Chapter: lexicology and its object subject matter of Lexicology

Answer the following questions.
1. What does lexicography study? 2. When was the first English dictionary published? 3. When did other dictionaries appear? 4. What types of dictionaries do you know? 5. What do the general dictionaries present? 6. What do the translation dictionaries contain? 7. What is the aim of a learner's dictionary? 8. What information do the specialized dictionaries give us. 9. What is the selection of words in compiling dictionaries? 10. What does the entry of a word in the dictionary contain? 11. What is the structure of dictionaries? 12. What are the attitudes towards dictionary? 12. What are the main problems in compiling dictionary


Problems for discussion
1. Give account of the origin and development of British and American lexicography.
2. Point out different types of English dictionaries.
3. Discuss the contents and structure of an entry in explanatory dictionaries.
4. Discuss the traditions to consider the lexicographer as a linguistic legislator and as the objective recorder of the language.
5. Discuss the relation between lexicography and Lexicology.
6. Describe the problems the dictionary-maker faces in presenting word-meanings.
7. Discuss the presentation of etymology in dictionaries.
8. Describe the encyclopedic material American dictionaries often contain.
9. Discuss the use of dictionaries in language learning.


CHAPTER: 8. THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE OF THE USA


1. The expansion of the English language
The English language is spoken not only on the British isles but it is national language of the USA, Australia, New Zealand and some parts of Canada. As a result of the expansion of British colonialism the English language was also at different times a state language of English and American colonies in Asia and in Africa . For example, in India , in Pakistan , in Burma etc. After World War II as a result of the national liberation movement throughout Asia and Africa many of these colonies have got their independence and English has been replaced by the national language as a state language, For example.'m India Hindi, in Pakistan, Urdu etc.
In this book we attempted to describe mainly the vocabulary of the American variant of the English language. The difference between the English language in America and in England has been the subject of discussion of many linguists. Some linguists think that these two variants of English are different languages. For example. An American linguist H. S. Mencken (the American language, N. Y. 1957) says that they are two different separate languages. Other linguists consider the language of the USA as a dialect of English. A general description of the language in America is given in prof. A. D. Shweitzer's book ( Литературный английский язык в США и Англии ).