English Dictionary Research Articles

A corpus-based analysis of ‘vernacular synonyms’

Abstract Against the backdrop of the significant social changes taking place during the Renaissance, this paper interrogates the lexical domain of citizenship, focusing on three words deemed near-synonymous in the historical literature: citizens, burgesses, and freemen. The study takes a quantitative corpus-linguistic approach to the data in the Early English Books Online corpus (1550–1699) and consults lexicographical sources (the Oxford English Dictionary, the Historical Thesaurus of the Oxford English Dictionary, and the Lexicons of Early Modern English 1550–1700) to offer an overview of the organisation of the conceptual domain occupied by citizenship terms referring to “dwellers”. The relationships between citizens, burgesses, and freemen over time are addressed through detailed quantitative collocation analysis, considering their overall profile, stability and innovation, and areas of functional overlap and distinctiveness. Overall, the results support historians’ intuitions that citizens, burgesses, and freemen are “vernacular synonyms”.

Evaluating the Accuracy of French-to-English Translations of Educational Segments by Various AI Systems

In recent years, the trends of globalization and artificial intelligence translation have grown. This paper will select the highly representative children's book The Little Prince and compare it with the globally popular AI tool ChatGPT 4.0, the domestically favored AI tool ERNIE Bot, and the notably accurate translation website dochero.ai. Utilizing the CRISPE directive, the research will enable the AI translation tools to translate the original French text. The study will identify ten educationally significant sentences from The Little Prince and employ the three aforementioned AI translation tools to convert these sentences from French to English respectively. Subsequently, an evaluation will be conducted from multiple perspectivesincluding grammar, word choice, translation effectiveness regarding educational significance, and reader preferenceusing the Oxford English Dictionary and the Grammarly platform. It is hoped that the research can positively enhance the collaborative function between human translators and AI translation tools, thereby advancing global education.

From Roots to Borrowings: The Evolution of the English Lexicon

The English lexicon is a dynamic and evolving entity shaped by centuries of internal development and external linguistic influences. This study explores the historical roots and borrowings that have contributed to its rich and diverse vocabulary. Through a historical linguistic approach, comparative analysis, and corpus-based studies, the research examines the interplay between native Germanic elements and borrowed terms from Latin, French, Scandinavian, and other languages. Findings reveal that borrowing has played a pivotal role in filling lexical gaps, enriching the lexicon, and reflecting sociocultural transformations such as Christianization, the Norman Conquest, and globalization. Borrowed terms, from Latin religious vocabulary to contemporary technology-related words, demonstrate the adaptability and inclusivity of English. The study also addresses challenges in categorizing borrowings, particularly the distinction between fully integrated terms and recent loanwords. The results highlight the lexicon as a testament to cultural and linguistic exchange, with implications for understanding English as a global lingua franca. Future research should focus on underexplored influences, such as Indigenous contributions and the role of digital communication in accelerating modern borrowing trends.

The encounter of English and Chinese lexicographical traditions

Abstract The publication of Wilhelm Lobscheid’s (1822–1893) English and Chinese Dictionary, with the Punti and Mandarin Pronunciation (1866–1869) marked a turning point in the history of English-Chinese lexicography. This article traces the genealogy of Lobscheid’s English and Chinese Dictionary by examining its multiple sources and discusses how the lexicographical tradition of English-Chinese dictionaries was built on previous dictionaries in the East and the West.

Review of Turton (2024): Before the Word was Queer: Sexuality and the English Dictionary, 1600–1930

Review of Turton (2024): Before the Word was Queer: Sexuality and the English Dictionary, 1600–1930

Categorization of Mujarrad Verbs Beginning with the Letter ‘ba’ in Al Munawwir Arabic-Indonesian Dictionary and Mazīd Verbs in Duleim Masoud Al Qahtani Arabic-English Dictionary: A Morphosemantic Analysis

Objective: This research discusses the categorization of Arabic verbs, which hold a significant importance in word formation and meaning determination. Therefore, the study of verbs in Arabic becomes one of the important theoretical foundations to continue to be studied and developed. One of the important studies of Arabic verbs is the study of mujarrad verbs and mazīd verbs. Method: Employing a qualitative approach, data were gathered from two dictionaries: Al-Munawwir Arabic – Indonesian dictionary and Al-Qahtani Arabic – English dictionary. Content analysis was employed to analyze the collected data. Data were collected from two Arabic dictionary corpora using morphological analysis of verbs. After collecting the data, the morphological data were categorized into three groups based on the semantic meanings of verbs: process verbs, action verbs and state verbs. In the final stage, the researcher investigated the relationship between morphological and semantic analysis in Arabic verbs (mujarrad and mazīd). Results: Morphosemantic analysis reveals that action verbs dominate “Arabic verbs”. Mujarrad verbs in Arabic are classified as action verbs, process verbs, and state verbs. The binary analysis indicates that 77,89 % of the mazīd verbs in this study are action verbs, 20% are process verbs, and 25,26% are state verbs. In this case, action verbs are the most common. Conclusions: This study contributes to the optimization of multidisciplinary analysis in linguistic studies, namely the combination of morphological and semantic analysis. In terms of Arabic dictionary development, this study suggests that verb analysis be supplemented by the categorization of actions, states, and processes

Word formation in Bangladeshi English

Background: This paper aims to investigate the lexical properties of Bangladeshi English (BdE). Bangladesh does not have an official second language. Nevertheless, English has been present in Bangladeshi society for approximately four hundred years. The polity of Bangladesh is also silent about its position in the three-circle model of World English’s and does not have any proper plan for the English language. Very few studies have been done on the English of Bangladesh from World English’s perspective. Methodology: Data is collected from five different sources; a survey, the Corpus of Global Web-Based English (GloWbE), the News on the Web (NOW), the Oxford English Dictionary, and one corpus compiled with 92 speeches of the former Prime Minister of Bangladesh. This corpus contains 101,490 words. The freeware corpus analysis toolkit Antconc is used to process the data of this corpus. The mixed method is followed in this work. Data is collected quantitatively and analyzed qualitatively. Findings: The result of the study reveals that Bangladeshi English has rich lexical properties. These lexis are formed in different morphological processes. A good fraction of these lexis are noun, but adjective, verb, and adverb are also present. Unique Contribution to Theory, Practice and Policy: These findings can be used as a starting point for further research.

Semantics and Syntax of Old English Motion Verbs

This is a study in the syntax and semantics of Old English verbs of motion, including verbs of neutral motion, verbs of manner of motion and verbs of path of motion. Its aim is to identify the morphosyntactic alternations in which these verbs participate. The theoretical basis of the research draws on Goddard’s semantics of motion, Levin’s model of verb classes and alternations and Talmy’s typological distinction between satellite-framed languages and verb-framed languages. The grammatical patterns of the verbs under analysis are discussed, as described in The Dictionary of Old English (Healey), with special emphasis on the study of transitivity, case, prepositional government, and reflexivity. As far as meaning components are concerned, this work concentrates on the study of polysemy. The conclusions of this study refer to the consistency of the syntactic behaviour of the verbs under analysis and the main alternations found within the verbal classes.

Gauging the effectiveness of a mobile application for learning English phrasal verbs

Abstract This study used a mixed-methods approach to evaluate the efficacy of mobile-assisted language learning (MALL) in teaching English phrasal verbs (PVs) in a 12-week study. The participants were 122 EFL college students divided equally into an experimental and a control group. The experimental group was assigned PV learning on an iOS-based application (henceforth referred to as “app”) for eight weeks; the control group learned the same PVs through paper-based material. Pre-tests, post-tests, and weekly class tests were conducted, and one-way ANOVAs were performed to evaluate the differences between the two groups using their pre-test and post-test scores, with repeated measures ANOVA used to analyse the learning gains in weekly tests. The results revealed that the experimental group significantly outperformed the control group in the post-test (F = 6.09, p = .015, Cohen’s d = 0.45) and weekly tests (F = 31.68, p = .000). A Likert-scale-based e-questionnaire consisting of 19 items was administered to the experimental group to obtain their perceptions of the app’s usefulness for learning English PVs. The overall results suggest that MALL, particularly with this specific mobile app, may enhance students’ ability to understand and use English PVs, a key aspect of vocabulary skills. The findings can be used to encourage instructors to employ MALL for teaching the English lexicon for better learning outcomes in EFL settings.

Consonantal Variation of Hindi-Urdu Loanwords in Standard English: A Phonological Analysis

This study delves into the intricate phonological transformations that transpire when Hindi-Urdu loanwords are integrated into the English lexicon. Through a meticulous curation and analysis of a corpus comprising Hindi-Urdu loanwords in English, this research scrutinizes the nuanced consonantal changes that arise from the linguistic exchange between these languages. With a particular focus on the interplay between Hindi-Urdu consonantal sounds and English phonological structures, the study examines processes such as deaspiration, deretroflexion, and deuvularization, and other relevant phonetic adjustments to provide a comprehensive insight into how Standard English phonological norms impact the interpretation and articulation of Hindi-Urdu consonants within loanwords.

TEACHING ENGLISH LEXICON BASED ON COMPETENCY APPROACH IN A DIGITAL EDUCATIONAL ENVIRONMENT

This article discusses the issues of teaching English lexicon based on a competency approach in a digital educational environment during the current era of advanced science and technology.

Exploring the Effectiveness and Specific Teaching Methods of English Etymology in Expanding Mental Lexicon for College Students

English etymology, as a discipline that studies the origin and development of words, reveals the intrinsic connection and meaning of vocabulary by tracing the historical background, etymology and semantic evolution of words, which not only helps learners to understand the deeper meaning of vocabulary, but also expands and builds their English mental lexicon effectively, thus helping students achieve effective vocabulary enhancement in a short time. The purpose of this paper is to discuss the role of English etymology in the construction and expansion of mental lexicon, analyze its actual teaching methods, and demonstrate its application and effect in educational practice.

Complex Words as Shortest Paths in the Network of Lexical Knowledge.

Lexical models diverge on the question of how to represent complex words. Under the morpheme-based approach, each morpheme is treated as a separate unit, while under the word-based approach, morphological structure is derived from complex words. In this paper, we propose a new computational model of morphology that is based on graph theory and is intended to elaborate the word-based network approach. Specifically, we use a key concept of network science, the notion of shortest path, to investigate how complex words are learned, stored, and processed. The notion of shortest path refers to the task of finding the shortest or most optimal path connecting two non-adjacent nodes in a network. Building on this notion, the current study shows (i) that new complex words can be segmented into morphemesthrough the shortest path analysis; (ii) that attested English words tend to represent the shortest paths in the morphological network; and (iii) that novel (unattested) words receive higher acceptability ratings in experiments when they are formed along established optimal paths. The model's performance is tested in two experiments with human participants as well as against the behavioral data from the English Lexicon Project. We interpret our empirical results from the perspective of a usage-based model of grammar and argue that network science provides a powerful tool for analyzing language structure.

English Vocabulary Learning System Web Based Using Rapid Application Method

English lexicon dominance is one of the imperative viewpoints in dialect learning at the Kindergarten (TK) level. Be that as it may, ordinary strategies utilized in lexicon learning are frequently less curiously and less successful in spurring understudies to memorize. The foundation of this think about is the require for a more interactive learning framework that's in understanding with innovative advancements to back the educating and learning handle at TK Al Amanah. The issue confronted is how to plan a lexicon learning framework that can increment students' intrigued and understanding successfully. As a arrangement, this consider proposes the improvement of a web-based English lexicon learning framework utilizing the Fast Application Advancement (RAD) strategy. The RAD strategy was chosen since it is able to create quick models and include clients in each organize of improvement, so that the coming about system can be more in agreement with the requirements of clients, in this case understudies and instructors at TK Al Amanah. The framework developed includes highlights such as intelligently works out, advanced flashcards, and tests planned to create it simpler for understudies to memorize and get it lexicon. The investigate strategy includes needs examination, framework plan, model advancement, testing, and assessment. The trial comes about appear that this framework isn't only able to extend understudy inspiration and interest, but too gives comfort for instructors in conveying learning materials. Hence, this web-based learning framework offers an innovative solution that can bolster the method of educating English lexicon at the kindergarten level

Empowering voices: Breaking mental health stigma

Empowering voices: Breaking mental health stigma John Hoey and Mary Cannon from Department of Psychiatry, RCSI University of Medicine and Health Sciences, Dublin, Ireland, share their research around breaking mental health stigma to empower voices. Research consistently shows that people from marginalised groups are almost four times as likely to experience mental conditions such as psychotic symptoms than the majority population (van der Ven et al., 2022). Yet, they are much less likely to seek timely clinical intervention or reach out to friends and family for support. Why is this, and what can be done to encourage people to seek help? In our April 2024 blog “Can the Arts be an Effective Tool to Combat Psychosis Stigma,” we described stigma, as defined in the Oxford English Dictionary, as “Negative feelings that people have about particular circumstances or characteristics that somebody may have.” Although in recent years, attitudes towards certain mental conditions such as anxiety or depression have become more ‘normalised’ and openly discussed, other conditions, such as psychotic symptoms, remain stubbornly stigmatic and shrouded in fear. When it comes to mental health, those who both fear most, and are the subjects of fear, are marginalised groups, which can negatively impact both engagement and recovery.

Introduction to the Proceedings of the 2023 Symposium ‘Historical English Word-Formation’

It has not yet been ten years since Klaus Dietz (2015: 1915) prophesised that "[f]uture research work [on historical word-formation in English] will profit by two kinds of new instruments: firstly, by the Dictionary of Old English (DOE) and its Web Corpus, by the Middle English Dictionary (MED) and by the nascent third edition of the Oxford English Dictionary (OED), and secondly, by new corpora of historical English." The proceedings of the 2023 symposium respond to those predictions in manifold ways. Under the heading ‘Historical English Word-Formation’, the organisers of the symposium intended to “bring together researchers studying diachronic English word-formation and to showcase current research in this area” (Majewski 2023: 287). Although no particular temporal, thematic, or methodological focus was asked for, the five essays provide answers to some of the general questions that the symposium had initially raised, namely: How have large-scale corpus analyses and respective computational tools helped us study diachronic changes in the formation of new words? Which recent insights are there into the frequency and productivity as well as the rules and restrictions of word-formation units and patterns in the history of English? Further, which roles do regional, social, medial, and other factors as well as text types and (non‑)literary genres play for the creation of new words? The five contributions to this special issue of ZWJW illustrate that, as Dietz had anticipated, the study of word formations in past stages of English has profited extremely from the advances made in computational research and Artificial Intelligence, yet they also delineate both their advantages and limitations.

INGLIZ VA O‘ZBEK TILLARIDAGI LUG‘ATLARDA SINONIMLARNING LEKSIKOGRAFIK TALQINI

Synonyms are a very important factor for making human speech expressive and fluent. In order to use synonyms in speech, it is important to understand the nuances of meaning behind them and be able to use them correctly. Below are examples of synonyms from dictionaries compiled for use by speakers and lexicographic interpretations of synonyms in them. Several english and uzbek dictionaries and examples from them were used to express these synonyms.

The Impact of Literary Discourse on the Evolution of English Lexicon

This study explores the significant role of literary discourse in the evolution of the English lexicon, analyzing how works by authors such as Chaucer, Shakespeare, Dickens, and Joyce contributed to the development of new words and meanings. By combining qualitative and corpus-based methods, the research highlights the creative and innovative use of language in literary texts, tracing how words originating in literature entered mainstream usage. The study examines the influence of different genres, particularly drama and prose, on lexical expansion and discusses how literary creativity extends beyond word invention to reshaping existing terms. Findings suggest that literary texts serve as crucial drivers of linguistic change, shaping the dynamic evolution of English vocabulary across centuries. Future research may explore the impact of digital literature and other modern forms of media on lexical growth.

Arabic Loanwords in Kamus Dewan Perdana: Questions of Etymology, Word Class and Definition

Kamus Dewan Perdana (KDP) is the largest and most complete dictionary of the Malay language (ML) and is the latest edition of the Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka (DBP), which targets ML native speakers and non-native speakers who are proficient in using ML. This study aims to identify Arabic loanwords (AL) in KDP and analyse questions of their entry regarding the aspects of etymology, word class, and definition from the perspective of users and researchers by using Qualitative Comparative Analysis (QCA) as the methodology. The findings of this study found a total of 2847 entries of AL in KDP, which include 66% labelled Arabic (Ar) and 34% unlabelled. This study also found seven questions regarding AL entries in the KDP from the aspects of etymology, word class, and definition. Three questions arise from the etymological aspect, namely, (1) the inconsistent omission of etymological labelling, (2) the differences in terms of etymological labelling between KDP and Kamus Dewan Edisi Keempat (KDE4), and (3) justification for the source language information of the loanword placed at the end of the entry in the KDP; a question arises from the aspect of word class, which is the inconsistency in word class labelling for AL expression entries; and three questions from the aspect of definition, namely (1) the inaccuracy in the definition of homonymous word variations in KDP, (2) the absence of definition of the AL entries in the KDP and (3) the deletion of AL entry in the KDP. The results of this study serve as user feedback, which contributed to DBP as the body responsible for improving the compilation of KDP as well as other dictionaries such as Kamus Besar Bahasa Indonesia (KBBI), Cambridge Advanced Learner’s Dictionary (CALD), Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English New Edition (LDCENE), Oxford English Dictionaries (OED), and Concise Oxford English Dictionaries (COED). This improvement will in turn be able to provide complete vocabulary information to the user community, both among native speakers and non-native speakers.

Modern tendencies in learner’s lexicography (as exemplified in English spelling dictionaries)

Modern tendencies in learner’s lexicography (as exemplified in English spelling dictionaries)