词汇学课后习题及答案

1、2012级(1)班Chaperl The Basic Concepts Of Words and VocabularyI.Each of the statements below is followed by four alternative answers. Choose the one that would best complete the statement.1.is the most important of all characteristics of the basic word stock.A.Productivity Stability C.Collocability D.A

2、ll national characterNonbasic vocabulary includes all of the following except.A.slang B.Anglo-Saxon words C.argots D.neologismsAccording to the origins of the words, English words can be classified intoA.content words and functional words B.native words and borrowed wordsC.basic words and dialectal

3、words D.loan words and dialectal wordsBorrowings can be divided intoA.liens, semantic loans, translationloans, denizensB.empty words, notional words, form words, content wordsC.blends, portmanteau words, acronyms, initializesD.derivatives, compounds, converted words and clipped wordsApart from the c

4、haracteristics of basic vocabulary, native words have two other features, namely.A.Productivity and stability B.neutrality in style and high frequency in useC.collectability and polysemy D.formality and arbitrarinessThe word beaver(meaning girl )is .A.a dialectal word B.argot C.an archaism D.slangAI

5、DS as a nonbasic word is .A.jargon B.an archaism C.aneologism D.slangForm words include the following word classes except . A.conjunctions B.auxiliaries C.prepositions D.adjectivesVocabulary can refer to the following except . A.the total number of the words in alanguageB.all the words used in a par

6、ticular historical periodC.all the words of a given dialectD.most words a person knowsKimono is a loan word from.A.German B.French C.Spanish D.Japaneseform the mainstream of the basic word stock.A.Anglo-Saxon words B. Frenchwords C.Danish words D.Latin wordsBlack humor is. A.a translation loan B.a s

7、emantic loan C.a denizen D.an alienPronouns and numerals are semanticallyand have limited . A.polysemous;use and stability B.monosemous;collocability and stability C.polysemous;use and productivity D.monosemous;productivity andcollectabilityIndigestion is.A.jargon B.slang C.terminology D.an archaism

8、.By ,words fall into functional words and content words.A.use frequency B.notion C.origin D.word formationThe symbolic connection between sound and meaning is almost always . A.motivated B.arbitrary C.logical D.unconventionalare loan words that have become assimilated in English.A. Denizens B.Semant

9、ic loans C.Translation loans D.AliensSmoky which means “police ” ,is a(n) word.A.slang B.argot C.loan D.jargonWherein which means “in what is a(n)word. A.slang B.archaic C.functionalD.dialectalThe difference between sound and form due to all the following except.A.more phonemes than lettersB. stabil

10、ization of spelling by printingC.change of spelling by early scribesD.development of pronunciationII.Complete the following statements with proper words or expressions accordingto the course book. Lexicology is a branch of linguisticsstudyingthe origins and of words . A word is a minimal free form o

11、f language that has a given sound, meaning and function. In spite of the differences between sound and form,at leastpercent ofthe English words fit consistent spelling patterns.All the words in language make up its.The word stock is the foundations of the vocabulary accumulated overcenturies and for

12、m the common core of the language.By,begin is a native word.vocabulary include cant,jargon and argot. There is no relationship between the sound which stands for a thing or an idea and the actual thing and idea itself.are the basic units of sentences. Early borrowings are mostly whereas later loan w

13、ords remain foreign insound and spelling.III.Decide whether the following statements are true or false()1.A word can be defined in different ways from different points of view.()2.Under no circumstances can sound and meaning be intrinsically related.()3.The introduction of printing press resulted in

14、 a lot more differences between sound and form.( )4.The words a person can use in speaking and writing form his active vocabulary.()5.The principles by which to classify words are usage, notion and origin.()6.Native words are more popular than foreign words.()7.Native words enjoy the same features a

15、s the basic word stock and more.()8. audl(meaning old ) is an instance of archaism.()9.Kowtows a loan word known as an alien.()10. Long time no see is a case of translation loan.IV.Give a term for each of the following definitions.Sub-standard words often used on informal occasions.()Specialized voc

16、abulary common in certain professions.()Words used by sub-culturegroups, particularly by understood society.()Words that have clear notions.()Words of Anglo-Saxon origin.()Words borrowed by way of translation.()Old words with new meanings.()Words which have become assimilated.()Native forms whose me

17、anings are borrowed.()Words essential to native speakers daily communication.() V.Answer the following questions .Your answers should be clear and short.What is the relationship between sound and meaning?Why are there so many differences between sound and form?What are the criteria for classificatio

18、n of words?What are the characteristics of the basic word and word stock?Answers1.D 2.B 3.B 4.A 5.B 6.D 7.C 8.D 9.D 10.D 11.A 12.A 13.D 14.C15.B 16.B 17.A 18.A 19.B 20.D1.meanings 2.syntaitic 3.80(eighty) 4.vocabulary 5.basic 6.origin 7.Nonbaic8.logical 9.Words 10assimilatedII I .1.T 2. F 3.T 4.T 5.

19、F 6.F 7.T 8.F 9.T 10.T1.slang 2.jargon3.argot 4.content words 5.native words 6.translation loans 7.neologisms 8.denizens 9.semantic loan 10.basic word stockThe relationship is almost always arbitrary and conventional ana there is no logical connection between sound and meaning.There are four major r

20、easons.(1)The internal reason:the English alphabet was adopted from the Romans,which have more phonemes than letters,so there is not a separate letter to represent each sound.(2)Pronunciation has changed more rapidly than spelling.(3)The spelling forms were changed by the early scribes to make theei

21、r writing more recognizable.(4)Borrowing.There are mainly there criteria for classification.Words may fall into:the basic word stock and nonbasic vocabulary by use frequency;content words and functional words by notion;native words and borrowed words by prigin.The basic word stock has five charecter

22、istic:(1)allnationalcharacter,(2)stability,(3)productivi- ty,(4)polysemy,(5)productivity.Chapter2 The Development Of the English VocabularyI.Each of the statements below is followed by four alternative answers. Choose the one that would best complete the statement. It is assumed that the world has 3

23、000 languages, which can be grouped intoroughly language families on the basis of similarities in their basic word stock and grammar.A.200 B.300 C.400 D.500. The following languages all belong to the Eastern set except .A.Balto-Slavic B.Indo-Iranian C.Armenian D.Italic. In the Eastern set,Armenian a

24、nd are the sole modern languages in thetwo respective families.A.Albanian B.Russian C.Slovenia D.Lithuanian.Which language does not belong to the Italic?A.Portuguese. B.Spanish C.Welsh D.French.The early inhabitants of the British Isles spoke .A.English B.Celtic C.Scandinavian D.Hellenic.The Germani

25、c speakers took permanent control of the land that was later called (the land of Angles).A.GermanB.Greece C.EnglandD.American7.Old English has a vocabulary of about 50000 to 60000 words,which is entirelyGermanic with only a few borrowings from and Scandinavian.A.LatinB.Greek C.CelticD.French.The inf

26、lux of French words into English did not occur until after.A.1200B.1300C.1400D.15009.In the Middle English period,the three main dialects of the land were Northern,and Midland. A.EasternB.Western C.SouthernD.Oriental10.is the chief ancestor of Modern English,not Southern.A.EasternB.Western C.Souther

27、nD.Oriental.The Norman Conquest started a continual flow ofwords into English.A.Latin B.Greek C.Danish D.French.Middle is an dialect,as its nameimplies, and intelligible to Northernerand Southerners alike.A.middle B.intermediate C.interchangeable D.internal.The number of words that poured into Engli

28、sh was unbelievably great andcovered every realm of culture and society in the Middle English period.A.French B.German C.Latin D.Russian.Before English regained social status in Middle English period,those imposerspoke French;those who were literate read and wrote;those who couldeducate their childr

29、en taught them in ;and any young manwho sought to earn his living as a scribe learnedor.A.Latin;French;Latin;French B.French;French;French;EnglishC.French;French;Latin;French D.Greek;French;Greek;French15.In the early period of modern English,Europe saw a new upsurge in learning ancient Greek and Ro

30、man classic,which is known in history as the.A.Renewal B.Revival C.Rebound D.Renaissance16.Since the beginning of the 20theentury,particularly after World War II,althoughborrowing remains channel of English vocabulary expansion,more words are createdby .A.analogy B.word-formation C.transfer D.conver

31、sion17.The Anglo-Saxon in the Old English period was almost a language,which created new words from its own compound elements withfew foreign words.A.unique B.fashion C.pure D.old18.As one scholar notes,old English was characterized by “ endings” ,Middle English by aleveled endings ” ,and Modern Eng

32、lish by “ endings”.A.full ;lost B.lost;full C.full;pure D.pure;10st19.Old English which was a language has evolved to the present language.A.analytic;synthetic B.synthetic;analyticC.agglutinative;analytic D.isolating;synthetic20.Of all the foreign languages from which we have borrowed words,Latin ,G

33、reek,French,and stand out as the major contributors.A.Italian B.German C.Dutch D.Scandinavian21.In the Pre-Anglo-Saxon period,the words borrowed naturally from reflected the new experience inand.A.war;economy B.economy;agriculture C.war;shrine D.agricultureIn the Old English period,borrowings from L

34、atin came in because of the introduction of Christianity,such as, and A.cook;candle B.shrine;sack C.candle;shrine D.mass;circle.The centuries were especially prolific in Latin borrowingsunder theinfluence of Renaissance.A.12th and 13 th B.13 th and 14 th C.14 th and15th D.15 th and 16 th.Some late b

35、orrowings from Latin still retain their Latin forms.which of the following was borrowed in the Modern English period?A.Frustrate B . Focus C.Logic D.Trade.Which of the following does not come from Greek?A.Piano B.Synonym C.Philosophy D.Lexicology. Typhoon is from and tatami is from .A.Chinese;Africa

36、n B.Chinese;Japanese C.Arabic;Turkish D.Malay;Japanese.Modern English vocabulary develops through .A.terminology,analogyand borrowingB.creation,semantic and borrowing C.creation,archaisms,and semantic changeD.semantic change,denizens and argot 28.Which of the following contemporary English vocabular

37、y is from the rapid growth of science and technology?A.Fallout B.Pant suit C.Black belt D.Mao jackets.The Scandinavian languages:Norwegian,Swedish,Danish,and Icelandic,constitute the branch of the Germanic group.A.eastern B.western C.northern D.southern.Reviving archaic or words also contributes to

38、the growth of English vocabulary though insignificant.A.obsolete B.old C.used D.ancientII . Decide whether the following statements are true or false.()1.English is more closed related to German than French.( .Scandinavian languages refer to Icelandic,Norwegian,Danish,and Swedish()3.Old English was

39、a highly infected language.()4.In early Middle English period,English,Latin,and Celtic existed side by side.()5.The introduction of printing into England marked the beginning of ModernEnglish period.()6.Modern English is considered to be an analytic language.()7.The four major foreign contributors t

40、o English vocabulary in earlier times are Latin,French,Scandinavian and Italian.()8.In modern times,borrowing brings less than percent of modern English vocabulary.()9.The three major factors that promote the growth of modern English vocabulary are advances in science and technology,influence of for

41、eign cultures and languages.()10.The most important mode of vocabulary development in present-day Englishis creation of new words by means of word-formation.()11.Old English vocabulary was in essence Germanic with a small quantity ofwords borrowed from Latin and Scandinavian.()12.Middle English abso

42、rbed a tremendous number of foreign words but withlittle change in word endings.III.Define the following terms.the Indo-European Language FamilyOld Englishforeign elementscreationsemantic changeIV.Answer following questions.Your answers should be clear and shortWhy did Middle become the chief ancest

43、or of Modern English?What are the characteristics of Modern English?What are the reasons for the growth of contemporary English vocabulary?What are the general characteristics of the world-wide appeal of English?V.Analyze and comment on the following.Soft drinks and minerals sold here.Tell what “sof

44、t drink and amineral mean respectively and explain w hy they take on those meanings in modern American English.“Mood was originally written as moa and the pronuncia tions of the twowords are different,too .Explain the reasons for the change in spelling and pronunciation.Answers1.B 2.D 3.A 4.C 5.B 6.

45、C 7.A 8.B 9.C 10.D 11.D 12.B 13.A14.C 15.D 16.B 17.C 18.A 19.B 20.D 21.D 22.C 23.C 24.B25.A26.B 27.B 28.A 29.C 30.A II.T 2.T 3.T 4.T 5.T 6.T 7.F 8.T 9.F 10.T 11.T 12.F III.The Indo-European Language Family is made up of most languages of Europe,theNear East,and India.According to the geographical di

46、stribution,these languages fall into ten principal groups,belonging to two sets,namely an Eastern set and aWesternset.TheEasternsetconsistsof:Balto-Slavic,Indo-Iranian,AmericanandAlbanian;the Western setcomprises:Celtic,Italic, Hellenic, Germanic, Hittite and Tocharian.Old English grew out of the An

47、glo-Saxon,which has a vocabulary of about 50000 to 60000 words.The vocabulary is almost monogamous and entirely Geomantic with only a few borrowings from Latin and Scandinavian.English vocabulary owes most of its words to foreign languages.The words borrowed from other languages are known as foreign

48、 elements in the English vocabulary.Creation refers to the formation of new words by using the existing materials,namely roots,affixes and other elements.In modern times,this is the most important way of vocabularyexpansion.Semantic change refers to an old form whichtakes on a new meaning to meet th

49、e new need.This does not increase the number of word forms but create many new usage of the existing words.There are several reasons:(1)The midland included London,which was then the capital of England,naturally the political,economical and cultural center.(2)Two great writers Wycliffe and Chaucer employed the Midland dial