2.3 Lexicology Flashcards
Lexicology
Lexicology is the study of the form, meaning and behaviour of words.
Lexeme
A lexeme is a lexicological unit of linguistics; the part of the word that imparts it’s meaning. e.g. ‘snow’ in ‘snowed, ‘snowing’, ‘snows’.
Why is identifying the lexeme important?
Students can break down new words and can connect to the word’s etymology, or even find a cognate that they relate to!
Lexeme items
A lexeme item is the entirety of a word or phrase that imparts meaning. e.g. ‘snowed or ‘snows’ is a lexeme item. It can also be a combination of words, e.g. ‘class work’ or ‘in the way’.
Word forms
This term encompasses all the iterations of a similar lexeme; describes the different conjugations, different tenses, different forms based on amount. e.g. Lexeme: ‘go’ –> its word forms are ‘goes’, ‘went’, ‘will go’.
Lexical Structure
Refers to the internal structure of lexemes as well as the structure of the lexicon of a language.
Lexicon of a Language
All the words in a group (language).
Paradigms (pronounced pa-ruh-diamz)
Differences in meaning that rely on the substitution of words.
Syntagms (pronounced sin-tams)
The differences that result from the positioning of words in a phrase.
Syntagms Example
E.g. ‘John threw the ball to Mary’ –> ‘Mary through the ball to John’ - the difference is syntagmic.
Paradigms Example
E.g. ‘Bill ran to his truck’ –> ‘Bill ran to his wife’ or ‘Frank ran to his truck.’
Co-text
The linguist environment of a word; the various meanings that can be attributed to a word. e.g. ‘goal’ is often surrounded by ‘achieve’ or ‘score’.
Context
The non-verbal environment in which a word is used; specific meaning of a word based on its surrounding words. e.g. David Beckham’s goal during the match.
