5. Retell the text. English Vocabulary. New words and old

English vocabulary has a remarkable range, flexibility and adaptability. Thanks to the periods of contacts with other languages and its readiness to coin new words out of old elements, English seems to have far more words in its core vocabulary than other languages. For example, alongside ‘kingly’ (from Anglo-Saxon) we find ‘royal’ (from French) and ‘regal’ (from Latin). There are many such sets of words, which add greatly to our opportunities to express subtle shades of meaning at various levels of style.

Of course, not everyone likes the rate at which English vocabulary continues to expand. There is often an antagonistic reaction to new words. Computer jargon has its adherents, but it also has its critics. Old rural dialect words may be admired, but the new words from urban dialects are often reviled. The latest slang is occasionally thought of as vivid and exciting, but more often it is condemned as imprecise and sloppy. The news that fresh varieties of English are developing throughout the world, bringing in large numbers of new words, is seen by some as a good thing, adding still further to the expressive potential of the language; but many people shake their heads, and mutter about the language going downhill.

People take vocabulary very personally, and will readily admit to having ‘pet hates’ about the way other people use words. Vocabulary – and especially change in vocabulary – is one of the most controversial issues in the field of language study. Some people are simply against language change on principle. Others, more sensibly, become worried only when they perceive a usage to be developing which seems to remove a useful distinction in meaning, or to add an ambiguity.

The two most obvious factors in semantic change are the arrival of new words and the loss of old ones. In most languages, the vast majority of new words are in fact borrowings from other languages – though this term is not a very appropriate one, as new words are not given back at a later stage! Borrowing proceeds in all directions. ‘Weekend’ and ‘parking’ have been borrowed by French from English; ‘chic’ and ‘savoitfaire’ have been borrowed by English from French. Some languages have borrowed so extensively that native words are in a minority.

A special type of borrowing is known as a loan translation or calque. In this process, a word is not borrowed whole, but its parts are translated separately and a new word formed – as when German produces the equivalent of English ‘telephone Fernsprecher’ (literally, fern ‘distant’ + sprecher ‘speaker’).

When a word or sense ceases to be used, it is said to be obsolescent or obsolete. This often happens because the object or concept is no longer of value to a community (other than to the historian or literary scholar); but a word or sense may become obsolescent if it develops unpleasant associations, or is replaced by another word which is felt to be more modern. ‘Wight’ (person), ‘leman’ (sweetheart), and ‘hie’ (hasten), are examples of Elizabethan English which are now no longer used; ‘humour’ (= ‘temperament’) and ‘conceit’ (= ‘idea’) illustrate obsolete senses from the same period.