PREFACE TO THE FIRST EDITION

This book makes no pretension to deal with the whole vast field of English Lexicology. It has a more limited aim, to assist the students of foreign language institutes and departments in their study of the fundamentals of Modern English Lexicology. Post-graduates specialising in English and teachers of English may also find it useful.

This book is, as its title implies, concerned only with the vocabulary of English as it exists and functions at the present time. The authors* major concern is, therefore, with the treatment of the problems inherent in a course of Lexicology mainly from the synchronic angle. The diachronic approach which is, in the authors’ opinion, indispensable in any study of vocabulary occupies its due place in the book too.

The book is based on the course of lectures in English Lexicology delivered by the authors for a number of years at the Moscow Maurice Thorez State Pedagogical Institute of Foreign Languages. The subject matter corresponds to the programme on English Lexicology issued by the USSR Ministry of Higher and Secondary Special Education.

In preparing this work the authors have tried to take into consideration the latest achievements in linguistic science made in the Soviet Union and elsewhere. The authors’ indebtedness to various books and studies will be readily perceived from List of Books Extensively Used as well as from the authors quoted or referred to in the foot-notes. The factual material collected in some of the best graduation papers compiled under the authors’ guidance has also been made use of.

The work of preparing the separate parts of the course has been distributed among the authors as follows:

1. Introduction — A. A. Sankin

2.Varieties of English — G. Y. Knyaseva

3.Semasiology — R. S. Ginzburg

4.Word-Groups and Phraseological Units — R. S. Ginzburg

5.Word-Structure — S. S. Khidekel and A. A. Sankin

6.Word-Formation: affixation, conversion, shortening of words and minor ways of word-forming — A. A. Sankin

Word-Composition — S. S. Khidekel

7.Etymological Survey of English Vocabulary — G. Y. Knyazeva

8.Conclusion — R. S. Ginzburg and S. S. Khidekel

9. Fundamentals of English Lexicography:

Number of Vocabulary Units in English — R. S. Ginzburg Main Types of English Dictionaries — G. Y. Knyazeva

The authors owe a great debt to a number of their colleagues from the Chair of English Lexicology and Stylistics who offered them advice on one or another portion of the book. The authors are highly indebted to E. M. Mednikova who read an earlier version in its entirety and made many extremely valuable suggestions aimed at improving the treatment of the subject and the arrangement of the material. Warm thanks are also due to E. M. Lebedinskaya who was especially helpful during later stages of the work.

But, of course, no helpers, named or unnamed, are responsible for the blemishes that nevertheless remain. The authors will welcome any comment and criticism that will help to improve the book.

The Authors