Комплексная цель: охарактеризовать предмет изучения лексикологии, ее теоретическое и практическое значение, взаимосвязь с другими дисциплинами, ознакомить с такими понятиями, как синхрония и диахрония в лексикологии, парадигматический и синтагматический подходы, представить теоретические основы изучения словарного состава языка, изложить основные проблемы курса лексикологии современного английского языка. Рассмотреть основные проблемы теории слова: 1) определение слова; 2) мотивированность слова; 3) отличия слова от морфемы и от словосочетания; 4) связь между словами и объектами реальной действительности.
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The term “lexicology” is composed of two Greek morphemes: lexis denoting 'word' and logos denoting “learning”. Thus the literal meaning of the term “lexicology” is “the science of the word”. In modern linguistics lexicology is one of the branches of science dealing with different properties of words and the vocabulary of a language.
Modern English Lexicology investigates the problems of word-structure and word-formation in Modern English, the semantic structure of English words, the main principles underlying the classification of vocabulary units into various groupings, the laws governing the replenishment of the vocabulary with new vocabulary units.
Modern English Lexicology studies the relations between various layers of the English vocabulary and the specific laws and regulations that govern its development at the present time. The course of Modern English Lexicology is of great practical importance as the language learner will obtain much valuable information concerning the English word-stock and the laws and regulations governing the formation and usage of English words and word-groups.
The term “word” denotes the basic unit of a language resulting from the association of a particular meaning with a particular group of sounds capable of a particular grammatical employment. The word is a structural and semantic entity within the language system.
The term “vocabulary” is used to denote the system formed by the total sum of all the words that the language possesses.
Distinction is naturally made between General Lexicology and Special Lexicology.
The general study of words and vocabulary, irrespective of the specific features of any particular language, is known as General Lexicology.
Special Lexicology is the lexicology of a particular language (e.g. English, Russian, etc.), i.e. the study and description of its words and vocabulary. Special Lexicology may be historical and descriptive.
Historical Lexicology is the branch of linguistics which deals with the origin of various words, their change and development, and investigates the linguistic and extra-linguistic forces modifying their structure, meaning and usage.
The investigation of any linguistic problem cannot be successful if the work is carried out without a correct theoretical basis. Dialectical materialism, the theory of reflection form the theoretical basis of our linguistics. Dialectical materialism explains the nature of language as a social phenomenon, its relation to thought and the fundamental laws of language development.
Reflection is a specific product of the interaction between two material systems: objective reality and the language system representing a more or less adequate reproduction of some peculiarities of the original system.
The abstraction as a reflection in general gives a rather exact description of the physical forms of reflection. It creates a necessary basis for the analysis of some more developed concrete forms of reflection in animate nature and society.
The theory of reflection teaches that objective reality is approximately but correctly reflected in the human mind. The notions reflected in the meanings of words are generalized reflections of real objects and phenomena. In this light it is easy to understand how things that are connected in reality come to be connected in language too (because words name notions).
The reflection of objective reality is selective. That is, human thought and language select, reflect and nominate what is relevant to human activity. Lexicology studies the recurrent patterns of semantic relationship and of any formal phonological, morphological or contextual means by which they may be rendered.
Consciousness is the highest form of reflection of objective reality. The philosophy of dialectical materialism treats consciousness as a function of the human brain whose essence consists in reflecting reality. Related to objective reality consciousness represents an ideal image of objects constituting this reality.