Words, Meaning and Vocabulary: An Introduction to Modern English Lexicology

by Howard Jackson, Etienne Ze Amvela

This textbook is a systematic and accessible introduction to the lexicology of modern English. Lexicology is the branch of linguistics that studies all aspects of the vocabulary of a particular language. The book provides an account of the sources of modern English words and studies the development of vocabulary over time. It examines: What are words? Where do English words come from? How are words made up? How do words 'mean'? How are words used? How can words be investigated? This new edition of the best-selling textbook has been revised and updated throughout. A new chapter has been added, and chapters on dictionaries and corpus linguistics have been updated. Lists of exercises and figures, summaries of content at the beginning of each chapter, a revised list of suggestions for further reading, and a new glossary have been added. Words, Meaning and Vocabulary is an essential introduction to lexicology for undergraduate students.

Genres: Linguistics, Nonfiction

260 pages, Paperback

First published December 1, 1999

Reviews

[ingridsreads]

This book provides a nice overview of the important parts of the field known as lexicology. The content is written in a way which is understandable even to a «beginner lexicologist». The inclusion of exercises (as well as a key to these) and the chapter summaries made this textbook quite an enjoyable read.

[Elena]

The entire section on Old English has been borrowed from Crystal's Encyclopedia of the English Language (examples, whole sentences, etc.). Where I come from, that's called plagiarism.

[Paidah]

the book is very important for my thesis