Applied lexicology. Types of dictionaries

A dictionary distinguishes between neutral and stylistically coloured (emotive) vocabulary and uses a special set of labels indicating the stylistic values of words: archaic, colloquial, dated, euphemisms, slang, formal, literary, jocular etc.
They are crucial for the functioning of lexical items, such as

dieand kick the bucket,

marryand join in holy matrimony

The learner`s dictionaries

The learner`s dictionaries imply a certain degree of selection and intervention in presenting and interpreting raw language data for the benefit of language learners. They select that part of language vocabulary which “is judged to be value to its users” (Rundell, 1986)

Characteristic features proper to all contemporary learner’s dictionaries

1. Careful control over the language of definitions
(to make it easier for learners to identify and recognize the word’s meaning)

2. The provision of information on the Grammar of words
(starting with Hornby’s dictionary, it is now a feature of any good learner’s dictionary)

3. Greater attention to lexical collocation:
the learner’s dictionary should supply information about the contexts and environments in which words tend to appear most regularly.

4. The development of strategies for aiding appropriate word choice (through usage notes, synonym sets or information about pragmatics)

12. Different types of vocabulary grouping.
источник-учебникнекойГинзбург, яхзктоэто

The greater part of the l i t e r а r у l a y e r of Modern English vocabulary are words of general use, possessing no specific stylistic reference and known as n e u t r a l w o r d s . Against the background of neutral words we can distinguish two major subgroups — st a n d a r d c o l l o q u i a l words and l i t e r a r y or b o o k i s h words.

Literary (bookish) words are not stylistically homogeneous. 1) terms or scientific words such as, e g., renaissance, genocide, teletype, etc.; 2) poetic words and archaisms such as, e.g., whilome — ‘formerly’, aught — ‘anything’, ere— ‘before’, albeit— ‘although’, fare— ‘walk’, etc., tarry— ‘remain’, nay— ‘no’; 3) barbarisms and foreign words, such as, e.g., bon mot— ‘a clever or witty saying’, apropos, faux pas, bouquet, etc.

Archaic are words which are no longer recognizable in modern English, words that were in use in old English (old and no longer used words);, e.g. troth = faith, a losel = a worthless, lazy fellow . obsolete – no longer used because something new was invented. Obsolete words have completely gone out of use but are still recognized by the English speaking community

Archaisms are words that were once common but are now replaced by synonyms. When these new synonymous words, whether borrowed or coined within the English language, introduce nothing conceptually new, the stylistic value of older words tends to be changed; on becoming rare they acquire a lofty poetic tinge due to their ancient flavour, and then they are associated with poetic diction.

Some examples will illustrate this statement: aught n ‘anything whatever’, betwixt prp ‘between’, billow n ‘wave’, chide v ‘scold’, damsel n ‘a noble girl’, ere prp ‘before’, even n ‘evening’, forbears n ‘ancestors’, hapless a ‘unlucky’, hark v ‘listen’, lone a ‘lonely’, morn n ‘morning’, perchance adv ‘perhaps’, save prp, cj ‘except’, woe n ‘sorrow’, etc.

Numerous archaisms can be found in Shakespeare, but it should be taken in consideration that what appear to us today as archaisms in the works of Shakespeare, are in fact examples of everyday language of Shakespeare`s time. Sometimes an archaic word may undergo a sudden revival. So, the formerly archaic kin (for relatives; one`s family) is now current in American usage.

When the causes of the word’s disappearance are extra-linguistic, e.g. when the thing named is no longer used, its name becomes an histоrism. Historisms are very numerous as names for social relations, institutions and objects of material culture of the past. The names of ancient transport means, such as types of boats or types of carriages, ancient clothes, weapons, musical instruments, etc. can offer many examples.

Before the appearance of motor-cars many different types of horse-drawn carriages were in use. The names of some of them are:brougham, berlin, calash, diligence, fly, gig, hansom, landeau, phaeton, etc. It is interesting to mention specially the romantically metaphoric prairie schooner ‘a canvas-covered wagon used by pioneers crossing the North American prairies’. There are still many sailing ships in use, and schooner in the meaning of ‘a sea-going vessel’ is not an historism, but a prairie schooner is. Many types of sailing craft belong to the past as caravels or galleons, so their names are historisms too.

A great many historisms denoting various types of weapons occur in historical novels, e. g. a battering ram ‘an ancient machine for breaking walls’; a blunderbuss ‘an old type of gun with a wide muzzle’

The colloquial words include slang,Jargonisms, Professionalisms

Slang-lowcolloquial

Stylistically coloured shortened words may belong to any variety of colloquial style. They are especially numerous in various branches of slang: school slang, service slang, sport slang, newspaper slang, etc. Familiar colloquial style gives such examples as bobby, cabbie, mac, maxi, mini, movies. Nursery words are often clipped: gran, granny; hanky from handkerchief; ma from mama; nightie from nightdress

They are expressive, mostly ironical words serving to create fresh names for some things that are frequent topics of discourse. For the most part they sound somewhat vulgar, cynical and harsh, for money, such as beans, brass, dibs, dough, chink, oof, wads; the slang synonyms for word head are attic, brain-pan, hat peg, nut, upper storey

The best-known English slang dictionary is compiled by E. Partridge.

The subject of slang has caused much controversy for many years. The question whether it should be considered a healthful source of vocabulary development or a manifestation of vocabulary decay has been often discussed.

It has been repeatedly stated by many authors that after a slang word has been used in speech for a certain period of time, people get accustomed to it and it ceases to produce that shocking effect for the sake of which it has been originally coined. The most vital among slang words are then accepted into literary vocabulary. The examples are bet, bore, chap, donkey, fun, humbug, mob, odd, pinch, shabby, sham, snob, trip, also some words from the American slang: graft, hitch-hiker, sawbones

It is convenient to group slang words according to their place in the vocabulary system, and more precisely, in the semantic system of the vocabulary. If they denote a new and necessary notion, they may prove an enrichment of the vocabulary and be accepted into standard English. general slang and special slang.General slang includes words that are not specific for any social or professional group, whereas special slang is peculiar for some such group: teenager slang, university slang, public school slang. Slang words are clearly motivated, сf. cradle-snatcher‘an old man who marries or courts a much younger woman’; belly-robber ‘the head of a military canteen’; window-shopping ‘feasting one’s eyes on the goods displaced in the shops, without buying anything’.

A great deal of slang comes from the USA: corny, cute, fuss-pot, teenager, swell,

Slang is a difficult problem and much yet remains to be done in elucidating it, but a more complete treatment of this layer of vocabulary would result in an undue swelling of the chapter. The lexical meaning of a slang word contains not only the denotational component but also an emotive component (most often it expresses irony) and all the other possible types of connotation — it is expressive, evaluative and stylistically coloured and is the marked member of a stylistic opposition.

Jargonisms, i.e. words marked by their use within a particular social group and bearing a secret and cryptic character, e.g. a sucker— ‘a person who is easily deceived’, a squiffer — ‘a concertina’.

You can find them inti dicrionaries of slang. They are generally old words with entirely new meanings imposed on them. The traditional meaning of the words is immaterial, only the new, improvised meaning is of importance. Thus the word grease means 'money'; loaf means 'head';a tiger hunter is 'a gambler';a lexer is 'a student preparing for a law course'. -colloquial words.

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