英语词汇学之ClassificationsofWord词分类(中英对照).doc

Classifications of Word non-basic vocabulary Words that do not have the stated characteristics belong to non-basic vocabulary of the language. They include the following: (1) Terminology consists of technical terms used in particular disciplines and academic areas as in medicine: photoscanning, hepatitis, indigestion, penicillin; in mathematics: algebra, trigonometry, calculus, in music: symphony, orchestra, sonata, concerto; in education: audiovisual, megauniversity, microteaching, etc. (2) Jargon refers to the specialized vocabularies by which members of particular arts, sciences, trades and professions communicate among themselves such as in business: bottom line for inescapable implication, unavoidable result, ultimate version, ballpark figures for estimate, bargaining chips for an advantage held by any of the parties in a negotiation; in horse-racing: hold him back for prevent a horse from winning, hold him in for force a horse to run behind at the beginning of a race so as to reserve speed for the finish; in medicine: paranoid for suspicious, worried, persona for mannerism, hypo for hypodermic syringe; in warfare: buster for bomb. Generally speaking, people outside the circle have difficulty in understanding such words. (3) Slang belongs to the sub-standard language, a category that seems to stand between the standard general words including informal ones available to everyone and in-group words like cant (shoptalk of any sub-group), jargon, and argot, all of which are associated with, or most available to, specific groups of the population. Certain words are labeled slang not because of their appearance or pronunciation but because of their usage. Dough and bread, for instance, are standard when they are used as food terms but slang in the sense of money. Similarly, grass and pot have standard or formal use meaning, respectively, i.e. type of plant life and cooking utensil, but slang use meaning marijuana. Such words as beaver (girl), smoky, bear (police