Stystic Classification of English Vocabulary

International Journal of Science and Research (IJSR) 
ISSN: 2319-7064 
ResearchGate Impact Factor (2018): 0.28 | SJIF (2018): 7.426 
Volume 9 Issue 2, February 2020 
www.ijsr.net
 
Licensed Under Creative Commons Attribution CC BY
The colloquial vocabulary falls into the following groups: 1. 
Common colloquial words; 2. Slang; 3. Jargonizes; 4. 
Professional words; 5. Dialectal words; 6. Vulgar words; 7. 
Colloquial coinages. 
The common literary, neutral and common colloquial words 
are grouped under the term STANDARD ENGLISH 
VOCABULARY. Other groups in the literary layer are 
regarded as special literary vocabulary and those in the 
colloquial layer are regarded as special colloquial (non- 
literary) vocabulary. The accompanying diagram on 
illustrates this classification graphically. 
NEUTRAL, COMMON LITERARY AND COMMON 
COLLOQUIAL VOCABULARY 
NEUTRAL WORDS, which form the bulk of the English 
vocabulary, are used in both literary and colloquial 
language. Neutral words are the main source of synonymy 
and polysemy. It is the neutral stock of words that is so 
prolific in the production of new meanings. 
The wealth of the neutral stratum of words is often 
overlooked. This is due to their inconspicuous character. But 
their faculty for assuming new meanings and generating new 
stylistic variants is often quite amazing. This generative 
power of the neutral words in the English language is 
multiplied by the very nature of the language itself. It has 
been estimated that most neutral English words are of 
monosyllabic character, as, in the process of development 
from Old English to Modern English, most of the parts of 
speech lost their distinguishing suffixes. This phenomenon 
has led to the development of conversion as the most 
productive means f word-building. Word compounding is 
not so productive as conversion or word derivation, where 
are new word is formed because of a shift in the part of 
speech in the first case and by the addition of an affix in the 
second. Unlike all other groups, the neutral group f words 
cannot be considered as having a special stylistic coloring, 
whereas both literary and colloquial words have a definite 
stylistic coloring. 
COMMON LITERARY WORDS are chiefly used in writing 
and in polished speech. One can always tell a literary word 
from a colloquial word. The reason for this lies in certain 
objective features of the literary layer of words. What these 
objective criteria have been worked out. But one of 
themundoubtedly is that literary units stand in opposition to 
colloquial units. This is especially apparent when pairs of 
synonyms, literary and colloquial, can be formed which 
stand in contrasting relation.
The following synonyms illustrate the relations that exist 
between the neutral, literary and colloquial words in the 
English language. 
Colloquial 
Neutral 
Literary 
kid 
Child 
infant 
daddy 
Father 
parent 
chap 
Fellow 
associate 
get out 
go away 
retire 
go on 
Continue 
proceed 
teenager 
boy(girl) 
youth(maiden) 
flapper 
young (girl) 
maiden 
get going 
Start 
commence 
It goes without saying that these synonyms are not only 
stylistic but ideographic as well, i.e. there is a definite, 
though sight, semantic difference between the words. But 
this is almost always the case with synonyms. There are very 
few absolute synonyms in English just as there are very few 
absolute synonyms in English just as there are in any 
language. The main distinction between synonyms remains 
stylistic. But stylistic difference may be of various kinds: it 
may lie in the emotional tension connoted in a word, or in 
the sphere of application, or in the degree of the quality 
denoted. Colloquial words are always more emotionally 
colored than literary ones. The neutral stratum of words, as 
the term itself implies, has no degree of emotiveness, nor 
have they any distinctions in the sphere of usage. 
Both literary and colloquial words have their upper and 
lower ranges. The lower range f literary words approaches 
the neutral layer and has a markedly obvious tendency to 
pass into that layer. The same may be said of the upper 
range of colloquial layer: It can very easily pass into the 
neutral layer. The lines of demarcation between common 
colloquial and neutral, on the one hand, and common literary 
and neutral, on the other, are blurred. It is here that the 
process of interpenetration of the stylistic strata becomes 
most apparent. 
Still the extremes remain antagonistic and therefore are often 
used to bring about a collision of manners of speech for 
special stylistic purposes. The difference in the stylistic 
aspect assect of words may colour the whole of an utterance. 
In this example from “Fanny‟s First Play” (show), the 
difference between the common literary and common 
colloquial vocabulary is clearly seen. 
“DORA: oh, I‟ve let it out. Have I? (Contemplating jugging 
approvingly as he places a chair for her between the table 
and sideboard). But he‟s the right sort: I can see that 
(buttonholing him) you won‟t let it out downstairs, old man, 
will you? 
JUGGINS: the family can rely on my absolute discretion.” 
The words in Juggins answer are on the border- line between 
common literary and neutral, whereas the words and 
expressions used by Dora are clearly common colloquial, 
not bordering on neutral. 
This example from “DAVIDCOPPERFIELD” (Dickens) 
illustrates the use of literary English words which do not 
border on neutral: 
“My dear Copperfield,” said Mr. Micawber, “this is 
luxurious. This is way of life which reminds me of a period 
when I was myself in a state of celibacy, and Mrs. Micawber 
had not yet been solicited to plight her faith t the Hymeneal 
altar”. 
“He means, solicited by him, Mr. Copperfield, ” sad Mrs. 
Micawber, archly. “He cannot answer for others.” 
“My dear Copperfield,” said Mr. Micawber, “this is 
luxurious. This is a way of life which reminds me of a 
Paper ID: SR20221100932
DOI: 10.21275/SR20221100932
1549 

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