What is lexicology: definition, tasks, communication with other sciences

Modern philology, as a science, consists of several main sections, each of which is devoted to the study of a particular linguistic phenomenon or class. One such section is devoted to a category such as words. Today we will talk about what is lexicology, what is its subject, and what it is studying.

Definition

First of all, let us begin with the definition of the concept itself and a list of the main problems that science deals with.

Lexicology is a section of linguistics that studies vocabulary, that is, the vocabulary of the language. Lexems have a dual structure. They simultaneously have a content plan and an expression plan.

In general, science is studying the following problems:

1. Lexical composition of the language.
2. The relationship between words and concepts assigned to them.
3. The main types of lexical meanings are direct, portable.
4. The history of the emergence of words, replenishment of vocabulary.
5. Groups of words depending on their stylistic meaning, frequency of use.

Sections

In lexicology different sections and subsections are distinguished.

These include:

1. General lexicology, which studies the general laws of the development of vocabulary, its functioning.
2. Specific, studying the vocabulary of a language.
3. Historical - studying the history of the emergence of words, ways to replenish the vocabulary. The second name is etymology.
4. Comparative - learns the vocabulary of two or more languages, highlighting in it common and different features in structure and semantics.
5. Applied lexicology is a science that studies the issues of linguodidactics, speech culture, and also the features of compiling dictionaries.

Relationship with other disciplines

We found out what lexicology is, now it's time to talk about the philological sciences with which it is connected.

First of all, it is closely connected with lexicography, the science of creating and functioning dictionaries. The object of the study of lexicography are dictionaries, in which all the data about words are fixed - their semantics, grammatical features, the sphere of use, the history of origin. All these data, lexicographer scientists receive directly with the help of lexicology.

It is also related to etymology, the science of the origin of words. In etymological dictionaries , not only the meaning of the word is fixed, but also its origin, the history of formation and transformation. Sometimes in the training course "Lexicology", the definition of which we have given, etymology is not singled out in a separate section.

Onomastics - the science of the names of their own. He studies the emergence and functioning of proper names - names and surnames, names of cities, villages, rivers, firms, space objects.

Stylistics - studies the functioning of certain groups of words in a particular style, depending on their meaning and origin, scope.

Phraseology is a science that studies phraseological units, proverbs and sayings, ways of their origin, meaning. Quite often, in the textbooks on the Russian language you can see the section "Lexicology and Phraseology", although some authors of textbooks and training courses still prefer to do them in two sections in the study.

School course

Acquaintance with lexicology, as with any other section of linguistics, begins at school. Beginning with the fifth class, children are introduced to the basics - they explain what lexicology is, they learn to distinguish synonyms, antonyms and homonyms, select couples for them, talk about the polysemy and uniqueness of the word, and consider the phenomenon of paronymy. Further acquainted with the active and passive reserve, various layers of vocabulary - jargon, dialectisms, commoners, clericalism.

Develop students and skills in working with dictionaries - they learn to find in them some words, correctly read the dictionary entries and extract the necessary information from them.

In the senior classes, the received knowledge is repeated, systematized and fixed.

Studying at the university

At the philological faculties, the study of the section "Lexicology" of the Russian language begins in the second year. During the course, students analyze the basic concepts of lexicology, study the layers of vocabulary by origin, its functional varieties, the stylistic possibilities of classes and groups of words.

Especially carefully studied such concepts as synonymy, antonymy, polysemy and homonymy, paronymy. At the same time, students are introduced to the various dictionaries. Quite often in the course include and phraseology, giving her a few classes.

Also, quite often, simultaneously with lexicology, they study lexicography, highlighting it in a separate special course.

conclusions

We have found out what is lexicology, what are its main lines of work, and what philological sciences it is most closely connected with. The study of this section of linguistics begins at school, and when you study at the university at the Faculty of Philology, the knowledge gained before is deepened and improved.