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
50
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
borrowed
解析
本题为细节题。此处讲到了第四个阶段,即近现代英语的发展:In modern times,as some English—speaking people traded and traveled around the world...their adventures also expanded the vocabulary.Words were borrowed directly from Dutch,Spanish,…and many others.全球贸易和交流使英语直 接借用了其他国家的语言词汇。因此应填入borrowed。
转载请注明原文地址:https://kaotiyun.com/show/SupO777K
0
专业英语八级
相关试题推荐
HigherEducationinChinaNowadays,thereformanddevelopmentofhighereducationhavemadesignificantachievements.Highe
WinstonChurchillChurchillcamefromamilitaryfamilyandenteredthearmyasacavalryofficer.Between1895and1898he
Manyarticlesandbookshavebeenwritteninrecentyearsaboutcultureinorganizations,usuallyreferredtoas"CorporateCult
TheEnglishCivilWarisalsocalled______.
ThefirstEuropeantovisitNewZealandwas______.
Themajorityofthepopulationlivesinnoisymassivetowerblocks.Citiescanbefrightenedplaces.Thesenseofbelongingto
Igrewupinasmalltown.Myfatherraisedchickensandranaconstructioncompany.Iwasbarely10yearsoldthanmydadgave
A英国地理。题目问英国最大的湖泊是什么湖,答案是LakeNeagh(内伊湖)。英格兰西北部的湖区(theLakeDistrict)是英国著名的旅游景点,也是著名湖畔诗人华兹华斯(WilliamWordsworth)的家乡。
BacktotheNestIt’softenhardtoseeyourmistakesasyou’remakingthem."Yikes!Thekidsaremovingbackin!"Thusgoes
Howtoliveto100Agrowingbodyofresearchsuggeststhatchronicillnessisnotaninevitableconsequenceofaging,butmo
随机试题
裸电线按材质不同可分为()。
前列腺上皮细胞支持细胞
患者,女,32岁。反复上腹痛2年,近3个月症状加重,伴反酸、嗳气及上腹胀。胃镜下见胃窦黏膜肿胀、粗大及溃疡形成,病理检查发现较多淋巴细胞浸润,主要为中心细胞样(CCL)细胞。问题3:如病变处于早期且Hp检测阳性,恰当的治疗是
诊断糖尿病最常用的指标是调整胰岛素用量最简便的检查是
下列哪项不是八正散主治证的症状
在影响房地产价格的各因素中,如果某影响因素最初对某房地产价格的影响是正向的,但随着该影响因素的变化,其对该房地产价格的影响可能出现相反的情况。()
产业政策的()是指将政府调节与市场调节有机地体现在产业政策的实施体系中,具有经济运行机制的组合功能。
根据宪法,最高人民法院院长连续任职不得超过两届。()
[*]
Forthispart,youareallowed30minutestowriteashortessay.Youshouldstartyouressaywithabriefdescriptionofthepi
最新回复
(
0
)