lavrova_n_a_a_coursebook_on_english_lexicology_angliiskaya_l

concept we intend to convey) and the source domain (the word by means of which we describe the target word). Thus, in the sentence “Time is money” the word “time” is the target word and the word “money” is the source word.

All cognitive metaphors are structural because one concept is structured in terms of another, for instance “argument is war”, “time is money”, “ideas are objects”, “communication is sending”. Structural metaphors can be orientational if they form an opposition: “happy is up” – “sad is down”, “virtue is up” – “depravity is down”, “rational is up” – “emotional is down”. Ontological metaphors emerge when events, actions, emotions, ideas are perceived as material matter and substances, for instance “the mind is a brittle object”, “an argument is a journey”, “the path of a journey is a surface”.

Types of metaphors

Is there any difference between a metaphor and a cognitive metaphor? Can a metaphor be not cognitive?

71

Exercises:

I

Paraphrase the sentences and/or translate them into Russian, thereby demonstrating different meanings of the italicized words.

Academic (noun/adjective)

1.When academics convene, their elaborations are usually lengthy and heated.

2.I did not expect to be given the job for lack of academic credentials, so the employer was taking a risk hoping that on-the-premises vocational training would do the trick.

3.This is an academic debate, what you are saying is ungrounded.

Anecdotal (adj.)

1.There is extensive anecdotal evidence that the first-born child in the family tend to have a higher IQ.

2.I hear that the district is crime-infested, do you personally have any anecdotal evidence? – Oh, yes, I was once mugged as I was go-

ing home later than usual.

Arguable (adj.), arguably (adverb)

1.There are some arguable issues still unsolved.

2.It is arguable that she is the best tennis-player.

3.She is arguably the best tennis-player.

Babushka (noun)

1.The young lady covered her head with a babushka and entered the church.

2.A kind babushka told me that I should take bus 35 to reach my destination.

72

To commit (smth., oneself) (verb)

1.He is considering the offer but he has not yet committed.

2.The number of crimes committed by women in handling is much higher than the number of crimes committed by men.

Epithet (noun)

1.One of the stylistic devices used for the embellishment of speech is an epithet, which is placed attributively before a noun.

2.Don’t shout epithets at me.

Advise (verb)

1.The doctor advised me to stay in bed for at least two days for me not to get any complications.

2.I am here to advise you that I expect the contention to

be settled within a few days.

Treatment (noun)

1.I look down on your treatment of senior citizens: it is customary in our country to give up your seat for an elderly person, which you always fail to do.

2.Your treatment of the famous actress was unjust: she is a celebrity who blundered, but is she fair game to be preyed on? (a letter from some reader of a journal addressed to the author of an article about

a well-known actress).

Ultimate (adj.)

1.The contest will be the ultimate test of your ability to come first.

2.L’ Oreal is the ultimate mascara (an advertisement).

II

Insert the right word or expression. The words to be inserted

are:

73

Attested, growth (used attributively), street, sky, table, installments, with, nonce (used attributively), flux, band, scruple (v.), under the guidance, assistance, renamed, they, feature, change, flux, blazoned, yuppies, stunt (used attributively), cryptic, editorial, chair, on the wing, transferred (the second form of the verb “to transfer”), customarily, chronicle(v.), ancestors, xerographically, host.

A community is known by the language it keeps, and its words…the times. Like the … rings of a tree, our vocabulary bears … to our past. While our linguistic … still dwelled on the European continent, they discovered the paved road (via strata) of the Romans, and borrowed the second half of the Latin term to become our … Having translated themselves to the British Isles, they played … to the Danes, who paid for the hospitality with words like … and … and to the Normans, who brought with them … and … As English speakers went on to meet new situations and developing new manners and morals, the vocabulary of English went on changing, too. In 1941 Dwight L. Bolinger, who had been writing a column on new words for a magazine published in Los Angeles, … his work to American Speech and … it “Among the New Words”. Bolinger continued to edit the … until 1944, when it came … of I. Willis Russell, who looked after it for forty-two years, until his death in 1985. During the first fifty years of the feature’s publication in American Speech, it appeared in 113 …, with 222 persons acknowledged as contributors of citations or other…

The first monolingual English dictionaries recorded “hard words” exclusively, and so were mainly glossaries of unusual new words in the language intended to help ambitious … of the seventeenth century keep up … the knowledge explosion of their day. In that sense, “Among the New Words” is in a very old tradition.

The aim of “Among the New Words” is more detached. When American Speech began publication, it had a motto … on its cover: “They haif said. Quhat say they? Lat thame say.” The … motto (traceable to an inscription over a door at Marshal College in Aberdeen, but with ante-

74

cedents going back to magical amulets of the late Classical period) has several interpretations. But most probably it was intended as a statement of…policy: The aim of American Speech was to observe and record the language of the populace, without concern for correcting it – to be descriptive, not prescriptive, in its approach to the subject, to glory in the vernacular.

The aim of “Among the New Words” has always been to catch…in our vocabulary …, to record it, to marvel at it, and when possible to explain it. The feature has been a dispassionate, albeit sometimes amused, observer of the lexical and social … of our society.

On the other hand, “Among the New Words” does not … to include words that would not usually appear in any general dictionary: … words and … words.

New contributors join …every year. They watch for words that strike them as new uses in whatever material they… read or listen to. Because printed evidence is easy to gather, most of the new words are…from newspapers, magazines and books.

If the material is not disposable, the preferred method of collecting is to copy the page … (with source information – author, title, place, publisher, date, and page number – added by hand as necessary), and then to treat the copies in the same way as tear sheets7.

III

Reformulate the sentences below using the word in bold, which can be changed in any way (for instance, made a derivative or a compound). The word can be any part of speech. Mind that the words and expressions can belong to any register. The first one (o) has been done for you.

0)The office was temporarily closed because they planned to change the interior.

furbish…………………………………………………………… Possible answer: The office was temporarily closed because it was

being refurbished.

7 The text is an abridged excerpt from the introduction to “Fifty Years among the New Words” by J. Algeo.

75

1.If you were less impulsive, you wouldn’t have made that sudden decision. snap……………………………………………………………

2.I don’t very much fancy people who are excessively polite to someone, especially someone who is in a superior position to them. crawl……………………………………………………………

3.He acts so unnaturally in public, making a speech for him is an insurmountable task. inhibit……………………………………………………………

4.It is obvious that you have taken the wrong decision. Why are you keeping saying you didn’t? pig………………………………………………………………

5.When the child saw an array of various toys displayed in the shop-window, he started crying and demanding that his mother should buy one for him. tantrum…………………………………………………………

6.When we saw the price of the article, we had a feeling of doubt about whether to buy it or to shop around. reservation………………………………………………………

7.He failed to explain to me properly what I was supposed to do, his instructions were vague, as a result, I feel very confused. muddle…………………………………………………………

8.The elderly man said he was no longer keen on exercising regularly. work……………………………………………………………

9.Although he was not an athlete, he was quite interested in skating. into……………………………………………………………

10.Sometimes he feels bitter and resentful because he is not as assertive as his brother. chip……………………………………………………………

11.The workload I am facing now is much more than I can handle, therefore I feel nervous and confused. fluster……………………………………………………………

76

12.He always will insist on very small differences, which are, in my opinion, unimportant. hairs……………………………………………………………

13.Because he stumbled over the word several times and was never able to get it the right way, his colleagues started to make fun of him. mickey…………………………………………………………

14.The government is trying to make us see that the economic crisis is less important than it really is. play……………………………………………………………

15.We are quite well-off, although we don’t have money to burn. comfortable……………………………………………………

16.She has a natural ability to cook things well, although she never actually learnt how to do it. flair……………………………………………………………

17.As he was top of the class, I didn’t have any doubts that he was going to pass the exam. foregone…………………………………………………………

IV

Choose the word which best completes each sentence.

1.He must have known the truth, but he didn’t let…

a)In b) on c) at d) about

2.He is wealthy, but is not very happy in his personal life. It just goes to…that money isn’t everything.

a)Tell b) mention c) show d) indicate

3.Long holidays are not the only reason why I have taken up teaching, but it has a….on it.

a)Influence b) impact c) bearing d) affect

4.The wedding part of Bill and Joan proved to be a draw. A lot of people…it.

a)Stormed b) attacked c) crashed d) gatecrashed

5.I don’t like to…, but who presented you with such an expensive necklace?

a)Interfere b) intervene c) investigate d) pry

77

6.She’s terribly…, she always asks impertinently personal questions.

a)foxy b) nosey c) handy d) hairy

7.He is very assertive and has a flair for management, I am sure he’ll go…

a)places b) to heaven c) far d) straight

8.Try as I would, I couldn’t book an apartment for three, I drew a…at all the hotels I phoned.

a)Ticket b) ill luck c) blank d) blanket

9.I feel that I have been…out of the position, because they preferred to hire a younger woman.

a)done b) made c) taken d) uprooted

10.He is a real fanatic, I would even go as far as to say that he is a …, for it is impossible to discuss politics or religion with him without getting involved in a heated argument.

a)craze b) bigot c) madman d) lunatic

11.That’s an interesting point you’ve touched upon. Will you…?

a)elaborate b) develop c) continue d) hang on

V

Trace the evolution of the meaning of the words below. Specify the type of transference.

1.Crush (noun) 1. A crowding together, especially of many people. 2. A soft drink made from the juice of fresh fruit (e.g. an orange crush). 3. (informal) an infatuation with smb., especially smb. unsuitable or unattainable

2.Crusade (noun) 1. Any of the medieval Christian military expeditions to win the Holy Land from the Muslims. 2. A reforming enterprise undertaken with zeal and enthusiasm (e.g. a moral crusade).

3.Invite (verb) 1. To request smth. or the presence of smb., especially formally or politely. 2. To increase the likelihood of smth., often unintentionally (e.g. His actions invite trouble)

78

4.Invest (verb) 1. To commit money to a particular use. 2. To devote time or effort to smth. for future advantages.

5.Redolent (adjective) 1. (archaic) Having a pleasant smell.

2.Full of a specified fragrance (e.g. air redolent of seaweed).

3.Suggesting a particular quality, evocative (e.g. a city redolent of antiquity)

6.Satellite (noun) 1. A celestial body orbiting another of larger size. 2. Somebody or something subordinate or dependent (e.g. a satellite nation) 3. An obsequious follower

7.Furious (adjective) 1. Exhibiting or goaded by uncontrollable anger. 2. Having a stormy or turbulent appearance (e.g. furious bursts of flame) 3. Intense (e.g. the furious growth of tropical vegetation)

8.Embark (verb) 1. To go on board a ship or aircraft 2. (on, upon) To make a start on something (e.g. He embarked on a new career).

9.Brood (verb) 1. (of a bird) To sit on eggs in order to hatch them 2. (on, over, about) To dwell gloomily on or worry over or about something; to be in a state of depression. 3. To hover or seem to hover menacingly (e.g. the brooding cliffs).

VI

What meaning do the given postpositives (postpositions) lend to the verb-stem?

79