Stages of scientific investigation

Stages of Scientific Research The process of scientific research consists of the following stages: observation, classification, generalization and verification. Observation is the collection of data. Classification is the orderly arrangement of these data. Generalization is the formulation of a hypothesis, rule or law. Verification seeks the proof for the generalization. Various methods of lexicological research are used for classification, generalization and verification.: contrastive analysis, statistical methods of analysis, Immediate Constituents analysis, distributional analysis, transformational analysis, componental analysis. 2.Contrastive Analysis. is a detailed comparison of the structure of a native and a target language. It is the basis of teaching foreign languages: it helps to forsee and prevent recurrent mistakes caused by the interference of the learner‘s mother tongue. Methods and Procedures of Lexicological Analysis

I. Stages of Scientific Research

The process of scientific research consists of the following stages:

observation, classification, generalization and verification. Observation is the

collection of data. Classification is the orderly arrangement of these data.

Generalization is the formulation of a hypothesis, rule or law. Verification seeks

the proof for the generalization.

II. Contrastive Analysis

Contrastive analysis is a detailed comparison of the structure of a native and

a target language. It is the basis of teaching foreign languages: it helps to forsee

and prevent recurrent mistakes caused by the interference of the learner‘s mother

tongue. Contrastive analysis reveals sameness and difference in the lexical meaning

and semantic structure of correlated words.

III. Statistical Methods of Analysis

Statistical methods are applied in the analysis of different structural types of

words, affixes and the vocabularies of great writers. They also help to select the

most frequent items for teaching purposes. Statistical regularities can be observed

only if the phenomena are numerous and their occurrence frequent, e.g. it was

found that about 1,300 – 1,500 most frequent words make up 85% of the text.

Statistical approach is quantitative, while most linguistic problems are

qualitative.

IV. Immediate Constituent Analysis

Immediate Constituents analysis (IC) is used to study the structure and

lexical syntagmas. Sentences or word-groups are segmented into hierarchally

arranged sets of binary constructions (ICs): a black dress in severe style – a black

dress/in severe style.

V. Distributional Analysis

Distributional anlysis helps to describe the word’s meaning. the word has

different meanings in different patterns: to treat smb well (treat + N + Adv) – to

behave towards; to treat smb to ice-cream (treat + N + to + N) – to supply with

sth at one’s own expence.

VI. Transformational Analysis

Transformational analysis consists in repatterning identical distributional

patterns in order to discover difference or sameness of their meaning. It is used to

investigate polysemantic patterns, e.g. compounds which have the same pattern (n

+ n) may have different lexical meanings. This is shown by transformational

procedure: dogfight – a fight between dogs; dogcart – a cart drawn by dogs.

VII. Componental Analysis

In Componental analysis linguists proceed from the assumption that the

smallest units of meaning are sememes (or semes) and that sememes and lexemes

(or lexical items) are usually not in one-to-one but in one-to-many correspondence.

For example, in the lexical item woman several components of meaning or

sememes may be singled out and namely: human, female, adult.

Date: 2016-01-14; view: 2428