Lexicology Analysis on the Big Bang Theo
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Lexicology Analysis on the Big Bang Theory
Abstract:
Aiming at getting a further understanding of word-formation and the usage of words from the perspective of lexicology , in this paper ,I will analyze two main characters’ dialogues of the Big Bang Theory connecting with their occupations and the degree of their being educated in detail .
Key words:
word-formation usage of words occupation the degree of education
1. Introduction:
The Big Bang Theory is an American situation comedy mainly about a series of stories between a beauty and four scientists , in which the heroine, Penny is a enthusiastic, hospitable and easy-going lady, working in The Cheesecake Factory as a waitress while the leading actor, Sheldon is an extremely conceited and frank scientific genius and a perfectionist.
Lexicology is concerned with the study of the meaning of words and the composition of words .The scope of lexicology mainly embraces word-formation, meaning and the usage of words and word equivalents. Accordingly, in this paper, I will analyze these aspects by analyzing the two leading characters’ dialogues and connecting with their occupations and the degree of education of The Big Bang Theory.
2. Main body:
Word – formation studies the patterns on which a language, in this case the English language, coins new words, which is also called neologism .Compounding is one major type of word-formation which is widely used in the two leading characters ,Penny and Sheldon’s speeches .
Compounding consists of combining two or more words into one which now expresses a single idea and functions as a separate lexical unit, which is the most productive word-formation process in contemporary English .According to parts of the compounds, compounds are classified into noun compounds, adjective compounds, and verb compounds, all of which can be subdivided according to the syntactic relation of the compounding elements
(1)Noun compounds: Take the words the characters say for example. They can be subdivided as follows.
a. Subject and verb: hummingbird “the bird hums" high-speed “the speed is high”
webcam “the camera is used through web”
b. Verb and object: self-abuse “to abuse oneself by one’s hand ’’, lovemaking “to make love”
c. Verb and adverbial:
thinking cap “a cap for thinking ’’ ,
buttercup “ a cup with butter”
coloring books “ books with different colors”
washcloth “ a kind of cloth for washing”
d. Restrictive relation: the first element restricts the meaning of the second:
e.g. slipcover “ a slip of cover”
fingertip “ the tip of finger”
e. Appositive relation: the first element is in apposition to the second one:
e.g. bandwidth , girlfriend “a friend is a girl ’’
(2) Adjective compounds: Take the words the characters say for example. They can be subdivided as follows.
a. Subject and verb: leopard-spotted, lifelike, water-borne “to be borne by water”
b. Noun and adjective: four-star, long-distance, water-borne “to be borne by water”
c. Verb and object: self-appointed “to appoint oneself ’’
d. Verb and adverbial: overuse “to use over ’’, strangely-shaped “to be shaped strangely”
e. Coordinating relationship: The two adjectives are in a coordinating relationship, e.g. obsessive-compulsive “obsessive and compulsive”
(3) Verb compounds: Take the words the characters say for example. They can be subdivided as follows.
Adverbial and verb: overreact “to react too much” dry-clean “to clean sth. without water”
The English vocabulary comprises different kinds of words, which may be classified according to different criteria. By the level of usage, in the Big Bang Theory, words may be classified into common words, colloquial words, slang words and technical words
Common words, or popular words, are words connected with the ordinary things or activities necessary to everyday life, which are stylistically neutral so that they can be used in both formal and informal writing and speech .Take the following sentences from Big Bang for examples : “It's not what it looks like.’’ “She and Raj emerge from your bedroom.” “She is disheveled, and Raj is dressed only in a sheet.” …All the words in the three sentences spoken by the main character ,Sheldon when he speaks to his roommate ,Leonard are common words , which are used in informal occasion , from which we can know that common words are stylistically neutral so that they can be used in informal speech .
Colloquial words are used mainly in spoken language English, as in conversation among friends and roommates. Take a conversation between Penny and Amy : who are good friends in Big Bang for example:
Penny: Can I stay at your place for a few nights?
Amy: Really? A best friend sleepover? Yay.
Penny: Yeah, sure. Yay!
Amy: We'll make popcorn, stay up all night and I'll teach you my secret language, Op.
Penny: Sounds great.
Amy: Nope. Sounds "Gop Rop E A Top."
Penny: Yeah, I'm gonna go pack a bag.
Amy: No, you're not. You're gonna "Pop A Cop Kop A Bop A Gop."
In the conversation above, there are lots of colloquial words which can only used in informal speech. However, colloquial words can show the closeness between people, just like Penny and Amy.
Slang is defined as an informal language consisting of words and expressions that are not considered appropriate for formal occasions. On the one hand, slang words are often vituperative or vulgar. On the other hand, however, they are fresh and novel. For example: got a big crush on “fall in love with”, a regular Joe “a pass-by”, What the hell is wrong with you? “What is wrong with you?’’, I got his back “I support him”, Do you think I have a shot with Penny? “ Do you think Penny love me?’’ Buck up, sissy pants “Be cheerful, my boy” etc., all of which make people’ speech lively and expressive .So, we can know that slang words are becoming more popular.
Technical words refer to those words used in various special fields. Accordingly , every branch of science , every profession or else has its own technical terms .Therefore , undoubtedly , physics has its own technical terms , like the words the main character, Sheldon , a scientific genius on physics has said , such as hygiene “health” ,sexual intercourse & coitus “ lovemaking” etc. As a physist, Sheldon uses technical terms even in his everyday conversation with his roommates and friends .e.g. Sheldon: She and Raj emerge from your bedroom.
She is disheveled, and Raj is dressed only in a sheet.
The sole clue: "It's not what it looks like."
Leonard: Just let it go, Sheldon.
Sheldon: If I could, I would, but I can't, so I shan't.
Now, knowing Penny, the obvious answer is, they engaged in coitus.
Leonard: But...Since that's what it looked like,
Sheldon: we can rule that out. Let’s put on our thinking cap, shall we?
Raj is from India, a tropical country. Third World hygiene.
Parasitic infections are common, such as pinworms.
The procedure for diagnosing pinworms is to wait until the subject is asleep, and the worms crawl out of the rectum for air.
Leonard: Yes, just like that.
Sheldon: Penny could have been inspecting Raj's anal region for parasites.
In terms of lexicology , the words a person says ,formal or informal , colloquial or technical , to a great extent , are depended on his social status ,his occupation , and the degree of his education . In Big Bang Theory, Sheldon uses technical terms concerning physics even in his daily conversation with his roommates and friends, such as, sexual intercourse, genitals, parasitic infections, pinworms , rectum, etc., while another character , Penny ,a beautiful but not well –educated lady living next door to Sheldon , usually says colloquial words . Look at the words she has said following:
Oh, my God,
You jerk face!
Damn right
cutie pie
You know what?
Really?
Yeah, sure. Yay!
Nope.
Yeah, I'm gonna go pack a bag.
…
Why do they two speak so different? Their occupations are different : the former is a scientist and the latter is a waitress of The Cheesecake Factory ,from which we can know that Sheldon is much more well-educated than Penny . However , there is one thing that they two are in common : the use of slang words . Such as , ‘a regular Joe’ , ‘What the hell is wrong with you?’ said by Sheldon and ‘You just bit my tongue!’ said by Penny and ‘My brother-- he's got a big crush on Bernadette.’ …
3. Conclusion:
From the perspective of lexicology, this paper mainly analyzes the characters’ dialogues of the Big Bang Theory in terms of word-formation, the usage of words, and their occupations and the degree of education as well.
In terms of word-formation, it is mainly concerned with compounding which is classified into noun compounds, adjective compounds and verb compounds according to parts of speech of the compounds. And all these three kinds of compounds can be subdivided.
By level of usage, words can be classified into common words, colloquial words, slang words and technical words.
To a great extent, the words a person says are depended on his occupation and the degree of being educated.
本文標題：Lexicology Analysis on the Big Bang Theo - 大學英語作文_大學英文作文_大學生英語作文網Abstract:
Aiming at getting a further understanding of word-formation and the usage of words from the perspective of lexicology , in this paper ,I will analyze two main characters’ dialogues of the Big Bang Theory connecting with their occupations and the degree of their being educated in detail .
Key words:
word-formation usage of words occupation the degree of education
1. Introduction:
The Big Bang Theory is an American situation comedy mainly about a series of stories between a beauty and four scientists , in which the heroine, Penny is a enthusiastic, hospitable and easy-going lady, working in The Cheesecake Factory as a waitress while the leading actor, Sheldon is an extremely conceited and frank scientific genius and a perfectionist.
Lexicology is concerned with the study of the meaning of words and the composition of words .The scope of lexicology mainly embraces word-formation, meaning and the usage of words and word equivalents. Accordingly, in this paper, I will analyze these aspects by analyzing the two leading characters’ dialogues and connecting with their occupations and the degree of education of The Big Bang Theory.
2. Main body:
Word – formation studies the patterns on which a language, in this case the English language, coins new words, which is also called neologism .Compounding is one major type of word-formation which is widely used in the two leading characters ,Penny and Sheldon’s speeches .
Compounding consists of combining two or more words into one which now expresses a single idea and functions as a separate lexical unit, which is the most productive word-formation process in contemporary English .According to parts of the compounds, compounds are classified into noun compounds, adjective compounds, and verb compounds, all of which can be subdivided according to the syntactic relation of the compounding elements
(1)Noun compounds: Take the words the characters say for example. They can be subdivided as follows.
a. Subject and verb: hummingbird “the bird hums" high-speed “the speed is high”
webcam “the camera is used through web”
b. Verb and object: self-abuse “to abuse oneself by one’s hand ’’, lovemaking “to make love”
c. Verb and adverbial:
thinking cap “a cap for thinking ’’ ,
buttercup “ a cup with butter”
coloring books “ books with different colors”
washcloth “ a kind of cloth for washing”
d. Restrictive relation: the first element restricts the meaning of the second:
e.g. slipcover “ a slip of cover”
fingertip “ the tip of finger”
e. Appositive relation: the first element is in apposition to the second one:
e.g. bandwidth , girlfriend “a friend is a girl ’’
(2) Adjective compounds: Take the words the characters say for example. They can be subdivided as follows.
a. Subject and verb: leopard-spotted, lifelike, water-borne “to be borne by water”
b. Noun and adjective: four-star, long-distance, water-borne “to be borne by water”
c. Verb and object: self-appointed “to appoint oneself ’’
d. Verb and adverbial: overuse “to use over ’’, strangely-shaped “to be shaped strangely”
e. Coordinating relationship: The two adjectives are in a coordinating relationship, e.g. obsessive-compulsive “obsessive and compulsive”
(3) Verb compounds: Take the words the characters say for example. They can be subdivided as follows.
Adverbial and verb: overreact “to react too much” dry-clean “to clean sth. without water”
The English vocabulary comprises different kinds of words, which may be classified according to different criteria. By the level of usage, in the Big Bang Theory, words may be classified into common words, colloquial words, slang words and technical words
Common words, or popular words, are words connected with the ordinary things or activities necessary to everyday life, which are stylistically neutral so that they can be used in both formal and informal writing and speech .Take the following sentences from Big Bang for examples : “It's not what it looks like.’’ “She and Raj emerge from your bedroom.” “She is disheveled, and Raj is dressed only in a sheet.” …All the words in the three sentences spoken by the main character ,Sheldon when he speaks to his roommate ,Leonard are common words , which are used in informal occasion , from which we can know that common words are stylistically neutral so that they can be used in informal speech .
Colloquial words are used mainly in spoken language English, as in conversation among friends and roommates. Take a conversation between Penny and Amy : who are good friends in Big Bang for example:
Penny: Can I stay at your place for a few nights?
Amy: Really? A best friend sleepover? Yay.
Penny: Yeah, sure. Yay!
Amy: We'll make popcorn, stay up all night and I'll teach you my secret language, Op.
Penny: Sounds great.
Amy: Nope. Sounds "Gop Rop E A Top."
Penny: Yeah, I'm gonna go pack a bag.
Amy: No, you're not. You're gonna "Pop A Cop Kop A Bop A Gop."
In the conversation above, there are lots of colloquial words which can only used in informal speech. However, colloquial words can show the closeness between people, just like Penny and Amy.
Slang is defined as an informal language consisting of words and expressions that are not considered appropriate for formal occasions. On the one hand, slang words are often vituperative or vulgar. On the other hand, however, they are fresh and novel. For example: got a big crush on “fall in love with”, a regular Joe “a pass-by”, What the hell is wrong with you? “What is wrong with you?’’, I got his back “I support him”, Do you think I have a shot with Penny? “ Do you think Penny love me?’’ Buck up, sissy pants “Be cheerful, my boy” etc., all of which make people’ speech lively and expressive .So, we can know that slang words are becoming more popular.
Technical words refer to those words used in various special fields. Accordingly , every branch of science , every profession or else has its own technical terms .Therefore , undoubtedly , physics has its own technical terms , like the words the main character, Sheldon , a scientific genius on physics has said , such as hygiene “health” ,sexual intercourse & coitus “ lovemaking” etc. As a physist, Sheldon uses technical terms even in his everyday conversation with his roommates and friends .e.g. Sheldon: She and Raj emerge from your bedroom.
She is disheveled, and Raj is dressed only in a sheet.
The sole clue: "It's not what it looks like."
Leonard: Just let it go, Sheldon.
Sheldon: If I could, I would, but I can't, so I shan't.
Now, knowing Penny, the obvious answer is, they engaged in coitus.
Leonard: But...Since that's what it looked like,
Sheldon: we can rule that out. Let’s put on our thinking cap, shall we?
Raj is from India, a tropical country. Third World hygiene.
Parasitic infections are common, such as pinworms.
The procedure for diagnosing pinworms is to wait until the subject is asleep, and the worms crawl out of the rectum for air.
Leonard: Yes, just like that.
Sheldon: Penny could have been inspecting Raj's anal region for parasites.
In terms of lexicology , the words a person says ,formal or informal , colloquial or technical , to a great extent , are depended on his social status ,his occupation , and the degree of his education . In Big Bang Theory, Sheldon uses technical terms concerning physics even in his daily conversation with his roommates and friends, such as, sexual intercourse, genitals, parasitic infections, pinworms , rectum, etc., while another character , Penny ,a beautiful but not well –educated lady living next door to Sheldon , usually says colloquial words . Look at the words she has said following:
Oh, my God,
You jerk face!
Damn right
cutie pie
You know what?
Really?
Yeah, sure. Yay!
Nope.
Yeah, I'm gonna go pack a bag.
…
Why do they two speak so different? Their occupations are different : the former is a scientist and the latter is a waitress of The Cheesecake Factory ,from which we can know that Sheldon is much more well-educated than Penny . However , there is one thing that they two are in common : the use of slang words . Such as , ‘a regular Joe’ , ‘What the hell is wrong with you?’ said by Sheldon and ‘You just bit my tongue!’ said by Penny and ‘My brother-- he's got a big crush on Bernadette.’ …
3. Conclusion:
From the perspective of lexicology, this paper mainly analyzes the characters’ dialogues of the Big Bang Theory in terms of word-formation, the usage of words, and their occupations and the degree of education as well.
In terms of word-formation, it is mainly concerned with compounding which is classified into noun compounds, adjective compounds and verb compounds according to parts of speech of the compounds. And all these three kinds of compounds can be subdivided.
By level of usage, words can be classified into common words, colloquial words, slang words and technical words.
To a great extent, the words a person says are depended on his occupation and the degree of being educated.
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