Vocabulary
From The Art and Popular Culture Encyclopedia
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| + | [[Image:The Big Swallow.jpg|thumb|right|200px|This page '''{{PAGENAME}}''' is part of the [[linguistics]] series.<br> | ||
| + | <small>Illustration: a close-up of a [[mouth]] in the film ''[[The Big Swallow]]'' (1901)</small>]] | ||
| {{Template}} | {{Template}} | ||
| - | :''[[850 Basic English words]]'' | + | |
| - | The most common constrained forms of writing are strict restrictions in [[vocabulary]], e.g. [[Basic English]], [[E-Prime]], [[defining vocabulary]] for dictionaries, and other limited vocabularies for teaching [[English as an additional language|English as a Second Language]] or to children. This is not generally what is meant by “[[constrained writing]]” in the literary sense, which is motivated by more [[aesthetics|aesthetic]] concerns. | + | A person's '''vocabulary''' is the set of [[words]] within a [[language]] that are familiar to that person. A vocabulary usually develops with age, and serves as a useful and fundamental tool for [[communication]] and [[learning|acquiring knowledge]]. |
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| + | == Depth of knowledge == | ||
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| + | The differing degrees of word knowledge imply a greater ''depth of knowledge'', but the process is more complex than that. There are many facets to knowing a word, some of which are not hierarchical so their acquisition does not necessarily follow a linear progression suggested by ''degree of knowledge''. Several frameworks of word knowledge have been proposed to better operationalise this concept. One such framework includes nine facets: | ||
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| + | # [[orthography]] - written form | ||
| + | # [[phonology]] - spoken form | ||
| + | # [[Referent|reference]] - meaning | ||
| + | # [[semantics]] - concept and reference | ||
| + | # [[Register (sociolinguistics)|register]] - appropriacy of use | ||
| + | # [[collocation]] - lexical neighbours | ||
| + | # [[word association]]s | ||
| + | # [[syntax]] - grammatical function | ||
| + | # [[morphology (linguistics)|morphology]] - word parts | ||
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| + | == Final vocabulary == | ||
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| + | The American philosopher [[Richard Rorty]] characterized a person's "final vocabulary" as follows: | ||
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| + | <blockquote>All human beings carry about a set of words which they employ to justify their actions, their beliefs, and their lives. These are the words in which we formulate praise of our friends and contempt for our enemies, our long-term projects, our deepest self-doubts and our highest hopes… I shall call these words a person's “final vocabulary”. Those words are as far as he can go with language; beyond them is only helpless passivity or a resort to force. (''[[Contingency, Irony, and Solidarity]]'' p. 73) | ||
| + | </blockquote> | ||
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| + | == Focal vocabulary == | ||
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| + | Focal vocabulary is a specialized set of terms and distinctions that is particularly important to a certain group: those with a particular focus of experience or activity. A lexicon, or vocabulary, is a language's dictionary: its set of names for things, events, and ideas. Some linguists believe that lexicon influences people's perception of things, the [[Sapir–Whorf hypothesis]]. For example, the [[Nuer people|Nuer]] of Sudan have an elaborate vocabulary to describe cattle. The Nuer have dozens of names for cattle because of the cattle's particular histories, economies, and environments. This kind of comparison has elicited some linguistic controversy, as with the number of "[[Eskimo words for snow]]". English speakers with relevant specialised knowledge can also display elaborate and precise vocabularies for snow and cattle when the need arises. | ||
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| + | == Word lists == | ||
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| + | Several word lists have been developed to provide people with a limited vocabulary either for the purpose of rapid language proficiency or for effective communication. These include [[Basic English]] (850 words), [[Special English]] (1,500 words), [[General Service List]] (2,000 words), and [[Academic Word List]]. Some [[Advanced learner's dictionary|learner's dictionaries]] have developed [[Defining vocabulary|defining vocabularies]] which contain only most common and basic words. As a result word definitions in such dictionaries can be understood even by learners with a limited vocabulary. | ||
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| + | The [[Swadesh list]] was made for investigation in [[linguistics]]. | ||
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| + | == See also == | ||
| + | :''[[definition]], [[dictionary]], [[glossary]], [[language]], [[SIP]]s, [[taxonomy]], [[thesaurus]], [[term]], [[word]] | ||
| + | *[[850 Basic English words]]'' | ||
| + | *[[Keywords: A Vocabulary of Culture and Society ]]'', Raymond Williams | ||
| + | * [[Differences between American and British English (vocabulary)]] | ||
| + | * [[Language proficiency]]: the ability of an individual to speak or perform in an acquired language | ||
| + | * [[Longest word in English]]: lots of the longest words in the English language | ||
| + | * [[Mental lexicon]] | ||
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| {{GFDL}} | {{GFDL}} | ||
Revision as of 13:50, 30 April 2020
Illustration: a close-up of a mouth in the film The Big Swallow (1901)
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A person's vocabulary is the set of words within a language that are familiar to that person. A vocabulary usually develops with age, and serves as a useful and fundamental tool for communication and acquiring knowledge.
Contents |
Depth of knowledge
The differing degrees of word knowledge imply a greater depth of knowledge, but the process is more complex than that. There are many facets to knowing a word, some of which are not hierarchical so their acquisition does not necessarily follow a linear progression suggested by degree of knowledge. Several frameworks of word knowledge have been proposed to better operationalise this concept. One such framework includes nine facets:
- orthography - written form
- phonology - spoken form
- reference - meaning
- semantics - concept and reference
- register - appropriacy of use
- collocation - lexical neighbours
- word associations
- syntax - grammatical function
- morphology - word parts
Final vocabulary
The American philosopher Richard Rorty characterized a person's "final vocabulary" as follows:
All human beings carry about a set of words which they employ to justify their actions, their beliefs, and their lives. These are the words in which we formulate praise of our friends and contempt for our enemies, our long-term projects, our deepest self-doubts and our highest hopes… I shall call these words a person's “final vocabulary”. Those words are as far as he can go with language; beyond them is only helpless passivity or a resort to force. (Contingency, Irony, and Solidarity p. 73)
Focal vocabulary
Focal vocabulary is a specialized set of terms and distinctions that is particularly important to a certain group: those with a particular focus of experience or activity. A lexicon, or vocabulary, is a language's dictionary: its set of names for things, events, and ideas. Some linguists believe that lexicon influences people's perception of things, the Sapir–Whorf hypothesis. For example, the Nuer of Sudan have an elaborate vocabulary to describe cattle. The Nuer have dozens of names for cattle because of the cattle's particular histories, economies, and environments. This kind of comparison has elicited some linguistic controversy, as with the number of "Eskimo words for snow". English speakers with relevant specialised knowledge can also display elaborate and precise vocabularies for snow and cattle when the need arises.
Word lists
Several word lists have been developed to provide people with a limited vocabulary either for the purpose of rapid language proficiency or for effective communication. These include Basic English (850 words), Special English (1,500 words), General Service List (2,000 words), and Academic Word List. Some learner's dictionaries have developed defining vocabularies which contain only most common and basic words. As a result word definitions in such dictionaries can be understood even by learners with a limited vocabulary.
The Swadesh list was made for investigation in linguistics.
See also
- 850 Basic English words
- Keywords: A Vocabulary of Culture and Society , Raymond Williams
- Differences between American and British English (vocabulary)
- Language proficiency: the ability of an individual to speak or perform in an acquired language
- Longest word in English: lots of the longest words in the English language
- Mental lexicon
