On the Correlation between Lexical Stability and Word Creation Device

Author: Rundblad G.

Source: Journal of Quantitative Linguistics, Volume 7, Number 1, April 2000 , pp. 31-41(11)

Publisher: Routledge, part of the Taylor & Francis Group

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Abstract:

Some of the most striking facts when working with synonyms and lexical fields are that some words are so remarkably frequently used, that they only reluctantly give way to other synonymous words and that some words do not (or at least seldom) die. I will present the results of an investigation of the English nouns in the lexical field ‘natural watercourse'. Put together and viewed diachronically, the lexical fields for ‘natural watercourse' in the Old English (OE), Middle English (ME) and Modern English (ModE) period are very vast. Almost 200 words can be found for the general sense ‘watercourse', and over 100 of these can or could be used in the specific sense ‘natural watercourse'. However, for reasons of homogeneity and need of restriction, only native English words and words stemming from native roots were included; consequently, all Celtic, Latin, Scandinavian, French, Dutch, etc. loan words have been excluded. This leaves us with 72 nouns.

Document Type: Research article

DOI: 10.1076/0929-6174(200004)07:01;1-3;FT031

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