英语词汇学3classify words.ppt

; ; 3.2 The Native Element in Modern English While it is hard to count the number of native elements in the English language, we think native words are the foundation and the core of English vocabulary. e.g. a. the numerals unto a thousand b. the most intimate family relations; father, mother, etc. c. most natural phenomena and planets, day, night, etc. d. many common animals: hare, deer, horse, cow, sheep, etc. e. qualities and properties: old, young, good, evil, kind, etc. f. Common actions: do, make, go, come, hear, eat, etc. g. most of auxiliary and modal verbs: shall, will, etc. h. pronouns: I, you, he, my, your, his, who, whose, etc. i. propositions: in, out, on, under,etc. j. conjunctions: and, but, till, as, etc.; Characteristics of the native element;e. Wide collocability: Many native words enter quite a number of set expressions, idioms, phrases and proverbial sayings. e.g. heel of Achilles, cool ones heels, turn on ones heels heel over head or head over heel show a clean pair of heel, take to ones heels f. Plurality of meanings: Most of the native words have undergone striking transformations in semantic structure, and as a result are nowadays highly poly-semantic. e.g. to tell: make known, express, explain; utter, confide in order; distinguish; count; reveal; scold. g. High frequency value: In fact, the native element forms the bulk of the most frequent elements used in any style of speech. They constitute no less than 80% of the 500 most frequent words. h. Stylistic neutral: Most native words are stylistically neutral. e.g. to begin (neutral)-- to commence (formal). ;A change of heart, after one’s own heart, cry one’s heart out, a heart of gold, at heart, break one’s heart, cross one’s heart, have one’s heart in one’s mouth, heart and hand, heart and soul, take sth to heart, wear sb. In one’s heart, with all one’s heart. ;How many Anglo-Saxon words are left in English? “…if you mean the normal vocabulary of spee