W2-Chapter 1 the basic concepts of words and vocabulary.ppt

Chapter oneThe Basic Concepts of Words and Vocabulary Contents of this lecture Word and vocabulary Relationship between sound and meaning Relationship between sound and form Classification of English words 1.1 Word and vocabulary 1.1.1 Word To sum up, the definition of a word will cover the following points: A minimal free form of a language; A sound unity; A unit of meaning; A form that can function alone in a sentence. Definition: A word is a minimal free form of a language that has a given sound, meaning and syntactic function. 1.1.2 Vocabulary All the words in a language make up what is generally known as its vocabulary. The term “vocabulary” is used in different senses. 1.2 Sound and Meaning The problem of the relationship of sound and meaning is controversial. There are mainly two representative view points: (1)the Naturalists(自然派) The Naturalists think that there is an intrinsic correspondence between sound and meaning. (音和义之间有一种必然联系) (2) the Conventionalists(习惯派) The Conventionalists think that there is no intrinsic correspondence between sound and meaning. 1.3 Sound and Form Written form=orthographical record of the oral form Sound should be consistent with the form. (only true in Old English) 1.4 Classification of English Words -classified by different criteria and for different purposes. -criteria: by origin, by use frequency and by notion. 1.By use frequency: Basic word stock and nonbasic vocabulary Basic word stock(基本词汇): The ～ is the foundation of the vocabulary and forms the common core of the language. Characteristics: 1)All National Character (全民性） They denote the most common things and phenomena of the world around us, which are indispensable to all speakers. They include words relating to: 2) Stability (稳定性） They denote the commonest things necessary to life, they are likely to remain unchanged. 3) Productivity (能产性） They are mostly root words or monosyllabic words. They are active in forming new words with other roots