My Opinion on Why We Study English Lexicology
My opinion on why we study English lexicology
How many words are there in the modern English language? There is no single sensible answer to this question. It is impossible to count the number of words in a language, because it is so hard to decide what counts as a word. But it is widely accepted by linguists that there are one million or so English words now. If so, a subject is needed to study and analyze modern English vocabulary. Thus, English-lexicological learning is important in some aspects.
ⅠBetter understanding low context culture
Studying English lexicology can help us better understand different thinking styles. According to anthropologist Edward Hall, the U.S is a low context country, which communication is explicit, clear and unambiguous. Individuals come directly to the point and say precisely what they mean. China is a typically high context country, which much important information is conveyed beyond and outside the words actually spoken. Individuals need to be able to have a high degree of sensitivity to ambiguity and able to read between the lines and a knowledge of the unwritten or unspoken rules of communication. So the different thinking styles between two countries lead to different choices and applications of vocabulary. Americans tend to express themselves with direct, clear and explicit words, while Chinese prefer choosing ambiguous, unclear and implicit words. For instance, when talking about love, there is a pop song in the U.S singing that: adore you girl I want you the one I cant live without that's you that's you you're my special little lady the one that makes me crazy of all the girls I’ve ever known it's you, it's you my favorite, my favorite my favorite, my favorite girl
a pop song in China singing that: 你问我爱你有多深 我爱你有几分
How many words are there in the modern English language? There is no single sensible answer to this question. It is impossible to count the number of words in a language, because it is so hard to decide what counts as a word. But it is widely accepted by linguists that there are one million or so English words now. If so, a subject is needed to study and analyze modern English vocabulary. Thus, English-lexicological learning is important in some aspects.
ⅠBetter understanding low context culture
Studying English lexicology can help us better understand different thinking styles. According to anthropologist Edward Hall, the U.S is a low context country, which communication is explicit, clear and unambiguous. Individuals come directly to the point and say precisely what they mean. China is a typically high context country, which much important information is conveyed beyond and outside the words actually spoken. Individuals need to be able to have a high degree of sensitivity to ambiguity and able to read between the lines and a knowledge of the unwritten or unspoken rules of communication. So the different thinking styles between two countries lead to different choices and applications of vocabulary. Americans tend to express themselves with direct, clear and explicit words, while Chinese prefer choosing ambiguous, unclear and implicit words. For instance, when talking about love, there is a pop song in the U.S singing that: adore you girl I want you the one I cant live without that's you that's you you're my special little lady the one that makes me crazy of all the girls I’ve ever known it's you, it's you my favorite, my favorite my favorite, my favorite girl
a pop song in China singing that: 你问我爱你有多深 我爱你有几分