The structural properties of the lexical field of the words (2024)

Abstract: This article isdevoted toanalyse the structural properties ofthe lexical field ofthe words. Lexical field reveals the characteristics bywhich common properties are determined for anumber ofobjects, actions, phenomena, and also establishes differences that distinguish the given object, action, phenomenon.

Key words: Lexical, structural, conversion, derived words, morpheme, semantic distinction, word-building, compounds.

Before turning tothe various processes ofmaking words, itwould beuseful toanalyse the related problem ofthe composition ofword, i.e their constituent parts. Ifviewed structurally, words appear tobedivisible into smaller units which are called morphemes. Morphemes don’t occur asfree forms but only asconstituent ofwords. Yet they possess meaning oftheir own. All morphemes are subdivided into two large classes: roots( orradicals) and affixes. That latter, intheir turn, all into prefixes which precede the root inthe structure ofthe word (mis-pronounce, un-well) and suffixes which follow the root and affixes (orseveral affixes) are called derived words orderivatives and are produced bythe process ofword building known asaffixation.

Derived words are extremely numerous inthe English vocabulary. Successfully competing with the structural type isthe so-called root word which has only aroot morphemes inits structure. This type iswidely represented byagreat number ofwords belonging tothe original English stock ortoearlier borrowings ( house, room, etc.) and, inModern English, has been greatly enlarged bythe type ofword-building called conversion.

Another wide spread word structure isacompound word consisting oftwo ormore stems (e.g. dining room, mother-in-law). Word ofthis structural type are produced bythe word building process called composition. The somewhat odd-looking words like flu, pram, lab are called shortenings, constractions orcurtaieled words and are produced bythe way ofword buildings called shortening (contraction).

The four types (root words, derived words, compounds, shortenings) represent the main structural types ofModern English words, conversion, derivation and composition the most productive ways ofword buildings.

The morpheme isgenerally defined asthe smallest indivisible component ofthe word possessing ameaning ofits own. There are numerous derived words whose meanings can really beeasily deduced from the meanings oftheir constituent parts. Yet, such cases represent only the first and simplest stage ofsemantic readjustment within derived words. The constituent morphemes within derivatives donot always preserve their current meanings and are open tosubtle and complicated semantic shifts.

The lexic semantic distinctions ofwords produced from the same root bymeans ofdifferent affixes are also ofconsiderable interest, both for language studied and research work. Compare: womanly-womanish. The semantic difference between these words are very obvious: the meaning ofthe suffixes are sodistinct that the colour the whole words. Womanly isused inacomplimentary manner about girls and women, whereas womanish isused toindicate aneffeminate man and certainly implies cticism. The type ofcomposition ofword-building, inwhich new words are produced bycombining two ormore stems, isone ofthe three most productive types inModern English; the other two are conversation and affixation. Compounds, though certainly fewer inquantity than derived orroot words, still represent one ofthe most typical and specific features ofEnglish word-structure. There are atleast three aspects ofcompositions that present special interest. The first isthe structural aspect. Compounds are not hom*ogeneous instructure. Traditionally three types are distinguished: neutral, morphological, and syntactic.

Inneutral compounds the process ofcompounding isrealized without any linking elements, byamore position oftwo stems, asinblackbird, shopwindow, bedroom, etc. The examples above represent the subtype which may bedescribed assimple neutral compounds: they consist ofsimple affixes stems. Compounds which have affixes intheir structure are called derived orderivational compounds.

Morphological compounds are few innumber. This type isnon-productive. Itisrepresented bywords inwhich two compounding stems are combined byalinking vowel orconsonant.

Insyntactic compound weonce more find afeature ofspecifically English word structure. These words are formed from segments ofspeech, preserving intheir structure numerous traces ofsyntagmatic relations typical ofspeech: articles, prepositions, adverbs, asinthe nouns.

Bibliography:

1. J.Buranov, O. Muminov. Readings onModern English Lexicology. —Tashkent, 1985.
2. Longman Lexicon ofContemporary English. —Longman, 1981.
3. E.M.Dubenets. Modern English Lexicology. Moscow State Teacher Training University Publishers, 2004.