Lexicology generally studies the meaning of words, communication, and frequency of use. The word, as the smallest independent unit of language, is a universal tool of hermeneutics. That is, theoretically, we can express any thought and define any concept, generalizing or delving into details, and explain at different levels of accessibility, using endless combinations of meanings. This is most freely manifested in synthetic languages, where the abundance of morphemes allows you to build sentences in an arbitrary order. Analytical systems are less flexible, and in this regard, the lexicology of the English language has its own characteristics.
Why lexicology access syntax
The lexicology of the English language as a science is not directly related to syntax, but it is closely related to it. The reason is that English is an analytical language. This means that words have a rather limited number of morphemes, an indication of their meaning exists in the context, and the connections between them lie in the grammar. Changing the order of the sentence members can change the meaning of the statement, because the system is not flexible enough to display the permutation through the modification of words. The possibilities here are unlimited, but playing with variations requires a rather delicate approach. In accordance with the syntax, lexicology considers such parameters as available roles (valencies), compatibility and transition.
Open and closed groups of parts of speech
The verbal composition of the language is constantly changing. Two opposite processes occur simultaneously. On the one hand, there is an increase in the number of units, on the other, a decrease.
Closed groups, such as pronouns, prepositions, conjunctions, particles, and interjections, used to formulate special questions, remain almost unchanged. The main circulation takes place in constantly growing groups of parts of speech, such as nouns, verbs, adjectives and adverbs.
Lexical evolution of language
In total, the volume of words, of course, increases. With the development of such an area of life as science, new terms are introduced. If we take into account that science is a way of comprehending the world as a whole, and it concerns absolutely all areas of activity from physics to psychology, then, adopting experience, people also borrow words. Also, the lexicology of modern English allows for such a phenomenon as popularization. Initially, at the individual and group levels, people contact each other and use foreign words in everyday communication. Then these expressions are gradually transferred to the infrastructure and, having spread sufficiently to occupy their niche, fit into dictionaries and are officially recognized as suitable for widespread use. Thus, the language is alive: it does not grow in the offices of linguists, but constantly evolves, discarding unnecessary rudiments in the form of obsolete turns of speech, acquiring new organs and improving their communication system.
Nomadic idioms
English vocabulary contains its own stable expressions. The most obvious examples are sayings and proverbs. They express the cultural and historical characteristics of a group of people. However, there are also expressions that are obscurely obsessed even in our ordinary speech, which are irrational in terms of logic. For example, this is the use of animate verbs in relation to inanimate objects. In many cases, of course, a certain associative connection can be traced between the subject and the action , but some phrases are really unusual. Even more unique is the fact that many of them are found in both English and Russian. The question is, how did such a synchronicity of thought arise? The lexicology of the English language in Russian can express, for example, such an expression as “blood runs cold”. This is explained, on the one hand, by the historical total influence of the ancient Greek and Latin languages. On the other hand, one can trace the role of translators, whose task is to interpret the text as closely as possible . Therefore, if there is a choice between adaptation within the framework of the native language and assimilation, often in the name of preserving the artistic individuality and style of the narrative, the second is chosen. And what seemed incompatible to us, in the image and likeness, is combined in the dexterous hands of the translator. However, an inexperienced English observer does not distinguish between introduced idioms and non-brought idioms. It is likely that the sophisticated observer will not be able to fully understand this, because the border has long been erased.
English lexicology and word formation
In many cases, actions can represent the objects with which they are produced. And objects can serve as a mode of action. The same thing happens with pronouns and adjectives. On this logical basis, by adding prefixes and suffixes, new morphemes are formed that flow from one part of the speech to another. Additives to words in the form of continuous or separate elements (such as prepositions) indicate a change in the case function, face, time, degree of comparison, etc. The lexicology of the English language means the suffix any ending, the prefix means the combination of letters at the beginning of the word, and uses the term adffix for a general description of the elements entered. Often formed morpheme refers to another part of speech. And, on the contrary, the same morpheme can, depending on the situation, belong to different categories. This happens when a change in semantic role occurs, and is a fairly common occurrence. The ability to relate to different classes is possible due to the analytical essence of the English language, i.e. the transmission of semantic shades and accents mainly due to the syntactic structure with a minimum number of verbal morphemes.