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Lecture 1
What is Lexicology?
I. The Subject of Lexicology
The term lexicology is of Greek origin (from lexis – word and logos -
science). Lexicology is the part of linguistics which deals with the vocabulary and
characteristic features of words and word-groups.
The term word denotes the main lexical unit of a language resulting from the
association of a group of sounds with a meaning. This unit is used in grammatical
functions characteristic of it. It is the smallest unit of a language which can stand
alone as a complete utterance.
The term word-group denotes a group of words which exists in the language
as a ready-made unit, has the unity of meaning, the unity of syntactical function,
e.g. the word-group as loose as a goose means clumsy and is used in a sentence as
a predicative (He is as loose as a goose).
Lexicology can be general and special. General lexicology is the lexicology
of any language, part of General Linguistics. It is aimed at establishing language
universals – linguistic phenomena and propeties common to all languages.
Special lexicology is the lexicology of a particular language (English,
German, Russian, etc.).
Lexicology can study the development of the vocabulary, the origin of
words and word-groups, their semantic relations and the development of their
sound form and meaning. In this case it is called historical lexicology.
Another branch of lexicology is called descriptive and studies the
vocabulary at a definite stage of its development.
