Lexicon: Structure, Word Formation, and Meaning Shifts
Lexicon: Structure, Word Formation, and Meaning
The lexicon is much more structured than dictionaries; it has links between phonological forms and meanings. It contains all signs whose meaning is not predictable, whether they are single morphemes, words, or combinations of words. It includes words, root morphemes, derived stems, irregular inflected forms, morphologically complex words, and idioms. Regular inflected forms are not included; their meanings are predictable given English morphology.
Openness
Read MoreEnvironmental Pollution and Sustainable Solutions
8.4. POLLUTION AND CONTAMINATION. Alteration of a natural environment’s composition by introducing substances. Atmospheric pollution: Climate change: Increased greenhouse effect from emissions caused by oil combustion in industry and transportation. Ozone layer depletion: Caused by emissions of CFCs and nitrogen oxides. Acid rain: Precipitation of sulphuric and nitric acid from polluting gases. Water pollution: Salinization—Bioaccumulation. Eutrophication: Increased nutrients in aquatic ecosystems,
Read MoreSemantic Change, Polysemy, Homonymy, and Word Formation in English
Change of Meaning: Causes, Nature, and Results
In the course of the development of the language, a great number of words change their meanings. There are some factors that bring about this semantic change. They are divided into two groups: linguistic causes and extra-linguistic causes.
Linguistic Causes
The first group includes changes related to linguistic causes. The most common form of these changes is ellipsis. In this case, a phrase made up of two words omits one of them, and its meaning is transferred
Read MoreConcave as a Semantic Feature: English vs. Spanish
Concave as a Semantic Feature: English vs. Spanish
Discussing whether ‘concave’ is a distinctive semantic feature (seme) in English and Spanish. According to structuralism, distinctive features differentiate units within a language system, from phonological to semantic levels. For example, phonetic features differentiate sounds (/k/ and /g/).
To prove a feature’s distinctiveness, we use a commutation test: changing a feature for its opposite and observing if sounds or words change.
Semantic Features
Understanding English Vocabulary: Structure, Relations, and Creativity
1. The Word as a Linguistic Sign
Let’s delve into the foundational concept of the word as a linguistic sign, drawing upon Saussure’s sign theory. We can consider the word as a free, minimal version of communication, viewed as:
- An Orthographic Entity: The written form of the word.
- A Phonological Entity: The spoken form of the word.
- A Morphological Entity: The structure of the word, including its root, prefixes, and suffixes.
- A Grammatical Entity: The role the word plays in a sentence, such as noun, verb,
Environmental Sustainability and Climate Change Glossary
Key Terms and Definitions
Acid
Acid: Sour.
Afford
Afford: To have enough money; permitirse.
Beyond My Reach
Beyond my reach: Inaccessible; outside the limits of one’s ability; inalcanzable.
Be in Charge
Be in charge: To be responsible for someone or something; a cargo.
Carbon
Carbon: Charcoal; carbón.
Catch Sight Of
Catch sight of: To notice; avistar, divisar.
Climate Change
Climate change: Global warming.
Conservation
Conservation: Preservation; ahorro.
Confidence In
Confidence in: To feel secure about; belief
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