Лексикология английского языка

Vocabulary

absurd нелепость

archaic архаичный

basic vocabulary общеупотребительный, общенародный язык; основной

словарный фонд

bookish книжный

colouring красочный

conclusive решающий

connotation ассоциация, побочное значение

controversial спорный

divergent расходящийся

elegance изящество

excessive чрезмерный

fiction проза, беллетристика

gait походка

grave hazards серьёзные риски

heterogeneous неоднородный

homogeneous однородный

hue цвет; оттенок; тон

impenetrable непроницаемый

indiscriminately без разбора, неразборчиво

kin семья

learned words книжные/учёные слова

lofty возвышенный

mode способ

monosemantic моносемантический, однозначный

moribund умирающий

obsolete вышедший из употребления

officialese бюрократический жаргон, канцеляризмы

polysemantic полисемантический, многозначный

polysyllabic многосложный

pretension притязание

puzzling загадочный

ridiculous смешной, глупый

scraps остатки

solemn торжественный, серьёзный

tempt соблазнять

term термин

thou art=you are

utterance высказывание

vague неясный

verge граничить

Lecture 4

The Etymology of English Words

(pp. 44 – 56, part 1)

1. 
   The earliest group of English borrowings.
   
2. 
   Celtic borrowings.
   
3. 
   The period of Christianization.
   
4. 
   The characteristic features of Scandinavian borrowings.
   
5. 
   Norman borrowings.
   
6. 
   The Renaissance Period.
   
7. 
   The etymological structure of English vocabulary.
   

1. 
   The earliest group of English borrowings
   

English vocabulary contains an immense number of words of foreign origin. Explanations for this should be sought in the history of the language which is closely connected with the history of the nation speaking the language.

The first century B.C. Most territory now known to us as Europe is occupied by the Roman Empire. Among the inhabitants of the continent are Germanic tribes, “barbarians” as the arrogant Romans call them. Theirs is really a rather primitive stage of development, especially if compared with the high civilization and refinement of Rome.

It is from the Romans that they learn how to make butter and cheese and, as there are no words for these foodstuffs in their tribal languages, they are to use the Latin words to name them. It is also to the Romans that the Germanic tribes owe the knowledge of some fruits and vegetables, and the Latin names of these fruits and vegetables enter their vocabularies: cherry, pear, plum, pea, beet, pepper. It is interesting to note that the word plant is also a Latin borrowing of this period. (By a borrowing or loan-word we mean a word which came into the vocabulary of one language from another and was assimilated by the new language).

All these Latin words were destined to become the earliest group of borrowings in the future English language which was built on the basis of the Germanic tribal languages.

2. 
   Celtic borrowings. The fifth century A.D.
   

Several of the Germanic tribes (the most numerous amongst them being the Angles, the Saxons and the Jutes) migrated across the sea now known as the English Channel to the British Isles. There they were confronted by the Celts, the original inhabitants of the Isles. The Celts desperately defended their lands against the invaders.

Through their numerous contacts with the defeated Celts, the conquerors got to know and assimilated a number of Celtic words (Modern English bald, down, glen (лощина), druid (кельтский жрец), bard, cradle(колыбель). Especially numerous among the Celtic borrowings were place names, names of rivers, hills, etc. Ironically, even the name of the English capital originates from Celtic.

3. The period of Cristianization. The seventh century A.D.
This century was significant for the hristianization of England. Latin was the official language of the Christian church, and consequently the spread of Christianity was accomplished by a new period of Latin borrowings. These no longer came from spoken Latin as they did eight centuries earlier, but from church Latin. Also, these new Latin borrowings were very different in meaning from the earlier ones. They mostly indicated persons, objects and ideas associated with church and religious rituals. E.g. priest (священник), bishop (епископ), monk (монах), nun (монахиня), candle (свеча).

Additionally, there were educational terms. It was quite natural that these were also Latin borrowings, for the first schools in England were church schools, and the first teachers – priests and monks. The very word school is a Latin borrowing.