por He lexicon It is the set of words that make up a language and that are also part of its dictionary. This changes from region to region, and even within the regions themselves, because words created by the inhabitants themselves are always being added, who give them their own meaning according to their needs.
What we know as the Spanish lexicon comes mostly from transformations of the language of the Romans, Latin. Throughout time, the Spanish language was also influenced by Greek, Arabic, and Celtic words, just to name a few.
The technical words that some professionals have, according to their area, are also considered lexicon. For example, a lawyer has his own linguistic terms on legal concepts and laws. We know these as “technicalities”.
Languages adjust to the situations, customs and experiences of those who speak to them. So, we could say that languages are constantly changing and are subject to those who use them. To know the lexicon of a certain population, you must learn to use it and know its rules.
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Lexicon concept
Lexicon is the vocabulary of a language. It is part of a territory or a specific activity. It is made up of words contained in the dictionary that represents said language, and in turn can include internal modifications, according to the activities and customs of each province, city or town.
In general, we will find a formal form of the lexicon of each language, which is dominated by the whole of society and institutionally accepted. However, we will also find an informal side of the language, with distinctive words for a group of people from a community, social class or region.
The terms of a specific professional field or activity carried out are also considered lexicon. These technical words are dominated by a certain group of people who are dedicated to studying and working in that particular area.
It is common for new words to continue to appear, according to the idioms of the regions. In the course of time, many words have been added, created by speakers or taken from foreign languages. In turn, each term that makes up a language is influenced by the new generations.
Features of lexical units
The lexical units are all words that allow communication between two people. Each word is a lexical unit. Generally, these units have 3 types of lexical features, which we can define as:
formal features
They are the main characteristics of the type of word. They also show the information of the syntactic content that they have and the type of alteration that the word in question has.
– If it is a verb (to be, to pray, to go).
– Of a noun (table, school, house).
– From a pronoun (I, you, he).
semantic features
These features or qualities are constituted by the data that has a lexical unit (word). In addition, they contain the essential properties of said word.
– The cow is a vertebrate, at the same time it is a farm animal.
– Ringo Starr is a member of the Beatles. But at the same time in a name.
– Spring is a season of the year. But at the same time it is a name.
Phonological features
As its name indicates, it refers to the sound qualities of each word. It is a very broad field of study, but simple. It involves each letter that makes up our vocabulary.
The letter “s” will sound louder in a word if they come before a “p” than an “m”. This is the case with:
–Espera.
–EYEera.
types of lexicon
Types of lexicon according to origin and diffusion
The lexicon of this type is made up of a large number of frequently used words. Therefore, it is easily understood, since it is the most spoken. It is commonly called “productive language”.
This type of lexicon is less common, as it is rarely used. Despite that, it has words that are easily understood, and does not require any specialized knowledge to understand it.
They are words of a particular language, they are part of its heritage. They can also be foreign words, words adopted from some other language and that end up being part of whoever receives them.
It is the characteristic lexicon of a particular region. It is the one that is spoken properly in the place.
They are colloquial words. In some cases they are vulgar, depending on the grammatical register.
They are variations of the standard language, which change according to the environment (age, profession, social class). Among the most common jargons, we can highlight:
social jargon
Here we can find a set of variations that identify a group of people and that differentiate them from others. Among them we have: young people, athletes, computer scientists, just to name a few.
professional jargon
As their name indicates, they are for professional use. Technical words specific to a particular profession are used. As for example philosophers, mathematicians, sailors, scientists, among others.
Types of lexicon according to the function
According to its function, there can be two types:
These allow the creation of new words (by composition, derivation, among others) to give qualities or name new objects. For this reason it is said that they are open class, since there is no limit on the inventory. These types of words have a referential meaning, and they describe properties, processes or actions.
Among this group we can find:
– Nouns.
– The adjectives.
– Verbs.
– Adverbs.
ways to create words
The words that make up the lexical category can be joined to form new words. For this, the following forms are used:
– Composition (linguistics).
– Derivation (linguistics).
– Parasynthesis.
This type is used for the connection in sentences, which is why it is said that they are words with a strictly grammatical function. Unlike the previous one, this one has a closed catalog, and no more elements are allowed in this class. Among them we can highlight:
– The conjunctions.
– The assistants.
– The articles.
examples of lexicon
Legal technical vocabulary
Abrogate😀annul a regulation or a law.
expendable goods:sThese are goods that disappear after using them, or are damaged over time.
costs:se refers to the expenses that occur in the process of processing a trial. It also applies to the expenses of legal proceedings.
computer technical lexicon
chat:se refers to the conversation that occurs by any cybernetic means.
Encrypt:es the process that allows data to be protected by means of special encryption.
Handheld:sIt is a minicomputer. It is so small that it can be carried in the palm of the hand.
From Latin American social jargon
Corduroy:hrefers to the friend. It is widely used throughout the territory.
jeva:hrefers to a girlfriend or partner. It is also widely used, although in more informal social strata.
perol:eIt is synonymous with the word “thing”. This word is used to designate any object. Example: «Pass me that pan», referring to a chair.
References
Lexicon. (2020). Spain: Wikipedia. Recovered from: es.wikipedia.org.
Lexicon. (2019). Spain: Dictionary of the Royal Spanish Academy. Recovered from: rae.es.
Lexicon. (S.f.). (N/A): Euston. Recovered from: euston96.com.
Lexicon. (2006). Spain: The Free Dictionary. Retrieved from: es.thefreedictionary.com.
Lexicon. (S.f.). (N/A): Lexicon. Retrieved from: lexico.com.