從詞匯學的角度論英語新詞

2005年10月分類號UDC密級學校代碼學位論文題目從詞匯學的角度論英語新詞英文題目研究生姓名田海鷹姓名劉升民職稱教授指導教師單位名稱外國語學院郵編申請學位級別碩士學科專業(yè)名稱外國語言學及應用語言學論文提交日期2005.10論文答辯日期2005.11學位授予單位武漢理工大學學位授予日期2005.11答辯委員會主席許之所教授評閱人許之所教授王海燕副教授2005年10月ThesisApplyingforMasterDegreeofW.U.T中文摘要語言隨著社會生活的變化而變化。詞匯作為語言中最為積極的因素對社會生活的變化尤為敏感。二十世紀九十年代以來，社會經濟、政治、科學、技術和教育領域發(fā)生了巨大的變化。新的詞語和表達方式也隨著社會生活中出現的新事物、新觀念而產生。英語語言中涌現了大量反映新事物的詞匯和表達手法。本文擬從詞匯學的角度,采用構詞法理論及FUDGE衡量準則研究英語新詞這一語言現象。所謂新詞是指新創(chuàng)造的詞語或表達方式,或是在原有的意思上衍生新意的詞語.隨著語言的發(fā)展,新詞會被接納為已有詞匯的一部分,否則就會被淘汰而消失。新詞能否成為已有詞匯的一部分取決于很多因素。英語中幾乎每天都會有新詞產生,但卻只有少數新詞可能被收錄到詞典中成為我們日常詞匯的一部分。為什么只有這少數新詞被收錄?我們有沒有可能判斷一個新詞能否得到社會的廣泛認可成為既有詞匯的一部分?又是哪些因素決定了新詞的去留?有關新詞研究的書籍和文章很多,但是大部分的研究主要針對新詞構詞結構，只有少數討論新詞能否被社會語言接受最終收錄到詞典。本文作者通過對大量新詞及其產生背景的研究論述了上述幾個問題。對于語言的學習者我們不僅僅要教授語言中已有的詞匯,同樣還要教給學生方法幫助他們理解英語中出現的新詞新語。水平較好的學生還應該掌握被收錄到詞匯中的這些新詞的產生方法和構詞的規(guī)則。對于構詞規(guī)則的了解有助于學生增加現有的詞匯量。為此本文擬從五個章節(jié)深入研究英語新詞。論文簡介部分主要介紹了英語新詞研究的目的和意義。接下來第一章是英語新詞研究的理論闡述,包括詞語的定義、新詞的定義以及研究的背景。論文第二章,系統(tǒng)全面地介紹了英語新詞產生的原因、形式及分類。論文第三章,全面闡述了英語新詞產生的途徑方法;在第四章,作者用大量的文字論述了英語新詞能否被社會接受并最終收錄到字典中去的幾個決定因素，提出了FUDGE衡量準則。然后作者通過應用FUDGE衡量準則詳細的分析了大量的最新英語詞匯。論文第五章，在完成了對英語新詞個案的仔細研究后,對英語新詞的產生原因,構詞規(guī)則和新詞能否成為詞匯的一部分做了總結。關鍵詞:英語新詞,新詞構成,FUDGE衡量準則ThesisApplyingforMasterDegreeofW.U.TAbstractLanguagemaychangewhenchangestakeplaceinsociallife.Asthemostactivefactoroflanguage,lexiconisverysensitivetothechangesinsociallife.Fromthe1990s,tremendouschangeshavetakenplaceinthefieldsrangingfromeconomy,politics,science，technology,toeducation.Newwordsandexpressionsemergeoncenewthingsandnewconceptsappearinsociallife.AndlargenumbersofnewwordsandexpressionsreflectingthesenewthingsarecomingintotheEnglishlanguageinanendlessstream.ThispaperattemptstostudytheveryphenomenonofEnglishneologismsfromtheperspectiveoflexicologywiththeapplicationofword-formationtheoryandFUDGEScale.“Neologism”canbedefinedas“anewly-createdword,orexpression,oranewmeaningforanexistingword.”Neologismsareoftenacceptedaspartsofthealreadyexistingvocabulary.Othertimes,however,theydisappearfromcommonusage.Whetherornotaneologismcontinuesaspartoftheexistingvocabularydependsonmanyfactors.EachdayintheEnglishlanguage,manynewwordsareborn.Yetonlyafewremainasseriouscandidatesforthedictionaryandhaveaplaceinourpermanentvocabulary.Whysomanyandyetsofew?Andisitpossibletopredictwhichfewwillbesuccessful?Whatdeterminesthesuccessofaneologism?Booksandpapersaboutneologismareabundant.However,mostoftheresearchesconcernedfocusonthemorphemicstructureofnewwords;fewofthemdiscussthesuccessofnewwords.Thankstovastlyincreasedknowledgeaboutnewwordsandtheirhistories,itisnowpossibletoanswertheabovequestions.That’swhatthispaperattemptstodo.What’smore,itisnotenoughtoteachlearnersonlythewordsthathavealreadyexistedinthelanguage.Advancedlearnersshouldbetaughttheproductiveprocessesbywhichnewentriesenterthevocabularysothattheycanmakesenseofthenewwordsthattheywillcomeacross.Teachersofadvancedlearnersshouldacquaintthemwiththerulesofwordformationwhichnativespeakersintuitivelyapplytoformnewtermsandunderstandthosecreatedbyothers.Theknowledgeofthepatternsinvolvedinwordformationwillhelpstudentstoincreasetheirvocabularypermanently.Thepaperattemptstoprovideanexplorationofneologismfromthefollowingfivechapters.ThefirstpartisthegeneralintroductionofthepurposeandsignificanceThesisApplyingforMasterDegreeofW.U.Toftheresearchonneologism.Thenabriefreviewofstudyingneologismiscarriedout,includingthedefinitionofword,thedefinitionofneologism,andasurveyoftheresearchbackground.Inchaptertwo,acomprehensivestudybasedonthereasons,versions,andclassificationofEnglishneologismsisconducted.Chapterthreeisputforwardtorevealtherulesgoverningtheformationofnewwords.Threemajormethodsaboutnewwordformationarediscussed.Chapterfourfocusesonthefactorsdeterminingthesuccessofnewword.SpecialattentionispaidtotheFUDGEscale.ThenadetailedtestofthemostcurrentEnglishnewwordsiscarriedoutwithapplicationoftheFUDGEscaletopredictthesuccessofthosenewwords.Inchapterfive,aftercarefulexaminationoftheseindividualexamplesofnewwords,aconclusionismadetoworkoutthegeneralprinciplesthatgovernthecreationandthesuccessofnewwords.KeyWords:EnglishNeologism,NewWord-formation,FUDGEScaleThesisApplyingforMasterDegreeofW.U.TContentsAbstractinChineseIAbstractinEnglishIIIIntroduction1Chapter1:LiteratureReview41.1DEFINITIONOFWORD41.2DEFINITIONOFNEOLOGISM41.3ASURVEYOFTHERESEARCHBACKGROUNDOFENGLISHNEOLOGISM6Chapter2:AnOverviewofEnglishNeologism92.1REASONSFORTHERISEOFENGLISHNEOLOGISMS92.1.1TheRiseofNewConceptsandNewIdeasinSocialCulture92.1.2NewDiscoveriesandProductsinScienceandTechnology102.1.3TheManufactureofNewProductsinEconomy122.1.4TheEventsintheFieldofPolitics132.2VERSIONSOFNEOLOGISMS142.2.1Neologisms:unstable152.2.2Neologisms:diffused152.2.3Neologisms:stable162.3THECLASSIFICATIONOFENGLISHNEOLOGISMS16Chapter3TheFormationofEnglishNeologism193.1BYTHERULESOFWORD-FORMATION193.1.1Affixation203.1.2Compounding223.1.3Conversion243.1.4Blending253.1.5Shortening263.1.6Back-formation283.1.7WordsfromProperNames283.2ADDINGNEWMEANINGTOTHEEXISTINGWORD31ThesisApplyingforMasterDegreeofW.U.T3.3NEWWORDSBORROWEDFROMOTHERLANGUAGES33Chapter4TheDiscussionoftheSuccessofNeologism354.1THEFUDGEFACTORS364.1.1Factor1:FrequencyofUse374.1.2Factor2:Unobtrusiveness394.1.3Factor3:DiversityofUsersandSituations404.1.4Factor4:GenerationofOtherFormsandMeanings414.1.5Factor5:EnduranceoftheConcept434.2TESTOFCURRENTNEOLOGISMSBYTHEAPPLICATIONOFFUDGE464.2.1Wordsof1960s464.2.2WordsoftheEarly2000s47Chapter5Conclusion51Bibliography53Acknowledgement56ThesisApplyingforMasterDegreeofW.U.TIntroductionJustastheworldisconstantlychanging,soislanguage.Languagesarelivingthingswithwordsconstantlycomingandgoing.AfterWorldWarII,neologismsemergedinanendlessstream.EachdayintheEnglishlanguageatleastasmanythousandsofnewwordsareborn.TakealookatthelatesteditionofOxfordAdvancedLearner’sEnglish-ChineseDictionary(ExtendFourthEdition,whosecontentis50%largerthanitsthirdedition,stillexpandingword-stockispushingin,sowefindanother3,333brand-newwordsatthelatterpartofthedictionary.Manyhavecomefromspecialareas—thefieldofinternetisamajorexample.Quiteanumberofworksrelatedwithnewwordsandexpressionshavebeenpublishedduringtherecentyears.TherearedozensofdictionariesandmonographsintroducingEnglishnewwordsandexpressions,suchas《最新英語新詞語詞典》，《現代英語新詞語詞典》,TheMacquarieDictionaryofNewWords,TheOxfordDictionaryofNewWordsandTheNewWordRevolution,whichhavepooledplentifulexamplesofdiverseaspectsoflifeintherecent10years.Fast-developingtechnologiessuchasbiotechnology,computing,theinternetandmobilephonesarealwaysgeneratingnewvocabulary.Activitieslikedancingandlookingcoolareenjoyingrenewedpopularity.WordsfromallovertheEnglish-speakingworld(“worldEnglish”arebeingnoticed,andofcoursepeoplearealwayscomingupwithnewslang.Forexample,adecadeago,aslightlydistractedpersonmayhavebeencalledan“airhead”,or“outtolunch”.Buttodayhe’dbecalleda“404”.(“404”isfromtheWebmessagethatmeansadocumentcouldn’tbefound;there’snothingthere.Likewise,inthe1930s,apersonwhoassumesthedressandoftenthemannerassociatedwiththeoppositesex,esp.forpsychologyiscalled“transvestite”,butin1990s,suchapersoniscalled“genderillusionist”.Neverbeforeinhistoryhastheworldseensuchanoverwhelmingonslaughtofnewwordstolearn.NewwordsandmeaningskeeptheEnglishlanguageinastateofconstantfluxandcontinuouschange.Infact,intheUnitedStates,theboomingofnewwordsin1990shasgivenrisetoapowerfulmovementinthelinguisticfield,theso-calledNEWWORDREVOLUTION.TheNewWordRevolutionistheradicalexplosionofnewwordsandterminologiescreatedbytheDigitalRevolutionwhichThesisApplyingforMasterDegreeofW.U.Tincludes:newtechnology,theinternet,popularculture,youthslang,andnewtermsfromhundredsofotherfields.(Holley,2000BecauseoftherapidspreadofTheNewWordRevolution,manywesterncountriesarespeakingawhollynewlanguage.EventheEnglishspeakersthemselvesfeeltheurgeofkeepingupwiththelatestvocabulary.Obsessedbycareers,wiredtotheWebandbombardedbynews,EnglishspeakersareimbuingtheEnglishlanguagewithnewwordsandslanginspiredbytheworkplacesandhightechnology.Inthe500-Yeardelta,authorsJimTaylorandWattsWackerwrote:“Theabilitytolearnanewlanguageeverydayisofutmostimportance,becauseasdistinctionsbetweennationaltonguesdieout,anewvocabularyisbeingbornatastaggeringrate--alreadyroughly1/3ofthewordsinanystandarddictionaryarelessthan25yearsold!Akeenearforidiomandaknackforcoiningphraseshasbecomethecurrencyofmodern-dayImagineering.”ThoughwidelyexposedtotheEnglishlanguage,nativespeakershavetotakeconsciouseffortstokeeptheirvocabularyfrombecomingobsolete.WecanimaginehowimportantitisforEnglishlearnerstostudyneologisms.WhenwereadthelatestEnglishnewspapersandmagazinesorlistentotheEnglishbroadcast,howfrequentlyweencounterneologismsandhavetoacknowledgethefactthatwecannotalwaysdependondictionaries.Underthesecircumstances,acomprehensivestudyonwordformationprocesseswherebynewwordsarecreatedwillbeveryhelpfultoEnglishlearnerswhoareeagertohaveabettercommandoftheEnglishvocabulary.Therefore,thematterofneologismbecomesanewhotspotofresearchowingtoitspracticalandprevailinguseinreality.Inarealsense,thecarefulstudyofneologismstartedinthe20thcentury.Inchina,thestudyofneologismbeganfrom1980s.Mostofthespecificworksandpapersaremereintroductionoftheoriesfromabroadlackingofmuchoriginalstudy.TokeepupwiththelatestEnglishvocabularyisreallydifficult,thusathoroughandsystematicanalysisaboutEnglishnewwordsisofpracticalsignificancebothinlearningandteachingofEnglishasaforeignlanguage.ThepaperaimstohelpEnglishlearnersdevelopagoodappreciationfortheemergingEnglishnewwords.Itisalsowrittentoinformthelearnershowanewwordcomesintoexistence.ItisexpectedthatthenewwordsandtherulesofThesisApplyingforMasterDegreeofW.U.Tword-formationintroducedinthispapershouldfacilitatetheirabilityinreadingandnetsurfing.Thestudyofneologismsalsoevokedawholeclusterofquestions:Whyareprominentnewwordsoftenjustaflashinthepan?Whyarenot-so-prominentnewwordsoftenthemostsuccessful?Whydosuccessfulnewwordsoftenturnouttobeolderthanwethought?Whatarethequalitiesthatmakeforthesuccessofnewwords?Wordsarenotlivingthings.YetnewwordsappeartoundergoaDarwinianstruggleofsurvivalofthefittest.EachdayintheEnglishlanguageatleastasmanythousandsofnewwordsareborn.Yetafterayear'stime,onlyafewhundredofthesewillremainasseriouscandidatesforthedictionaryandhaveaplaceinourpermanentvocabulary.Neologismsoftenbecomeacceptedpartsofthealreadyexistingvocabulary.Othertimes,however,theydisappearfromcommonusage.Whetherornotaneologismcontinuesaspartofthelanguagedependsonmanyfactors.Toclearthesepuzzles,theauthorhassearchednumerousbooksandpaperstoworkoutsomecriteriawhichdeterminingthesuccessofnewwords.ThispaperismyattempttoanalyzebasicconceptsofEnglishneologisms,i.e.thereasons,theversions,theclassifications,andtheword-formationrules;andthentoanswertheseabovequestionsandfurthertodeterminethecriteriawhichdeterminingthesuccessofnewword.Thediscussionandanalysisinthispaperisbasedonthecollectionofneologismsfromnewspaper,magazines,theInternet,andotherformsofmassmedia.Mostofthewordsstudiedareinformalones,includingjargonandslang,whicharedetailedlyexplainedinthebookwrittenbyShawnHolley“TheNewWordRevolution”.ThatbookisaspecialcategorizedguidetothemostpowerfulandessentialtermsandslangthatarefuelingthenamelyNewWordRevolution.ThesisApplyingforMasterDegreeofW.U.TChapter1:LiteratureReview1.1DefinitionofWordTheterm“word”isusedtodesignateanintermediatestructuresmallerthanawholephraseandyetgenerallylargerthanasinglesoundsegment.However,itishardtodefine“word”linguisticallyandscientifically.Astherearedifferentcriteriawithregardtoitsidentificationanddefinition,scholarsandexpertsdonotagreeonallpointsofthedefinitionof“word”.Thewordmaybedefineddifferentlydependingonwhetherwefocusonitsrepresentation,thethoughtwhichitexpresses,orpurelyformalcriteria.In1933,Bloomfield,putforwardthefollowingdefinition,thatis,“afreeformwhichisnotaphrase,isaword.Awordthenisafreeformwhichdoesnotconsistentirelyof(twoormorelesserfreeforms;inbrief,awordisaminimumfreeform”.AnotherfamouslinguistAntoineMeilletgavehisdefinitionfor“word”,thatis,“awordisdefinedbytheassociationofagivensensewithagivengroupofsoundscapableofagivengrammaticaluse.”Sofarnocompletelysatisfactorydefinitionhasbeengiven.Nevertheless,itisagreedthatfourpointsareinvolvedindefining“word”,noneofwhich,ofcourse,issatisfactorytocopewithallthesituations.Thedefinitionofawordcomprisesthefollowingfourpoints:1aminimalfreeformofalanguage;2asoundunity;3aunitofmeaning;4aformthatcanfunctionaloneinasentence.Therefore,awordmaybedefinedas“aminimalfreeformofalanguagethathasagivensoundandmeaningandsyntacticfunction”(ZhangWeiyou,19971.2DefinitionofNeologismWhatisneologism?Whatkindofwordcanbedefinedas“neologism”?ThesisApplyingforMasterDegreeofW.U.TCouldanoldwordwithnewsensebeclassifiedasneologism?Actually,theresearchesonthesequestionsarebeingheatedlypursued,yetnogeneralagreementhasbeenreached.Researcherswithdifferentknowledgebackgroundsmaydefineneologismindifferentways.Neologismsarebydefinition"new,"andassuchareoftendirectlyattributabletoaspecificindividual,publication,periodorevent.Theterm"neologism"wasitselfcoinedaround1800.Inlinguistics,aneologismisword,term,orphrasewhichhasbeenrecentlycreated("coined"—oftentoapplytonewconcepts,ortoreshapeoldertermsinnewerlanguageform.Theconceptneologismhaswideconnotation,includingnewword,newwordgroup,newsense,newusage,newaffixationanditsderivation,oldaffixationwithnewusageanditsderivation.(1999,ShengMengyingTheyarealsocalledvoguewords,namelynewandpopularwords.Neologismsareespeciallyusefulinidentifyinginventions,newphenomena,oroldideaswhichhavetakenonanewculturalcontext.Ingeneral,neologismsmaybeintroducedintoEnglishvocabularybecauseoftherapidprogressofmodernscienceandtechnology,politicalstruggle,changesinsocialhabits,economicdevelopment,etc.Newwordsarebeinginventedorintroducedallthetime.Aneologistisapersonwhodevelopsaneologismandneologyistheact(orscienceofintroducinganeologismintolanguage.Scholarsusuallydiscussneologismsfromtwoperspectives:thetimeperspectiveandthesemanticperspective.Fromthetimeperspective,neologismsreferstowordswithinacertainperiodoftime,aslongasthosewords,sayappeared20or30yearsago,arestillusedtoday,andhavedeeplyrootedinpeople’sminds,theycanstillholdtheidentityofneologism(LiuShuxin.Fromthesemanticperspective,neologismsrefertowordsthatnewlyappearincommunicationandcarrythenewmeanings.However,thoseoldwordsthatholdthenewmeaningarealsoconsideredasneologisms.Sofarageneralcriterionfordefiningneologismscanbefound:1neologismsarethewordswhichdidn’toccurbeforeandarenewlybuiltandcurrentlyenterintothecommonlexicons.2Neologismsarethewordswhichwithinacertainperiodoftime,havebeenwidelyacceptedbypeopleandstillfindtheirapplicationsnowadays.3Neologismsarethoseoldwordswhichcarrythenewmeanings.Inthispaper,thetermsneologismsandnewwordsareusedalternativelywithThesisApplyingforMasterDegreeofW.U.Tthesamereference,thatis,thetermnewwordsinthispaperisonlyusedtorefertoneologisms,notinthesenseof“wordsonedonotknow”.1.3ASurveyoftheResearchBackgroundofEnglishNeologismThefamousAmericannewwordexpertJohnAlgeowroteintheprefaceofhisbookFiftyYearsAmongtheNewWords,“Althoughthedictionaryofnewwordiswarmlywelcomedbyreadersonlyinrecentyears,actuallythecompilingofEnglishdictionarybeganwiththecollectionofnewwordeversince1604.”TheearlyEnglishdictionarieslikeTableAlphabeticall(1604,RobertCawdrey,EnglishExpositor(1616,JohnBullokar,andTheEnglishDictionarie(1623,HenryCockeramallembodiedsome“hardwords”,whichwereabsolutelynewwordstopeopleinthosedays.Thus,thosedictionariessomehowheldthecharacteristicsofneologismdictionary.However,thescientificandsystematicstudyofneologismbeganat200yearslater,the20thcentury.In1902,LeonMeadpublishedabooknamedWord-Coinage,beinganInquiryintoRecentNeologisms,alsoaBriefStudyofLiteraryStyle,Slang,andProvincialisms,whichsaidtobethefirstbookstudyingneologisminthe20th.Althoughitwasnotaneologismdictionary,itcontainedsomearticlesaboutnewwords.What’smore,Meadputforwardtheideaofmakingresearchonnewwordsforthefirsttimeinthehistory.HealsoprovidedlotsofexamplesofnewwordscreatedbysomeAmericanwritersatthattime.In1920,C.AlphonsoSmith,thedeanoftheEnglishdepartmentofAmericanNavyInstitutewroteabookentitledNewWordsSelf-defined,inwhich420newwordswereillustratedbyexamples.Thishadprovedtobeabigprogressintheresearchontheneologisms.From1937to1940,thefamousAmericanscholarDwightBolingerfirstappliednewspapersandmagazinestointroducenewword.Hecreatedacolumn,TheLivingLanguage,inthenewspaper,Words.In1943,thecolumnwasbroughtintoAmericanspeechandthetitlewaschangedintoAmongtheNewWords.Then,inthenextyear,ProfessorI.WillisRusselltooktheplaceofBolingerandbecamethechief-editorofthecolumn.HewrotearticlesentitledWordsandMeanings,New,tointroducenewThesisApplyingforMasterDegreeofW.U.Twordsandtheirnewmeanings.Warissaidtobethemajorcradleforthebornofnewwords.MajorieTaylor,alibrarianinNewYork,collectednumerousneologismscreatedduringtheWorldWarII.In1944,Taylorcompiledaword-list,TheLanguageofWorldWarII:Abbreviation,captions,Quotations,Slogans,TitlesandOtherTermsandPhrases,inwhicheverynewwordwasexplained.Similarly,ClarenceBarnhartpublishedhisDictionaryofU.S.ArmyTerms.Atthattime,someacademicmagazinesalsopublishedarticlestointroducenewwords.Manyneologismdictionariesinthe1950sareverypopular,especiallytheDictionaryofNewWordsinEnglishcompiledbyPaulCharlesBergin1953andTheDictionaryofNewWordsbyMaryReiferin1955.During1950s,Mr.PaulCharlesBergdidalotofjobtocollectnewwordsaboutthewar,whichbroughtushisDictionaryofNewWordsinEnglishin1953.AftertheWorldWarII,scienceandtechnologydevelopmenthadgreatlyinfluencedthesociety.Subsequently,alotofscientificandtechnicalwordswerefloodingintothelanguagefield.Alotofneologismdictionariesaboutwordsinthosefieldswerepublished.Twoofthemaremostlywelcomed:AnExplainingandPronouncingDictionaryofScientificandTechnicalWordsbyW.E.Flood&MichaelWestandWordsofSciencesandtheHistoryBlindThembyIsaacAsimov.From1970son,thestudyofEnglishneologismdrewgreatattentionfromwesternscholars,manyofthemestablishedspecialcolumntointroducenewwordsinEnglish,suchasWilliamSafirewhowaswellknownforhisOnLanguageinNewYorkTimesweeklyandAnneH.Soukhanowwhowasthechief-editorofWordWatch.InSafire’scolumn,heprovidedaconsiderablyclearexplanationofnewwordsbycitingtypicalexamples,exploringtheiroriginsandperformingtheircurrentusage.Besides,theAmericanDialectAssociationDispatchesintroducedsomenewwordsyearlytothepublic.Forinstance,in1994,“informationsuperhighway”wasrewardedasthenewestword;“cybersex”wasthemostsurprisingwordand“mosaicculture”themostunnecessaryword.Thedigitalrevolutionin1990sistheradicalreshapingandrestructuringofsocialpatterns.“Becauseofthewildspreadofinternet,Americaisspeakingawholenewlanguage”,saidShawnHolleyinhisTheNewWordRevolution.LotsofneologismsthathaveahistoricalsignificancebyreasonoftheinfluencetheyexertedThesisApplyingforMasterDegreeofW.U.Tonthelanguagefieldarebroughtintoexistence.Accordingtothestatistics,morethan20neologismdictionarieshavebeencompiled,amongwhichsomeputemphasisontheacademicfieldandsomearedistinctivebytheirpopularity.OxfordEnglishDictionary,Webster’sThirdNewInternationalDictionaryandBarhartDictionaryofNewEnglisharetheoneswiththehighestacademicvalue.Newwordsarenumerous.Sometimesitseemsasifanewwordhasaboutasmuchchanceofdevelopingintoapermanentadditiontoourvocabulary.Onlyfewofthemwillremainasseriouscandidatesforthedictionary.Booksespeciallyaboutnewwordsareabundant.However,onlyafewscholarshaveventuredtoproposefactorsthatmakeforthesuccessofnewwords.OneisGoranKjellmer,whosearticle"PotentialWords"inthejournalWordforAugust2000alsoreviewspreviousproposals.TheotheristheexecutivesecretaryofAmericanDialectSociety,AllanMetcalfwhoproposedtheFUDGEscale.Thetworeacheddifferentconclusions.Alongwithbooksandperiodicals,thereistheInternet.Inparticular,itmakesmyextensivesearchesforexamplesofhowwordsareactuallyusedtodaypossible.HeretheauthorhassearchedthousandsofpagesindexedbyGcountlesstimestofindcurrentusesofwordsunderdiscussion.Ajumpofseveraldecadeshasshowedusmoreresearchesontheneologisms.Languagereflectsourlife,andtheresearchontheneologismshasneverbeenstopped.Bycollectingnewwordsorphrasesoccurringinlanguages,thepreviousresearcheshaveprovidedpreciousmaterialsforthefurtherexplorationinthisfield.Therefore,acarefullookattheresearchbackgroundofneologismscarriesanessentialacademicsignificance.Inchina,thestudyofneologismbeganfrom1980s.Mostofthespecificworksandpapersaremereintroductionoftheoriesfromabroadlackingofmuchoriginalstudy.TokeepupwiththelatestEnglishvocabularyisreallydifficult,thusathoroughandsystematicanalysisaboutEnglishnewwordsisofpracticalsignificancebothinlearningandteachingofEnglishasaforeignlanguage.ThesisApplyingforMasterDegreeofW.U.TChapter2:AnOverviewofEnglishNeologism2.1ReasonsfortheRiseofEnglishNeologismQuitealotofreasonsareresponsibleforthecreatingofEnglishneologisms.Anynewthingornewconcept,whichtakesplaceinoursociety,mayprovideafoundationforthecreatingofthenewwords.Inthefollowing,fourofthemajorreasonswillbeemphasized:1theriseofnewconceptsandnewideasinsocialculture;2newdiscoveriesinscienceandtechnology;3themanufactureofnewproductsineconomy,and4theeventsinthefieldofpolitics.Accompaniedbyaseriesofneologisms,wecanhaveaclearerunderstandingofthecurrentEnglishneologisms.2.1.1TheRiseofNewConceptsandIdeasinSocialCultureTheimprovinglivingconditionandtheenhancingculturalstandardhaveformedasolidbasisonwhichalargenumberofnewthingsfindtheiroccurrence.Itisnotnecessarytodemonstratethatwiththedevelopmentofsocialculture,newconceptsandideasareintroducedintousconstantly.Sincetherearemanymoreconceptsthanthereareexistingwords,therewillalwaysbenewwordscreated.Changesinsocialoutlookandmannersofbehaviorcallfornewtermssuchasbeatnik,peacenik,andhippie.EvennewculinaryarrangementsdemandnewlabelsandinEnglishtheyhavesomeforthintheformofcheeseburger,chiliburger,mushroomburger,etc.(Anderson,1973BrianFosterpresentsusastrikingexampleofhowfastEnglishvocabularychanges.Intheyear1914,ayounggirlnamedMonicaBaldwinenteredaconvent,remainingsecludedthereuntil1941.Whenshereturnedtotheouterworld,shefoundherselfinatotallydifferentworld:theconditionsofeverydaylifealteredbytechnicaldevelopmentsandsocialchangeswerebeyondrecognition.What’smorepuzzlingtoherwasthelanguagepeoplespeaking.Duringarailwayjourney,theterm“l(fā)uggageinadvance”meantnothingtoher.Readingthedailynewspapersmadeherfeelidioticintheextreme,becausewordslikejazz,Gin,Hollywood,Cool,noshingandThesisApplyingforMasterDegreeofW.U.TIsolationismwerecompletelyincomprehensibletoher.Nottomentionhowbewilderedshewasathearingfriendssay,“It’syourfuneral”or“believeitornot”.(BrianFoster,1981Let’slookatanotherexample“moonlighting”.Itwasanythingbutnewtothevocabulary,anditgainedabrandnewmeaningin1957astheverbtomoonlightanditsrelatednoun,moonlighting.Timemagazine,beamedmoonlightingatitsreadersinitsissueofJuly22nd,1957.AccordingtoTime,itwasinfactnotjustanewname,butanewtrendandanewconcern."MOON-LIGHTING,"proclaimedtheheadline:"AProblemBornofProsperity."Asanoun,moonlightgoesbackwiththemoonitselftothebeginningoftheEnglishlanguageandevenear