Lexicology in general studies the meaning of words, connections and frequency of use. The word, as the smallest independent unit of language, is a universal tool of hermeneutics. That is, theoretically, we can express any thought and define any concept, generalizing or delving into details, and explain at different levels of accessibility, using infinite combinations of meanings. This is most freely manifested in synthetic languages, where the abundance of morphemes allows you to build sentences in an arbitrary order. Analytical systems are less flexible, and in this regard, the lexicology of the English language has its own characteristics.
Why does lexicology need syntax
English lexicology as a science is not directly related to syntax, but it is closely related to it. The reason is that English is an analytical language. This means that words have a fairly limited number of morphemes, indications of their meaning exist in the context, and the connections between them lie in the grammar. Changethe order of the members of the sentence can change the meaning of the statement, because the system is not flexible enough to display the permutation through the modification of words. The possibilities are endless, but playing with variations requires a rather delicate approach. Lexicology, in accordance with the syntax, considers such parameters as available roles (valencies), compatibility and transitivity.
Open and closed groups of parts of speech
The verbal composition of the language is constantly changing. Two opposite processes take place simultaneously. On the one hand, there is an increase in the number of units, on the other hand, a decrease.
Closed groups such as pronouns, prepositions, conjunctions, particles and interjections used to form special questions remain virtually unchanged. The main circulation occurs in ever-growing groups of parts of speech, such as nouns, verbs, adjectives and adverbs.
Lexical evolution of language
In total, the volume of words, of course, increases. With the development of such an area of life as science, new terms are introduced. If we take into account that science is a way of understanding the world as a whole, and it concerns absolutely all areas of activity from physics to psychology, then, adopting experience, people also borrow words. Also, the lexicology of modern English allows such a phenomenon as popularization. Initially, at the individual and group levels, people contact each other and useforeign words in everyday communication. Then these expressions are gradually transferred to the infrastructure and, having spread sufficiently to fill their niche, they fit into dictionaries and are officially recognized as suitable for widespread use. Thus, the language is alive: it does not grow in the offices of linguists, but constantly evolves, discarding unnecessary rudiments in the form of obsolete turns of speech, acquiring new organs and improving the system of their communication.
Roaming idioms
The vocabulary of the English language contains its set expressions. The most obvious example is sayings and proverbs. They express the cultural and historical characteristics of a group of people. However, there are also expressions, imperceptibly hovering even in our ordinary speech, which from the point of view of logic are irrational. For example, this is the use of animate verbs in relation to inanimate objects. In many cases, of course, a certain associative connection can be traced between the subject and the action, but some phrases are really unusual. Even more unique is that many of them are found in both English and Russian. The question is, how did such a synchronicity of thought arise? The lexicology of the English language in Russian can express, for example, such an expression as "blood runs cold". This is explained, on the one hand, by the historical total influence of the ancient Greek and Latin languages. On the other hand, here one can trace the role of translators, whose task is to interpret the text as close and reliable as possible. Therefore, if there is a choice between adaptation within the framework of the native language and assimilation, often in the name of preserving the artistic individuality and style of the narrative, the latter is chosen. And what seemed incompatible to us, is combined in the image and likeness in the dexterous hands of the translator. At the same time, an observer inexperienced in the English language does not separate the introduced idioms from the non-introduced ones. It is likely that even a sophisticated observer will not be able to fully understand this, because the border has long been erased.
English lexicology and word formation
In many cases, actions can personify the objects with which they are performed. And objects can serve as a mode of action. The same thing happens with pronouns and adjectives. On this logical basis, by adding prefixes (preffixes) and suffixes (suffixes), new morphemes are formed, flowing from one part of speech to another. Additives to words in the form of continuous or separate elements (such as prepositions) indicate a change in the function of case, person, tense, degree of comparison, etc. The lexicology of the English language understands any ending as a suffix, a combination of letters substituted at the beginning of a word as a prefix, and uses the term adffix for a general description of the introduced elements. Often the resulting morpheme refers to another part of speech. Conversely, the same morpheme may, depending on the situation, belong to different categories. This happens when there is a change in the semantic role, and is quitecommon occurrence. The ability to relate to different classes is possible due to the analytical essence of the English language, i.e. transfer of semantic shades and accents mainly due to the syntactic structure with a minimum number of verbal morphemes.
