomenon.
Yet none of the definitions can be considered totally satisfactory in all aspects. It is equally surprising that, despite all the achievements of modern science, certain essential aspects of the nature of the word still escape us. Nor do we fully understand the phenomenon called "language", of which the word is a fundamental unit. We know nothing - or almost nothing - about the mechanism by which a speaker's mental process is converted into sound groups called "words", nor about the reverse process whereby a listener’s brain converts the acoustic phenomena into notions and ideas, thus establishing a two-way process of communication.
We know little about the nature of relations between the word and the referent. If we assumed that there is a direct relation between the word and the referent - which seems logical - it gives rise to another question: how should we explain the fact that the same referent is designated by quite different languages. Nguyen Mạnh Hùng, M. - Lé Quốc Hạnh,Lexicol HUFS - English Department f We do know by now - though with vague uncertainty - that there is nothing accidental about the vocabulary of the language; that each word is a small unit within a vast, efficient and perfectly balanced system.
WHAT DO WE KNOW ABOUT THE WORD The list of unknown could be extended, but it is probably high time to look at the brighter side and register some of the things we do know about the nature of the word. First, we do know that the word is a unit of speech which, as such, serves the purposes of human communication. Thus, the word can be defined as a unit of communication. Secondly, the word can be perceived as the total of the sounds which comprise it.
Third, the word, viewed structurally, possesses several characteristics. MAJOR PECULIARITIES OF THE WORD The modern approach to word studies is based on distinguishing between the external and the internal structures of the word. By external structure of the word we mean its morphological structure. For example, in the word- post-impressioniststhe following morphemes distinguished: the prefixes post-, -,the root pr im suffixes -ion, -ist , and the grammatical suffix of plurality All these morphemes constitute the external structure of the word post-impressionists.
The external structure of words, and also typical word-formation patterns, are studied in the session on word-building. The internal structure of the word, or its meaning, is nowadays commonly referred to as the word's semantic structure. This is certainly the word's main aspect. Words can serve the purposes of human communication solely due to their meanings, and it is most 2 Nguyễn Mạnh Hùng, M.
- Lê Quốc Hạnh, M.A Lexicology 2003 HUFS -English Department unfortunate when this fact is ignored by some contemporary scholars who, in their obsession with the fetish of structure tend to condemn as irrelevant anything that eludes mathematical analysis. And this is exactly what meaning, with its subtle variation and shifts, is apt to do.