首页
外语
计算机
考研
公务员
职业资格
财经
工程
司法
医学
专升本
自考
实用职业技能
登录
外语
English Synonyms English has the largest vocabulary and the most synonyms of all languages in the world. This richness owns to t
English Synonyms English has the largest vocabulary and the most synonyms of all languages in the world. This richness owns to t
admin
2014-06-02
85
问题
English Synonyms
English has the largest vocabulary and the most synonyms of all languages in the world. This richness owns to the constant incorporation of words from other languages.
I. The gradual incorporation of words from other languages
—Before 1066, Anglo-Saxon words;
—After 1066, words borrowed from (1)_____;
—In (2)_____.words from Latin and Greek origin;
—In modern times,words directly (3)_____from
other languages around the world; —(4)____English,eg. Jeep, railroad, gasoline, etc.
II. Different kinds of synonyms
1) Synonyms referring to the same thing but of different (5)_____:
—foreword, preface, introduction;
2) Synonyms referring to different aspects of (6)_____:
—plain, prairie;
3) Synonyms of different degree of (7)_____:
—teach, tutor, school;
4) Synonyms implying different (8)_____among
the participants;
—accompany, escort, attend;
5) Synonyms of different degree of (9)_____;
—go to bed VS hit the sack
Correct choice of words is very important to
the (10)_____expression of what one wants
to say.
English Synonyms
In today’s lecture, we’ll deal with the incorporation and the variations of the English synonyms. English has the largest vocabulary and the most synonyms of any language in the world. This richness is due to the fact that the English language has grown over centuries by constantly incorporating words from other languages.
Even before the Norman Conquest in 1066, the Anglo-Saxon vocabulary included words borrowed from Latin, Greek, Celtic and Scandinavian. (1) After the Norman Conquest, the English vocabulary was doubled by the addition of French words, especially those words reflecting a higher stand, and a more complex social life. For example , words connected with clothing such as garment, robe, gown, etc; and words connected with law, such as plaintiff, legacy, and words connected with social rank and organizations, such as Prince, Duke, Mayor, etc. While much of the new French vocabulary described new ideas and activities, much of it duplicated the pre-existing Anglo-Saxon vocabulary, thus giving the writer or speaker a choice of synonyms: cure or heal, labour or work, burglary or stealing.
With the enormous expansion of classical learning in the Renaissance, there was a great influx of words from Latin and Greek origin into the English language. Also, the lager world discovered through travel and exploration was a great stimulus to culture and language. In the 16th century, there also arose a fashion to ornamenting one’s discourse with what were then called "aureate" terms from Greek and Latin.
In modern times, as some English-speaking people traded and traveled around the world in Europe, North America, India, Australia, Africa, their adventures also expanded the vocabulary. Words were borrowed directly from Dutch, Spanish, American Indian, Eastern Indian, Italian, Australian, Mexican, Japanese, Malay and many others.
Furthermore, the United States, as a separate nation with its own life and character and institutions,has added vastly to the English vocabulary. With the rise of the United States to a position of world influence in politics, science, industry, trade and popular arts, (4) American words and phrases have gained recognition and prestige everywhere. Ice cream,jeep and rock-and-roll are internationally known terms. Moreover, American terminology for many things exists side by side with an English terminology, thus placing another whole group of synonyms at our service. For example, sidewalk in American English refers to the same thing as the British term pavement does. More examples are railroad and railway,elevator and lift,fall and autumn,druggist and chemist, gasoline and petrol, installment plan and hire-purchase system and so on.
So we can see that synonyms in English are of many kinds. (5)Some groups of synonyms are just words of different origins but refer to the same thing. For example, foreword,preface and introduction. Foreword is an Anglo-Saxon word;preface is from French,and introduction from Latin. (6) Some groups,like plain,prairie,tundra,refer to geographical variants of the same kind of thing. (7) Other groups of synonyms, like teach, educate, instruct, school, tutor, differ from one another principally in degrees of abstraction: teach js certainly the most general word of this group, while the others are more specialized in application.
It can be argued that there really are no exact synonyms—no exact equivalences of meaning. By "meaning" here we refer to the total range of contexts in which a word may be used. Certainly there are no two words that are interchangeable in all contexts. But within a given context,there is often exact synonymy. For example;I mislaid my wallet and I misplaced my wallet. However, in a slightly different context the two words are not interchangeable: it would not be idiomatic to say I mislaid my suitcase. Because mislay applies only to small objects while misplace is applicable to both small and large objects. This example shows again that words which are synonymous in one of their meanings may be different considerably in their other meanings.
Some groups of words describe the same actions, but imply different relation-ships among the parties concerned. We accompany our equals; we attend or follow those to whom we are subordinate; we conduct those who need guidance, and escort those who need protection. Womanlike and womanish are much alike in referring to female characteristics, but the second applies only to males,and in a derogatory sense.
Some differences in locution reveal differences in the degree of formality of the occasions described. Sometimes different locutions reveal differences not in the situations described but in the formality of discourse about them. For instance, he went to bed as compared to he hit the sack. Hit the sack is a more informal phrase with many young people are using when they go home tired after finishing a whole day’s work.
Semanticists and linguistic scholars continue to remind us that words change in meaning according to time and place and circumstance. Such warnings are certainly not to be ignored. Yet there are remarkable elements of stability in a vocabulary. The distinctions between angry and rage,between thought and deliberation,have remained remarkably constant since Shakespeare’s day in all English-speaking countries.
In a word,nothing is so important to clear and accurate expression as the ability to distinguish between words of similar, but not identical meaning. In a given context, one particular word is certain to be more appropriate than the other. To choose wrongly is to leave the hearer or reader with a fuzzy or mistaken impression. To choose well is to give both illumination and delight. The study of synonyms will help us to say what we really want to say. That’s all for today’s lecture. Thank you.
选项
答案
abstraction
解析
本题为细节题。演讲者讲到Other groups of synonyms,like teach,educate,instruct,school,tutor,differ from one another principally in degrees of abstraction…第三类同义词之间的差别在于其抽象概念有所不同,故填入abstraction。
转载请注明原文地址:https://www.kaotiyun.com/show/gupO777K
0
专业英语八级
相关试题推荐
MakingtheStudenttheStarInthepast6yearsIhaveread400youngadultliteraturebooksofvariouskinds.Mysubstantia
A、Traineesarerequiredtosigncontractsinitially.B、Trainees’performanceisevaluatedwhennecessary.C、Trainees’startings
WilliamWordsworthusheredintheEnglishRomanticMovementwiththepublicationofLyricalBalladsin1798incollaborationwit
A、Hehasrushedouttogetthecrib.B、Heisgoingtohaveababysoon.C、Heisnotgoodatfamilybudget.D、Hedoesn’tplanpro
WhichofthefollowingstatementsisINCORRECT?
ReadingontheInternetI.AdolescentInternetreaders1)Alicia—Sheisgoodat(1)_____informationonline.—Shebelievesthat
A、Therewere13,000peopleneededtobemoved.B、Thehurricanecamein1988killed300people.C、Itisthelargestresortinthe
Whichcanbecalleda"seastead"accordingtoprofessorPetrie’sdefinition?
我理所应当地是不能成为大作家的,因为我对文学不够虔诚。当作家,有的人是纯粹的一种热爱,有的人则是把文学当成了敲门砖。我属于后者。也就是说所有的人天生是当作家的料,有的人却是因为生活上的原因所迫……我常常说,我不佩服那些在艰苦的环境中能奋斗的人,而
WashingtonD.C.isthecapitalofthenationsituatedonthePotomacRiver.Itwasnamedinhonorofthefirstpresidentofthe
随机试题
西汉时开通了历史上著名的丝绸之路。()
提出“寓教于乐”的是【】
A.虹膜B.脉络膜C.巩膜D.角膜E.睫状体构成纤维膜后部的是()
葡萄胎清宫术前准备物品中哪项不需要
x企业资产总额为6000万元,以银行存款500万元偿还借款,并以银行存款500万元购买固定资产后,该企业资产总额为()万元。
2019年5月20日,甲公司以银行存款200万元(其中包含乙公司已宣告但尚未发放的现金股利5万元)从二级市场购入乙公司100万股普通股股票,另支付相关交易费用1万元,甲公司将其划分为以公允价值计量且其变动计入当期损益的金融资产。2019年12月31日,该股
紧追权,是指沿海国拥有的由本国的军舰、军用飞机或得到正式授权且有清楚可识别标志的政府船舶或飞机对违反该国法规并从该国管辖范围内的海域向公海行驶的外国船舶,在视听分外内发出停止信号后开始进行连续不断且可以持续至公海,但不能是第三国或被追船舶本国海域的紧追的权
提供计算机网络服务的是网络服务供应商(ISP),它包括()。
当前微机上运行的Windows属于()。
Thereareplentyofso-calledenergydrinksonthemarket.Mostofthemhaveanattractivecolorandcoolname.Butafteracare
最新回复
(
0
)