On The Changes Of Modern English Vocabulary

Languages are constantly changing. English is not exceptional, either. Changes of every sort in the present-day English have taken place concomitantly in different aspects, namely in phonetics (phonemics), grammar (morphology and syntax) and vocabulary. Vocabulary, as the most active element and the mirror of the society and culture, changes most radically and constantly. This thesis especially analyzes the changes since the 20th century and simultaneously summarizes some important well-working mechanisms in the lexical field.The whole thesis is divided into four chapters. The first chapter is a general introduction of the purpose and significance of the investigation, what has involved in this investigation, and some existing researches in the field. The second chapter is a quest of general changes in the present-day English, including the characteristics of changes which take place constantly, pervasively and systematically and the leading factors (both internal and external) contributing to changes. The third chapter mainly studies changes within the lexical field, casting light on mechanisms of lexical change from a new perspective: (1) a comprehensive utilization of word-formation to generate new words is the most fundamental and the most important means of ever-expanding stock of vocabulary in the present-day English; (2) borrowing is necessary as absorbing actively foreign vocabularies of unique ethnic features and enhancing the performance of Modern English force to meet the growing needs of international intercourses; (3) changes in all levels of society are the main backgrounds and the main sources for the creation of new words, which aims to promote social development and exchange, (4) according to practical changes of ideographic demands, to derive new meanings from old words by means like extension, metonymy is an effective way of fully making use of existing English vocabulary resources to explore their potential performances. At the end of this thesis, a complete summary is given and the author looks forward to the future of English developments.This thesis mainly takes the lexical changes as focus, which highlights the changes of the vocabulary of the language. Word-formation has been an essential part, for most new words are productive, allowing themselves to produce a number of principally innumerable formations; borrowing accounts for a larger proportion of new words; a less part comes from the shifts of meaning and totally creative new words are uncommon.The significance of the vocabulary, together with the numerous words that have been pouring into English that it is necessary to keep a watchful eye on the varieties of language, which has profound significance for English learners, both theoretically and practically.