A The basic vocabulary

The basic vocabulary is the central group of the vocabulary. Basic vocabulary words can be recognized not only by their stylistic neutrality but also by their entire lack of other connotations. Their meanings are broad and they directly convey the concept without supplying any additional information.

Basic	Informal	Formal
end	finish, be trough, be over	terminate
child	kid, beam (dial.)	infant

B Historic / archaic words

The Random House Dictionary defines an obsolete word as one no longer in use, esp. out of use for at least a century.An a rchaism is referred to as current in an earlier time but rare in present use,

e. g. thou, thy,

damsel (for a girl),

moon (for a month),

morn (for morning).

C New words / neologisms

A neologism is a newly coined word or phrase or a new meaning for an existing word or a word borrowed from another language.

e.g. de-orbit, laseronic, aeroneurosis, backpacker

10.2 Stylistic stratification represents the strata of words that are applied in different functional styles. The three basic strata are:

· neutral words

· bookish words

· colloquial words

Stylistic Classification of the English Vocabulary

Common literary vocabulary Special colloquial vocabulary

Special literary vocabulary Common literary vocabulary

Poetic words

Archaic words

Nonce- words

Neutral Words

Terms

Foreignisms and Barbarisms

Profession-alisms

Dialectal words

Slang

Jargon

Vulgar-isms

Nonce-words

A Stylistically neutral words

Stylistically neutral words include the most vital part of the vocabulary. Etymologically they are mostly native, or borrowed long ago and assimilated,

e.g. Latin borrowings and words of Greek origin borrowed through Latin, copper, wall, church, street;

early French borrowings: pleasure, army, judge, mutton;

the bulk of early Scandinavian borrowings, e.g. husband, sky.

Stylistically neutral words are often root words. Since they are devoid of emotional colouring their frequency value is very high and therefore they are often polysemantic.

B Bookish words

Bookish words are mostly borrowed ones, chiefly of Romanic origin, going back to Latin or Greek root. They are polymorphemic and polysyllabic, their range of application is rather narrow, they are mostly monosemantic.

e.g. father – paternal, home – domestic, lip – labial, mind – mental, sun – solar.

Such words are also called learned vocabulary. This vocabulary comprises such words as hereby, herein, moreover, therein, furthermore, however, in consequence.