LANGUAGE IN INDIA

Strength for Today and Bright Hope for Tomorrow

Volume 11 : 8 August 2011
ISSN 1930-2940

Managing Editor: M. S. Thirumalai, Ph.D.
Editors: B. Mallikarjun, Ph.D.
         Sam Mohanlal, Ph.D.
         B. A. Sharada, Ph.D.
         A. R. Fatihi, Ph.D.
         Lakhan Gusain, Ph.D.
         Jennifer Marie Bayer, Ph.D.
         S. M. Ravichandran, Ph.D.
         G. Baskaran, Ph.D.
         L. Ramamoorthy, Ph.D.

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Defining a Word: Beyond a Dictionary Definition

Rajakumar Guduru, Ph. D. ELT. Scholar

Abstract

‘A word is a single unit of language which means something and can be spoken or written’ (Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary, 2010, 8th Edition). It seems the above definition is inadequate in global linguistics because it does not give a comprehensive picture of what a word is. It reads like a layman’s description of what a ‘word’ is. Nevertheless, in lexicology, the definition needs to be comprehensive as it should make us look at related fields and at times ambiguous and even controversial issues. Thus, when we look at the dictionary definition more closely, defining ‘word’ turns out to be far from simple which we generally think it to be. This paper discusses the pertinent problems in defining a word in general. It also highlights some fundamental factors in determining the meaning of word which will help us to understand the complex role of words in a language. In conclusion, it is argued that words are governed by social convention and only by going beyond the dictionary definition can lexicologists explore its real meaning.

Lexicology

Lexicology is defined as the study of lexis or the stock of words in a given language, i.e. its vocabulary or lexicon. From the above definition, it becomes clear that the notion of ‘word’ is central to the study of lexicology. Lexicology not only deals with simple words in all their aspects, but also with complex and compound words, as the meaningful units of language. Since these units must be analyzed in respect of both their form and their meaning, lexicology relies on information derived from the four related fields of morphology, the study of the forms of words and their components; semantics, the study of their meanings; etymology, the study of the origins of words; and lexicography, the writing or the compilation of dictionaries. Thus, lexicology is a comprehensive field of study and under this ‘word’ itself needs to be defined and discussed as a technical term.

This is only the beginning part of the article. PLEASE CLICK HERE TO READ THE ARTICLE IN PRINTER-FRIENDLY VERSION.

Rajakumar Guduru, M.A., M. Phil., Ph. D. ELT. Scholar
C/o. Ms. Nirmala Y. (Ph.D. ELE)
Room A-22, Mahalaqa Bai Chanda Hostel
EFL University
Tarnaka
Hyderabad 500 605
Andhra Pradesh
raja.ciefl@gmail.com
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