Реферат на тему World English in the 21th century

Содержание:

Introduction 3
1. The essence of historical semantic study 4
2. Synonyms number as one of the most prominent systemic manifestations of historical vocabulary 5
3. Features of modern English language 7
4. Possible changes in the English language in the future 8
Conclusion 11
References 12

Введение:

Introduction
Language with its various subsystems and their units gradually change over time. In this case, the characteristics of linguistic elements and phenomena also change. The behavior of one or another unit of language at the present time can significantly differ from its behavior in the past. This dependence of linguistic being on the plan for its temporary existence must necessarily be taken into account by the researchers. The vocabulary of the language is in a state of continuous change. It responds to changes in all spheres of public life faster and wider than the other levels of linguistic structure.
The question about the nature of linguistic changes has not lost its interest today, continuing to attract the close attention of linguists of various profiles. It should be noted that the mere fact of the language variability is hardly ever disputed by anyone. The question about the nature of these changes and the reasons for their appearance is far from obvious and remains a problem. The study of the history of the word against the background of its synonymous correspondence helps us to «visibly» reveal and trace the activation or weakening of the use of the word, its functional and stylistic affiliation − that is, all those changes that occur in the lexical system of language.
The aim of the study is to consider the World English in the 21th century. In accordance with this aim, the following tasks are set in the study:
− to consider the essence of historical semantic structure study;
− to investigate synonyms number as one of the most prominent systemic manifestations of historical vocabulary;
− to analyze features of modern English language;
− to investigate possible changes in the English language in the future.

Заключение:

Thus, the basis of any language change is variation in speech. But not every variation leads to a linguistic change. Selection of a variety of language variants is accomplished either under the influence of factors conditioned by language contact, the history of language development (extra linguistic factors), or under the influence of the properties of the linguistic system itself (intra linguistic factors).
English changed a lot during its history. Within the study also was revealed the synonyms number as one of the most striking manifestations of systematic vocabulary is synonymous connections. As a diachronic phenomenon, the synonymic number can trace the changes associated with the departure from the lexical system of some members of the number and the arrival of others; changes in the semantic structure of the members of the number; changes in the spheres of their use; changes in inter-number relations based on word polysemy.
The English language has nowadays become the “new Latin” of the century. One billion people speak English. That’s 20% of the world population. For the other 600 million it’s either a second language or a foreign language. There are more than 500,000 words in the Oxford English Dictionary. At present no other language on the Earth is better suited to play the role of a world language. English is so widespread nowadays because it has become the standard language for all kinds of international communication: 80% of all information in the world’s computers is in English; nearly 50% of all the companies in Europe communicate with one another in English; 75% of all international letters and telexes are in English. English is also the international language of businesspeople, pilots, diplomats and politicians, sportsmen and scientists, doctors and students, musicians and singers.
Thus, the aim set in the study is achieved and tasks are fulfilled. Was considered the essence of historical semantic structure study, synonyms number as one of the most prominent systemic manifestations of historical vocabulary, features of modern English language and possible changes in the English language in the future.

Фрагмент текста работы:

The essence of historical semantic study
The history of language development should be considered, on the one hand, in connection with the history of the speakers of this language. On the other hand, it is necessary to take into account that language is a specific social phenomenon that has its own laws of development and internal laws. Factors historically influencing the selection of a variety of linguistic options are divided into extra linguistic and intra linguistic. The former includes language contact and the history of language development; the later includes properties of the language system.
Along with changing in the language, the word as a unit of language is also not something frozen and immutable. In a word, which is not only the name of an object, but also an expression of a meaning or a group of meanings − both the form and the semantic side are capable of changing. Considering the form and the semantic aspect of a modern word, one must bear in mind that its present state is only a part of the overall development picture and that today’s form and meaning of the word are a logical continuation of its former forms and meanings and cannot often be correctly understood without taking into consideration the latter. In the procedural aspect, polysemy is the result of semantic changes, when one meaning arises on the basis of another on certain models of semantic derivation and is associated with the last relations of production. There are a lot of causes and ways of semantic derivation, which will be considered later.
The methods of synchronous and diachronic (historical) study of languages and their subsystems help in this. Within the synchronous approach, the main attention is focused on the properties of simultaneously existing facts and elements of the language. Diaconal (historical) methods are used in the study of linguistic phenomena and processes observed in the system of language at various intervals of time. Studying the various linguistic facts, diachronic linguistics establishes the causes of changes in the language system, the time of the appearance and completion of various linguistic processes and the ways of their development.
In this way, over time there was a change in the number of morphemes, the sound composition of individual morphemes, the values and functions of morphemes change of some words; in other words, the morphemic structure of the word changes. In accordance with opinion of some experts, the main factors leading to a change in the morphemic structure of the word are «all kinds of violations of the direct relationship between the derivative and the producing basis»
Thus, as the linguistic history shows, semantic changes can be very different; the semantic changes themselves can also be different in nature, because they can be based on different patterns. In other words, the use of the name of an object to designate some other object is not chaotic. The secondary use of names, usually described as the transfer of meanings, although, undoubtedly, it is more correct to talk about the transfer of names and the development of secondary meanings according the laws of associative connections lie. They determine the types of semantic changes of a word in the course of its historical development, the types of relations between values in diachrony and types of values themselves in the semantic structure of a polysemantic word as an end result.