英语的词汇
英语是一种国际性的语言。把英语用作第一语言的国家除了英语和美国以外，还有爱尔兰共和国、澳大利亚、新西兰、加拿大、南非等国，使用人数有三亿四千万；把英语用作第二语言的国家（即不是本族语，但为所在国通用语）的国家有印度、巴基斯坦、尼泊尔、锡 金、缅甸、新加坡、津巴布韦、尼日利亚、加纳、纳米比亚、牙买加、百慕大、马来西亚等许多国家。至于把英语作为外语使用的国家更是普及全球，英语成语世界 上使用人数最多的语言之一（仅次于汉语），使用人数达七亿五千万。世界上一半以上的报纸和科技刊物是用英语出版的，世界上计算机储存的信息有80%以英语为媒介，用英语书写的信件占世界书信总量的四分之三，用英语广播的电台占五分之三。由于英语的使用广泛，世界各地和各个领域使用的词汇的差异巨大，必然使 英语的词汇量特别大。 《牛津英语词典》（Oxford English Dictionary）1928年第一版收词414,829个，1989年第二版收词超过500,000个。尽管《牛津英语词典》是收录英语单词最多的词 典，但是它也无法把英语里所有的单词都收集在内。如果加上无数学科的专门术语和俚语、方言、新词，英语的词汇远远超过200万个，并以每年至少850个新 词的速度增加，是世界上现存的5,000多种语言中词汇最丰富的语言之一。与英语相比较，欧洲其他语言的词汇远不如英语丰富，例如德语只有185,000 个词，法语只有100,000个词。同时，英语的词汇变化日新月异，1996年12月16日美国《时代周刊》（Times）刊登了一段用时髦用语组成的文字：Oh, pulleeze. Don't even think about telling me. I hate when that happens. Get over it. These phrases from hell are history, I'II be their worst nightmare, Yeah, right. As if. Hel-lo-on!试问，有几个中国的英语学者能说出这些用法的确切来源和实际含义呢？但是，这样的用词方式是今天的美国人司空见惯的。又有几个中国的 英语学者知道\自以为是的人\是philodox，\讨厌抽烟的人\是miscapniat，\专门在吃饭的时候来串门的人\是smellfeast或者 lickdish呢？没有一个人能够掌握所有的单词。 语言学家把英语里所有的单词，也就是英语的整个词汇叫做英语的\词库\（lexis或lexicon）。英语语言学家威尔金斯（D. Wilkins）说过，\没有语法，人们可以表达的事物寥寥无几；而没有词汇，人们则无法表达任何事物。\学习英语词汇是学习英语的重要组成部分，而英语 的词汇如此浩瀚，一个人想用一生的时间来记住所有的词汇也是不可能的。其实，一个人的词汇量总是有限的。据某位词典学家统计，莎士比亚大约掌握 24,000个词，弥尔顿大约掌握16,000个词。据说，丘吉尔能使用90,000个词，艾略特以有使用100,000个词，拉丁语《圣经》用了 5,469个词，希伯莱语《圣经》用了5,642个词。至于中文，也有人做过类似的统计，老舍的名著《骆驼样子》全书107,360字，只用了2,413 个不同的单字。
从上面两方面的数字可以看出，英语的词汇尽管浩瀚，但是每个人需要掌握的数量是有限的，所以，学习英语词汇并不是高不可攀的事情。语言学家们发现过一个有趣的事实：学会英语最常用的1,000个词，就能理解任何一篇规范文字的80.5%的内容；学会常用的2,000个词，就能理解89%左右的内 容；学会常用的3,000个词，就能理解93%左右的内容；学会常用的4,000个词，就能理解95%左右的内容（美国大学对外国学生的英语要求是掌握 4,000词）；学会常用的5,000个词，就能理解97%左右的内容。在这个事实的启示下，1930年，英语语言学家奥格登（C. K. Ogden）的850个词的《基础英语》词表问世，《基础英
语》的英文原文是BASIC English，这个BASIC是个首字母缩略词，由British, American, Scientific, International和Commercial五个词的首字母组成。现在英国出版的学生词典用来作为定义词的数量一般都在2,000词左右，一个受过 高等教育的英国人一般能掌握25,000词以上。（这个情况跟汉语有类似的地方，有研究表明，最常用的汉字仅560个，它们在现代汉语的一般文献中出现的 概率总和达80%。据论证，一个人掌握了1,000个常用汉字，就可以读懂文献中出现汉字的90%，而掌握了3,700个汉字，就能阅读一般报刊的 99.9%。） 我们先来比较一下英国英语、美国英语和汉语中使用频率最高的100个词，就可以看出掌握最基本的英语词汇是多么有用。 英 美 汉 英 美 汉 1 the the 的 2 of be 了 3 and Of 是 4 to and 一 5 a a 不 6 in in 我 7 that be 在 8 is to 有 9 was have 他 10 it to 个 11 for it 这 12 he for 着 13 as I 就 14 with they 你 15 be with 和 16 on not 说 17 I that 上 18 his on 人 19 at she 地 20 by as 也 21 had at 里 22 this by 我们 23 not this 来 24 but we 到 25 from you 都 26 have from 还 27 are do 大 28 which but 去 29 her or 把 30 she an 又 31 or which 看 32 you would 要 33 they say 她 34 an all 那 35 were one 好 36 there will 小 37 been who 主义 38 one that 能 39 all when 国 40 we make 很 41 their there 年 42 has if 十 43 would can 得 44 when man 他们 45 if what 什么 46 so time 没 47 no go 两 48 will no 三 49 him into 中 50 who could 用 51 more up 走 52 said other 从 53 our that 天 54 about year 种 55 what out 二 56 up new 出 57 some some 自己 58 only take 几 59 my these 人民 60 them come 到 61 can see 它 62 into get 起来 63 time know 对 64 than state 呢 65 could two 一 66 me only 会 67 two then 多 68 then any 而 69 other now 吧 70 its may 家 71 these than 革命 72 now give 时候 73 do about 叫 74 may as 向 75 any day 只 76 Mr. AB also 工作 77 made find 这样 78 first first 四 79 should way 没有 80 over must 社会 81 very use 给 82 our more 王 83 like like 同志 84 new even 想 85 must many 做 86 such more 可以 87 after think 水 88 man such 第 89 much where 话 90 years so 头 91 before through 像 92 most should 手 93 well people 们 94 even each 才 95 well those 使 96 even mister 知道 97 also over 您 98 being would 成 99 those seem 次 100 people just 时 一个人的\词汇量\可以分为四个层次，掌握的数量依次递增：能说的词汇（speaking vocabulary）、能写的词汇（writing vocabulary）、能读的词汇（reading vocabulary）、能猜的词汇（guess vocabulary），前两个层次属于能够应用的积极词汇（active vocabulary），后两个层次属于不一定能够应用的消极词汇（passive vocabulary）。英语学习者往往遇到这样的情况：许多单词看见时能知道意思或者猜出意思，到要讲和写的时候却想不起来了，就是因为这个道理。
现代语言学有很多分支，语言学中研究英语词汇的分支叫做英语词汇学（English lexicology）。为了提高各个层次的英语词汇量，当然需要多读书和勤查词典，还要有实践的机会或创造实践的机会。从长期来看，脱离语境单纯记忆英 语单词是不会有好的收效的。然而，如果能够掌握一些英语词汇学的基本知识，并将这些知识用于实践--诸如构词原理、语义构成、语义关系、语义变化、语境知 识、词源知识、成语知识、词典知识等等--肯定可以使得学习英语词汇的努力收到事半功倍的效果。本书就是融英语词汇学理论和实践一体的一部入门教程，让我 们来一点一点地探索英语词汇的奥秘，进入\玄之又玄\的\众妙之门\。
练习一
下面是英国语言学家奥格登（C. K. Ogden）的850个词的《基础英语》词表，查一下你还有哪个词不认识：
OPERATIONS ETC. 100: come, get, give, go, keep, let, make, put, seem, take, be, do, have, say, see, send, may, will, about, across, after, against, among, at, before, between, by, down, from, in, off, on, over, through, to, under, up, with, as, for, of, till, than, a, the, all, any, every, no, other,
some, such, that, this, I, he, you, who, and, because, but, or, if, though, while, how, when, where, why, again, ever, far, forward, here, near, no, out, still, then, there, together, well, almost, enough, even, little, much, not, only, quite, so, very, tomorrow, yesterday, north, south, east, west, please, yes
THINGS 400 GENERAL: account, act, addition, adjustment, advertisement, advertisement, agreement, air, amount, amusement, animal, answer, apparatus, approval, argument, attack, attempt, attention, attraction, authority, back, balance, base, behaviour, belief, birth, bit, bite, blood, blow, body, brass, bread, breath, brother, building, bum, burst, business, butter, canvas, care, cause, chalk, chance, change, cloth, coal, colour, comfort, committee, company, comparison, competition, condition, connection, control, cook, copper, copy, cork, cotton, cough, country, cover, crack, credit, crime, crush, cry, current, curve, damage, danger, daughter, day, death, debt, decision, degree, design, desire, destruction, detail, development, digestion, discovery, discovery, discussion, disease, disgust, distance, distribution, division, doubt, drink, dust, earth, edge, education, effect, end, error, event, example, exchange, existence, expansion, experience, expert, fact, fall, family, father, fear, feeling, fiction, field, fight, fire, flam, flight, flower, fold, food, force, form, friend, front, fruit, glass, gold, government, grain, grass, grip, group, growth, guide, harmony, harmony, hate, hearing, heat, help, history, hole, hope, hour, humour, ice, idea, impulse, increase, industry, ink, insect, instrument, insurance, interest, invention, iron, jelly, join, journey, judge, jump, kick, kiss, knowledge, land, language, laugh, law, lead, learning, leather, letter, level, lift, light, limit, linen, liquid, list, look, loss, love, machine, man, manage, mark, market, mass, meal, measure, meat, meeting, memory, metal, middle, milk, mind, mine, minute, mist, money, month, morning, mother, motion, mountain, move, music, name, nation, need, news, night, nose, note, number, observation, offer, oil, operation, option, order, organization, ornament, owner, page, pain, paint, paper, pan, paste, payment, peace, perm, place, plant, play, pleasure, point, poison, polish, porter, price, print, process, produce, profit, property, prose, protest, pull, punishment, purpose, push, quality, question, rain, range, rate, ray, reaction, reading, reason, record, regret, relation, religion, representative, request, respect, rest, reward, rhythm, rice, river, road, roll, room, rub, rule, run, salt, sand, scale, science, sea, seat, secretary, selection, self, sense, servant, sex, shade, shake, shame, shock, side, sign, silk, sister, size, sky, sleep, slip, slope, smash, smell, smile, smoke, sneeze, snow, soap, society, son, song, sort, sound, soup, space, stage, start, statement, steam, steel, step, stitch, Stone, stop, story, stretch, structure, substance, sugar, suggestion, summer, support, surprise, swim, system, talk, taste, tax, teaching, tendency, test, theory, thing, thought, thunder, time, tin, top, touch, trade, transport, trick, trouble, turn, twist, unit, use, value, verse, vessel, view, voce, walk, war, Wash, waste, water, wave, wax, way, weather, week, weight, wind, wine, winter, woman, Wood, wool, word, work, wound, writing, year
200 PICTURABLE: angle, ant, apple, arch, arm, baby, bag, ball, band, basin, basket, bath, bed, bee, bell, berry, bird, blade, board, boat, bone, book, boot, bottle, fox, for, brain, brake, branch, brick, bridge, brush, bucket, bulb, button, cake, camera, card, carriage, cart, cat, chain, cheese, chest, chin, church, circle, clock, cloud, coat, collar, com, cord, cow, cup, curtain, cushion, dog, door, drain, drawer, dress, drop, ear, egg, engine, eye, face, farm, feather, finger, fish, flag, floor, fly, hat, fork, fowl, frame, garden, girl, glove, goat, gun, hair, hammer, hand, hat, head, hat, hook, horn, horse, hospital, house, is and, jewel, kettle, key, knee, knife, knot, leaf, leg, library, line, lip, fork, map, mach, monkey, moon, mouth, muscle, nail, neck, needle, nerve, net, nose, nut, office, orange, oven, parcel, pen, pencil, picture, pig, pin, pipe, plane, plate, plough, pocket, pot,
potato, prison, pump, rail, rat, receipt, ring, rod, roof, root, sail, school, scissors, screw, seed, sheep, shelf, ship, shirt, shoe, skin, skirt, snake, ed(???), spade, sponge, spoon, spring, square, stamp, star, station, stem, stick, stocking, stomach, store, street, sun, table, tail, thread, throat, thumb, ticket, toe, tongue, tooth, town, train, tray, tree, trousers, umbrella, wall, watch, wheel, whip, whistle, window, wing, wire, worm
QUALITIES 100 GENERAL: able, acid, angry, automatic, beautiful, black, boiling, bright, broken, brown, cheap, chemical, chief, clean, clear, common, complex, conscious, cut, deep, dependent, early, elastic, electric, equal, fat, textile, first, fixed, flat, free, bet, full, general, good, great, grey, hanging, happy, hard, high, hollow, important, kind, like, living, long, male, married, material, medical, military, natural, necessary, new, normal, open, parallel, past, physical, past, political, poor, possible, port, private, probable, quick, quiet, ready, red, regular, responsible, right, round, same, second, separate, serious, sharp, smooth, sticky, stiff, straight, strong, sudden, sweet, tall, thick, tight, tired, true, violent, waiting, warm, wet, wide, wise, yellow, young
50 OPPOSITES: awake, bad, bent, bitter, blue, certain, cod, complete, cruel, dark, dead, dear, delicate, different, dirty, dry, false, feeble, female, foolish, future, green, ill' last, late, left, loose, loud, low, mixed, narrow, old, opposite, public, rough, sad, safe, secret, short, shut, simple, slow, small, soft, solid, special, strange, thin, white, wrong
Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday, January, February, March, April, May, June, July, August, September, October, November, December, one, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten, eleven, twelve, thirteen, fourteen, fifteen, sixteen, seventeen, eighteen, nineteen, twenty, twenty-one, thirty, forty, fifty, hundred, thousand, mil-lion, half, quarter, third, fourth
英语的单词结构
英语的\词汇\（vocabulary或lexicon）是英语所有单词（words）的总称。语言学家给\词\（word）下过各种各样的定义，众说纷纭、莫衷一是。什么是一个\词\（word）这个问题看似简单，稍加思索便会感到不那么容易回答了，举两个简单的例子来说：go和went是一个词还是两个词呢？名词walk和动词walk是一个词还是两个词呢？语言学家把列入词典的每个词条（entry）叫做\词位\（lexeme），把词的不同形状叫做\词形\（word form），把一个词形跟一个意义的结合叫做一个\词汇单位\（lexical unit），以便区分对\词\（word）的不同理解。我们可以说，《牛津英语词典》（第二版）收录500,000多个词位，包括616,500个词形。
我们在这里不想进行深入的学术讨论，只想以最简单、最通用的定义来开始我们对\词\的认识：词是能独立运用的、最小的、有语言的语言单位。就其句法功能来说，词可以分为功能词（function word）和实义词（content word）两类。功能词指的是没有完整词汇意义但有语法意义或语法功能的词，包括限定词（determiner）、代词（pronoun）、介词（preposition）、连接词（conjunction）、助动词（auxiliary verb）、感叹词（interjection）等。实义词指的是本身有完整词汇意义的词，包括名词（noun）、动词（verb）、形容词（adjective）、副词（adverb）等。
英语单词是由字母拼写而成的，可以由一个字母组成一个单词，例如：I（pron. 我）；也可以由45个字母组成一个单词，例如：
pneumonoultramicroscopicsilicovolcanoconiosis（n. 肺尘病）。