Chapter2AGeneralSurveyofaWordII.Soundandmeaning（语音与意义）Twopointsofviewabouttherelationbetweensoundandmeaningofaword:TheNaturalists(自然派)maintainthatthereisanaturalconnectionbetweensoundandmeaning.TheConventionalists(习惯派)holdthattherelationsbetweensoundandmeaningareconventionalandarbitraryWordsthatconveythesamemeaninghavedifferentphonologicalformsindifferentlanguages:我们(Chinese)，we(English),nous(French)Thesamephonologicalformsmayconveydifferentmeanings:sight,site,cite;忙，盲，氓，茫，芒III.MeaningandconceptConceptisacategoryofhumancognition.Itisanabstractionfromthingsofthesamekind.Itreferstosomethingingeneralwhilethemeaningofawordcanrefertosomethingbothingeneralandinparticular.e.g.(1)Wehavebeguntorealizethattheautomobileisamixedblessing.(2)Theautomobilewasstalledinasnowstorm.IV.ClassificationofWordsColloquialwords(口语词):ColloquialwordsorexpressionsareusedmainlyinspokenEnglish,asinconversationamongfriendsandcolleagues.Theycanalsobeusedininformalwritings.④SlangwordsTechnicalwords:wordsusedinvariousspecialfields.Everybranchofscience,everyprofessionortrade,everyartandeverysortofsportshasitsowntechnicalterms.3)Bynotion:functionandcontentwordsTheDevelopmentoftheEnglishVocabularyEnglishvocabularyasviewedinthehistoricalperspectiveThehistoryoftheEnglishlanguageisdividedintothreeperiods.Theperiodfrom450to1150isknownastheOldEnglish,orAnglo-Saxonperiod.Theperiodfrom1150to1500isknownastheMiddleEnglishperiod.Theperiodfrom1500tothepresentdayiscalledtheModernEnglishperiod.1)Englishvocabularyasviewedinthehistoricalperspective2)Therapidgrowthofthepresent-dayEnglishvocabulary(especiallyafterWorldWarII)anditscases.