TEXT 2B

In earlier periods of the language (e.g. the XYIII century) the groups of the vocabulary were more clearly delimited than at present and the boundaries of the neutral group were very much narrower then they are now.

The modern tendency is to do away with the more markedly literary words altogether, or at least with those that have established themselves as commonplaces of the literary style, and to demand of a literary vocabulary that it should be original and up-to-date.

The division into stylistic layers implies that each member of a definite layer has a property which it shares with all the subgroups within the layer.

The common property which unites different groups of words within the layer is called its aspect. The aspect of the literary layer is its markedly bookish character and its vocabulary is more or less stable.

The aspect of the colloquial layer is its lively spoken character its vocabulary is unstable and fleeting.

The aspect of the neutral layer is its universal character, these words are unrestricted in use.

E.g. daddy (col.) – father (neutr.) – parent (lit.)

Those literary words which are used in the neutral style are called common literary words. And the colloquial words which are used in the neutral style are called common colloquial words.

Common literary words, neutral and common colloquial words are grouped into Standard English vocabulary.

Common literary words are chiefly used in writing and in polished speech. But the fact is that nobody can give any objective criteria for recognizing them.

Exercise 7. Give the definitions of:

aspect, common literary words, common colloquial words.

Exercise 8. Answer the following questions:

1. What is the aspect of literary layer?

2. What is the aspect of the colloquial layer?

3. What is the aspect of the neutral layer?

4. What is Standard English vocabulary consist of?

WORD STUDY:

Exercise 9. Make sentences using the following idioms:

Do one’s best. well done, done for, done with, do wonders, do without, to do with, done up, won’t do, do a good turn, do you good.

Exercise 10. Make sentences of your own using:

Make a point of, make room, make up one’s mind, make up one’s face, make up for lost time, make oneself useful, self-made, made-up story, make fun of, make someone laugh, make a fortune, hand-made, make a mistake.

Exercise 11. Read the following text:

TEXT 2C

Common colloquial vocabulary is overlapping into the standard English vocabulary and is therefore to be considered part of it.

Both literary and colloquial words have their upper and lower ranges. The lower range of literary words approaches the neutral layer and has a tendency to pass into that layer. The same can be said about the upper range of the colloquial layer. And the line of demarcation is blurred in those cases.

Meanwhile the extreme ranges remain antagonistic and when brought together create a collision for special stylistic purposes.

e.g. A young lady(come) home from school was explaining: ”Take an egg”, she said “and make a perforation (отверстие) in the base (основание) and a corresponding one in the apex (вершина).Then apply (прикладывать) the lips to the aperture (отверстие), and by forcibly inhaling(втягивание) the breath the shell is entirely discharged (освобождается) of its contents.

An old lady who was listening exclaimed:” It beats all how folks (люди) do things nowadays. When I was a gal (девушка) they made a hole (дыра) in each and sucked(высасывать)”. (O.Jespersen)

In this example the simultaneous usage of highly formal words:

“perforation, apex, base, forcibly inhaling, entirely discharged of its contents”

along with extremely colloquial expressions:

“beats all, folks, gal”

and neutral synonyms “hole” and “suck” create a definite humorous effect.

Words which belong to the extreme ranges of the literary vocabulary form Special literary vocabulary, and those of the colloquial vocabulary are considered to be Special colloquial vocabulary.

Special literary vocabulary includes terms, poetic and highly literary words. And special colloquial vocabulary includes slang, professionalisms, vulgarisms, jargonisms, dialectal words.

Exercise 12. Give synonyms(from the text) to the following words:

puncture

top

people

release

conflict

hollow

completely

Exercise 13. Translate the following words from Russian into English, use words from the Text 2C:

подход, уровень, одновременный, частично покрывать, обычный, тенденция, между тем, вздох, содержимое.

WORD STUDY:

Exercise 14. Use the following idioms in sentences:

At hand(near),put in hand, from hand to mouth, hand and foot, second-hand, give a hand, hands wanted, time hangs heavy on my hands, to keep one’s hand in.

Exercise 15. Practice derivatives (translate and make sentences):

to advertise/advertisement, advertising

to apply/application, applicant

an agent/agency

to compete/competitor, competition, competitive

to invest/investor, investment

Exercise 16. Be ready to write a dictation with the terms to be memorized from the Unit 2.