- Main characteristics of the lexicon
- Levels
- The 2 main classifications of the lexicon
- 1- According to the origin and diffusion
- 2- According to the function
- Functional categories
- Lexical Categories
- References
The lexicon is the compendium of words that make up a language. Also known as vocabulary, it is compiled in the dictionary of the language. As for Spanish, the lexicon is gathered in the Dictionary of the Spanish Language.
Being part of the language, the lexicon is an element of the culture. Therefore, it reflects the features of the society it represents.
The lexicon has great consideration in linguistics, since vocabulary is part of the codes that make up the language.
The study of the lexicon includes research on jargons, which are social deformations of vocabulary.
Main characteristics of the lexicon
The main function of the lexicon is to make an inventory of the vocabulary of a language. This is especially useful for the study of the language and aspects of it, such as its origin, the society that uses it and how to teach it.
As society is an organic being that changes over time and according to circumstances; the same is true of the language you use.
This implies that the lexicon is not static, but evolves to the extent that society uses it.
Linguistics has indicated three components of the lexicon. First of all there is the heritage lexicon, which corresponds to the vocabulary inherited from the source language.
Secondly, the linguistic loans stand out, which are words or expressions adopted from another language.
Finally, there are technicalities, which are exclusive words of some profession or area of knowledge.
Levels
Linguistics is made up of various levels of study that specialize in specific areas.
There are 4 levels. The phonetic-phonological level studies the sound profile of the language, and the morphosyntactic level involves the internal structure of words and sentences.
On the other hand, the semantic level studies the linguistic sign, and the lexical level focuses on vocabulary.
The 2 main classifications of the lexicon
There are two main criteria for classifying the lexicon: according to origin and diffusion, and according to function.
1- According to the origin and diffusion
Depending on its origin, a word can be classified as patrimonial if it was inherited from the mother tongue or a loan if it was taken from another language.
It is classified according to diffusion according to the extent and nature of its use. In this area are slang, slang, dialects, cultisms and colloquialisms.
They are determined according to the social groups that use them: older adults, young people, professionals, or others.
2- According to the function
This classification has two subclasses: functional categories and lexical categories.
Functional categories
They are those that do not have their own meaning, but their only function is to serve as a link between the other elements of the sentences. These include articles, conjunctions, and prepositions.
Lexical Categories
They are those with their own meaning, who play the role of subjects, actions or characterizations of the subjects. These include nouns, adjectives, and verbs, among others.
References
- Small glossary of linguistic. uni-due.de
- Lexical meaning. thoughtco.com
- Lexical definition. (2017) britannica.com
- The lexical-semantic level. (2017) eagrancanaria.org
- Lexicology. uam.es