Questions and Tasks

I. Consider your answers to the following:

1. Why is it difficult to state the exact number of vocabulary units?

2. What are the extra-linguistic and linguistic causes of increasing MnE vocabulary?

3. What main changes occur in a language?

4. What is the basic word-stock? What features are characteristic of the basic word-stock? Why is the basic word-stock so important in learning a language?

5. Why do words become obsolete? When are obsolete words used? What are archaisms and historical words?

6. What is characteristic of neologisms?

7. What is the main difference between stylistically neutral and stylistically coloured words? What does this division depend on?

8. What is a functional style?

9. Into what groups is the English vocabulary divided from the stylistic point of view?

10. Which words belong to the formal vocabulary?

11. What is characteristic of learned words? Are they used only in books?

12. What are terms? What features should terms possess?

13. Which words belong to the informal vocabulary? What subgroups do informal words fall into?

14. What varieties of colloquial words are singled out?

15. What is slang? What varieties of slang can be found in English?

16. What is the difference between argot words and special slang words?

II. From the words given below pick out the archaic words and comment on their usage and meaning:

Even, evening, do, does, dost, you, thee, ye, thou, horse, mort, death, though, albeit, also, eke, spring, vernal, said, quoth, told, maiden, girl, haply, perhaps, ere, before.

III. In what meanings have the words“armory”, “affectionate”, “amiable”, “foison”, “impose”, “linsey-woolsey”, “rubric”, “alarm” become semantic archaisms?

IV. Give modern English equivalents of the following archaic words; classify them into lexical and grammatical archaisms; translate them into Russian:

Morn, spouse, bade, dire, didst, aught, quoth, kine, swain, courser, ire, charger, thy, thine, troth, hath, albeit.

V. Group the following neologisms according to the way of their formation; translate them into Russian:

Snowblade, realtor, lifting, prime time, multiplex, merchandiser, blackout, foodaholic, webinar, agrobiology, floppy drive, Blitzkrieg, photoshopping, nanotechnology, audiotyping, mini-cruize, smaze, gimmick, chav, brain tank, 5 o’clockish, technocriticism, consumerization, marginal man, truthiness, lifecasting, bookateria, googling, zizz, fingersmith, deflation, filmnik, no-goodnik, kleenex, to plug-in, laundromat, shuttle diplomacy, plus-size, to deglamorize, hoover, communication gap, hard-target search, frisbee, high profile, managerialist.

VI. Point out informal (slang or colloquial) or formal words from the following extracts. Write them out into three columns and give your reasons:

1. So there it was then: an enormous, happy, extended family. True, this happy family included an invisible two-year-old, a barmy twelve-year-old and his suicidal mother; but sod’s law dictated that this was just the sort of family you were bound to end up with when you didn’t like families in the first place. (N. Hornby “About a Boy”)

2. There was a shower right between every two rooms in our wing, and about eighty-five times a day old Ackley barged it on me. He was probably the only guy in the whole dorm, besides me, that wasn’t down at the game. He was a senior <…>, but nobody ever called him anything except ‘Ackley’. (J.D. Salinger “The Catcher in the Rye”)

3. “Dear Mr. Smith,

With reference to your order for Sony VCR, we are in receipt of your check and are returning same.

I beg to inform you that, as a manufacturer, our company sells cameras to dealers only. In compliance with our wholesale agreements, we deem it best to refrain from direct business with private consumers…”

4. “Dear Mr. North,

Thank you very much for your enquiry. We are of course very familiar with your range of vehicles and are pleased to inform you that we have a new line of batteries that fit your specifications exactly.

The most suitable of our products for your requirements is the Artemis 66A Plus. This product combines economy, high power output and quick charging time and is now in stock.

If you would like further information, please telephone or telex me…”

VII. In the following verse, find the words belonging to the poetic diction:

She walks in beauty, like the night

Of cloudless climes and starry skies;

And all that's best of dark and bright

Meet in her aspect and her eyes:

Thus mellow'd to that tender light

Which heaven to gaudy day denies.

One shade the more, one ray the less,

Had half impair'd the nameless grace

Which waves in every raven tress,

Or softly lightens o'er her face;

Where thoughts serenely sweet express

How pure, how dear their dwelling-place.

And on that cheek, and o'er that brow,

So soft, so calm, yet eloquent,

The smiles that win, the tints that glow,

But tell of days in goodness spent,

A mind at peace with all below,

A heart whose love is innocent! (G.Byron)

VIII. From the following extract, pick out archaisms, give their modern English equivalents:

And thou art dead, as young and fair

As aught of mortal birth;

And form so soft, and charms so rare,

Too soon return'd to Earth!

Though Earth receiv'd them in her bed,

And o'er the spot the crowd may tread

In carelessness or mirth,

There is an eye which could not brook

A moment on that grave to look. (G. Byron)

Date: 2015-12-11; view: 1714