Трохманенко А.В. Modern vocabulary in the English language: contemporary trends
Матеріал з PSYH.KIEV.UA -- Вісник психології і соціальної педагогіки
Трохманенко А.В. – студентка Педагогічного інституту Київського університету імені Бориса Грінченка, напрям підготовки «Початкова освіта», кафедра іноземних мов і методик їх навчання Київського університету імені Бориса Грінченка
Анотація: Головною метою статті є дослідити походження, місце та роль сучасної лексики в англійській мові. З цією ціллю, зроблений огляд сучасних течій в мові, які висуваються на перший план. В статті розглядаються загальні уявлення про ідіоми, сленг, фразові дієслова та їх дослідження. Автором представлена повна характеристика вищезазначених одиниць мови.
Ключові слова: сучасна англійська мова, фразові дієслова, ідіоми, сленг, формальна і не формальна мовлення.
Аннотация: Главная цель этой статьи заключается в определении сути, места и роли современной лексики в английском языке. Дана общая характеристика современных тенденций развития словарного запаса. В статье рассматриваются идиомы, сленг, фразовые глаголы и исследование этих понятий. Автором представлено полное определение вышеуказанных единиц речи.
Ключевые слова: современный английский язык, фразовые глаголы, идиомы, сленг, формальная и не формальная речь.
Annotation: The central purpose of this article is to investigate the nature, place and role of the modern vocabulary in the English language. In order to do so, a general overview of contemporary trends in modern vocabulary is highlighted. The concepts of «idiom», «slang» and «phrasal verbs» are examined. The nature of mentioned above nations are fully discussed.
Key words: modern English language, phrasal verbs, idioms, slang, formal and informal language.
Зміст |
Problem setting
Nowadays English is one of the most widely spoken languages. A whopping 60 of the world’s 196 countries have English as their official language. It’s the language of business and global market, art and literature, diplomacy and education.
Language is constantly developing. The main criterion for the analysis of speech is the replenishment of its vocabulary. Words, idioms, slang, formal and informal language are used in all spheres of human activity, so they have different values.
The formation of the English language, like any other ones, is continuous. New words appear in different spheres: with the development of technology, with the development of speech, with the development of various spheres of activity, with the emergence of new spheres of activity, with the development of oratory and so on.
Analysis of recent achievements and publications
The development of English vocabulary is described by many foreign researchers: N. Chernykhovska, V. Collins, J. Robbins, L. Smith, Mr. Thorne, A. Widdecombe. Many native scientists do their researchers studying modern English vocabulary. They are: R. Nishchyk, D. Smyshliaiev.
The objective of the article
Today we can talk about the goal not only to learn English, but also speak it perfectly and fluently. But this is impossible without learning modern English vocabulary.
The objective of the article is to give general characteristics of the ways the English language be enriched that includes idioms, slang, formal and informal language; give some examples of the expressions and to show their practical application.
The statement of the fundamental material
The vocabulary of Modern English can be characterized as great in volume (contains a lot of words, slang, idioms, phraseological units, formal and informal language), comprehensive (it can be describe anything, it embrace all spheres of human activity) and heterogeneous (it has words from different languages).
The exact number of English words cannot be stated by several reasons:
1) The language as a product of human activity changes with the change of the society. It’s inconstant state of evolution.
2) The language never remains stable. The changes in the vocabulary are due to extralingustic causes and linguistic causes.
As far the extralinguistic causes go they are determined by social nature of the language. They include historical events and changes in the life of society as well as special, economic, political and cultural ones. These changes are inevitably reflected in the vocabulary of the language spoken by the people.
Some categories of vocabulary have a lot of charges in contemporary English. For example: Phrasal verbs, slang, idioms [8].
In our opinion, it is necessary to analyze modern English vocabulary through these categories. So, in Modern English, we use phrasal verbs more often in informal language. The reason for that practice goes back to the time when French influenced English. English speakers thought that French words, or words of Latin origin were polite or cultured. When you want to speak more formally, you can use a single word of Latin or French origin instead of most phrasal verbs. For example, the phrasal verb «look over» can be replaced by «review» [7].
Phrasal verbs are used in all spheres of human activity, so they have different values. For example [5]:
Most of the times phrasal verbs are less formal and easier to remember than their formal synonyms. And here’s why phrasal verbs are very important.
First of all, it’s much easier to learn a good number of phrasal verbs than their formal synonyms. It’s simply because a single verb combined with different particles can form completely new phrasal verbs with unique meanings. So, instead of memorizing new words you just memorize new word combination which is undoubtedly much easier.
Let’s take some verbs – and their phrasal verb versions:
| Phrasal verbs | Formal synonym |
|---|---|
| to put off | to postpone |
| to put out | to extinguish |
| to put up with | to reconcile oneself with |
| to put down | to bite off head, to offend |
| to look down on | to disdain, to get superior |
The second reason why phrasal verbs are important – especially in the spoken language – is because they’re less formal, easier to understand and everyone uses them. Of course, it won’t do you any harm if you know the formal synonyms of those phrasal verbs but why try to sound very smart and use them when chatting with friends and word colleagues? Just listen to some native English speakers chatting with each other and you’ll realize most of action words that they use in their conversations are phrasal verbs!
Now I’m going to give you two versions of the same conversation so that you can see how different the end result can be depending on what you use more – formal English or phrasal verbs.
| First of all – a normal, friendly conversation packed with phrasal verbs. | And now the same conversation but I’ll just replace the phrasal verbs with more formal words – ones that are normally taught at school as part of standard English curriculum. |
|---|---|
| – Hi, how are you John, what were you up to during the weekend? | – Hi, how are you John, what were you doing during the weekend? |
| – Hello Matt, I’m great, thanks for asking! I made up with Emma and she moved back in on Saturday night! | – Hello Matt, I’m great, thanks for asking! I resolved the argument with Emma and she relocated into my apartment again on Saturday night! |
| – Really? That’s cool man! Great to hear things are looking up for you again! | – Really? That’s cool man! Great to hear things have started to improve for you again! |
Now do you see the difference? While the second version of the dialogue is still in normal English, it sounds more formal, it takes a bit longer to tell the same thing, and it doesn’t sound as friendly as the first version of the dialogue [4].
Slang – a type of language consisting of words and phrases that are regarded as very informal, are more common in speech than writing, and are typically restricted to a particular context or group of people: grass is slang for marijuana army slang [6].
A long time ago slang was about work. Market workers, carpenters, public houses, farmers had their own slang. Now slang comes from people bringing new words from other languages.
Zoo came from France, pajamas from India, shampoo comes from Urdu. Television is part Latin, part Greek, yet we think of it as one word. The English language no longer simply belongs to the English, it's multicultural.
Many scientists mention that slang is also a natural human tendency.
All groups – it doesn’t matter whether they are soldiers, policeman, criminals or whatever – always generate to some extent their own language. It's not just to communicate information, it’s in order to include people into your group and exclude people out of your group.
Slang has not become more prevalent, simply more public [1].
Slang is most used in informal colloquial speech for example [2]:
1) – Are you sure your boss will give you a raise?
– Positive! After all the work I’ve done in the last two months! And he also promised me he would.
2) – May I use your bathroom?
– Be my guest. It’s down the hall on the left.
3) – I could fix your car if you want, I used to be a mechanic
– Be my guest, but I can’t pay you a lot though.
4) –The bank transfer is delayed two weeks now!
– Take it easy. You will get your money eventually.
5) –Thanks for coming!
– It was a pleasure.
– Bye!
– Take it easy!
6) – I appreciate your advice but I’m going to do it my way.
– Suit yourself, but when something goes wrong don’t come to me.
7) – Will you join our team?
– I can’t. You’re playing against Travis. And he’s my client. He pays me. It’s a conflict of interest.
– OK. Suit yourself.
The explanation is given in the table:
| Informal/Slang | Explanation |
|---|---|
| Positive | full of hope and confident; giving cause for hope and confidence |
| Be my guest | something you say when you give someone permission to do or use something; |
| Take it easy | rest, relax, be calm; |
| Suit yourself | an expression used either humorously or angrily to mean «what do you want to do?» |
The vocabulary of the language is enriched not only by words but also by phraseological units. Phraseological units are word-groups that cannot be made in the process of speech, they exist in the language as ready-made units. They are compiled in special dictionaries. Like words, phraseological units express a single notion and are used in a sentence as one part of it. American and British lexicographers call such units idioms. There are such dictionaries of phraseological units and idioms as Words and Idioms by L Smith, A Book of English Idioms by V. Collins and a lot of others. In these dictionaries we can find words peculiar in their semantics (idiomatic) side by side with word-groups and sentences. In these dictionaries they are arranged, as a rule, into different semantic groups [3].
Idiom – group of words established by usage as having a meaning not deducible from those of the individual words (e.g. over the moon, see the light) [6].
Let’s look at some examples:
aim high / aim low If you aim low in your goals you will never be disappointed. Aim high, and you might end up someplace better than you already are.
(go) all the way 1) Tim assured Tom that he would back him up all the way at the meeting when he would suggest changes in the company policy; 2) Eric was with his wife all the way when she decided that their son should be punished for skipping classes at the school; 3) Tom asked Tim if he and Sally had gone all the way. Tom said, “No. We only kissed.”
off the top of one’s head 1) I couldn’t tell you off the top of my head, give me several days and I’ll give you an answer; 2) Despite the answer being off the top of his head, it was correct.
on top of the world 1) After Tina got married, she was on top of the world for six months. Then she realized that her life turned into a dull routine; 2) I feel like I’m on top of the world. blue in the face 1) A very drunk man is at a bar and wants another drink. The bartender doesn’t want to give him one; 2) Man: Can I get another whiskey and coke? Bartender: You can wait till you turn blue in the face but I’m not getting you another drink; 3) The child wanted the toy and screamed till she turned blue in the face.
| Idiom | Explanation | Informal |
|---|---|---|
| aim high / aim low | ставить высокие цели, большие задачи / ставить небольшие задачи (дословно: целиться высоко, целиться низко) | level at the moon, shooting for the moon; |
| (go) all the way | 1. быть согласным с кем-либо 2. иметь секс | go to the mat,
drop the other shoe; |
| off the top of one’s head | прямо сейчас, на ходу, без подготовки; обычно так говорят о быстром ответе | ballpark, at a rough estimate,right off the bat, stab in the dark; |
| on top of the world | в прекрасном настроении (состоянии); на вершине мира (о ситуации и о человеке) | on top of that, on top of everything else, at the forefront, in the first flight, floating on air, be in seventh heaven |
| blue in the face | очень долго, до посинения | ad nauseam, to the point of queasiness; |
Conclusion and the prospects of the above research
During our scientific research we have tried to study the modern vocabulary of English language through the explanation of the phrasal verbs, idioms, slang, formal and informal language.
Exploring this issue we have seen that the modern vocabulary is an integral part of English language, therefore, it has to occupy an important place while learning and communicating. So, the study of above mentioned elements in the language is integral to succeed in mastering the English language. Therefore, the study of these elements of the language is the essential part of learning English successfully.
References
- Barford V. BBC News: Mind your slanguage / V. Barford. – 2009. –Mode of access: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/magazine/8388545.stm
- Chernykhovska N. Real English : learn easily and quickly P.49 / N. Chernykhovska, T. Blein. – M.: Eskimo, 2012. – 320 p.
- Dubenets E. – Modern English Lexicology : Theory and Practice / Elvira Dubenets. – M.: Hlosa-Pres, 2002. – 192 p.
- English Harmony System ; Phrasal Verbs – Great Way To Improve Spoken English [Electronic Resource]. – Mode of access: http://englishharmony.com/improve-spoken-english-phrasal-verbs
- Hot English Magazine [Electronic Resource]. – Mode of access : www.hoteenglishgroup.com
- Oxford Dictionaries language matters [Electronic Resource]. – Mode of access: http://www.oxforddictionaries.com/words/phrases
- Robbins J. Everyday Grammar: Introducing Phrasal Verbs [Electronic Resource] / Jill Robbins – Mode of access: http://learningenglish.voanews.com/content/everyday-grammar-introducing-phrasal-verbs/3010251.html
- Smyshliaiev D. The characteristic features of the English vocabulary [Electronic Resource] / Smyshliaiev – Mode of access: http://webkonspect.com/?id=4457&labelid=36233&room=profile