Reflections on lexicology

郇雅婷

摘 要：Abstract：Learning English requires mastering a large number of vocabularies，and mastering roots and affixes is one of the most effective ways to improve the amount of vocabulary.Problems in reading comprehension and writing as well as in oral communication are mostly caused by the lack of vocabulary knowledge.

關鍵詞：Key;words：;roots;;affixes;;vocabulary;;problems

Unit One the Meaning of Root

The formation of English words has its rules，and only if students master the rules，they could memorize words more quickly and accurately.And the root is the core of vocabulary，which depends the main meaning of the word.The root can be a word alone，and also can combine with other roots to form a new word. A prefix or a suffix could change the speech and the meaning of a word.In other words，one word is made up of the root，the prefix， the suffix，in which the root depends the meaning，in which the prefix changes the implication，in which the suffix transforms the part of speech.

There are some words：lunar，luniform，lunate，Demilune， plenilune.It is not hard to find in this group of words，lun is the common point they have，which is the stable factor in this group. There is another group of words：solar，parasol，solarium，insolate， turnsole.Also，it is not difficult to find sol is the common part in this group，which is constant in this set of words.Therefore，the lun and the sol are the roots of these two group of words.

Unit Two Theory of Language Experience

A core idea of the philosophy of experience is that categories of human beings，concepts，reasoning and minds are formed based on physical experience，in which the basic form mainly depends on the perception of body parts，spatial relations，force movements.There are mainly four experiences：bodily experience，spatial experience，internal mental experience，natural and social experience.The research has found that the generation of meaning in the process of root formation reflects the cognition of human beings，which starts from the physical and spatial perception and then extends inward to internal minds and outward to the external environment.

Unit Three The observation of English Word Formation from the Root

i.Words are formed by roots alone

A：the words of simple root form （形狀）-form （形成）; firm （固定的）-firm （堅定的）

B：double roots （root+root） manu （手）+script （寫）-manuscript （手稿）; ped （男孩）+agogue （引導）-pedagogue （教師）

ii.Affixation

A：prefix+root pro （向前）+ pel （推）-propel （推進）

B：root+suffix equ （相等）+ ate （使）- equate （使相等）

C：prefix+root+suffix in （不）+ vis （看）+ ible （可…的）-invisible （看不見的）

Unit Four the Meaning of Learning Roots

Two hundred years ago，Lord Chesterfield said the shortest and best way of learning a language，is to know the roots of it， those original primitive words of which other words are formed. Besides，the root is considered as the first key to word power.In other words，the root is the primary point to improve your vocabulary ability，and it is the first key to the vocabulary treasure-house.

i.Learning the root firstly helps us to remember the phonetics，the form，the meaning of words faster and better.

The form and meaning of a word are dominated by the influence of its root.Once you have made sense of the root of the word，at the same time you have understood the basic form and meaning of the word at least.Therefore，only when we recognize the root of a word and then see what prefixes and suffixes are in the root of a word，will we generally infer and analyze the meaning of the word.

ii.Learning words helps us to understand the meaning of words correctly and use words more accurately.

Focusing on the root of the word and analyzing the shape of the word，you can get the basic meaning of this word and its denotative meaning.The knowledge of English root provides us with an effective weapon for understanding and using single words

iii.Learning the most positive practical meaning of the root of words is beneficial for us to expand the vocabulary quickly.

Under the guidance of the root，we can learn words with double results by half the work.Of course，it is not easy to recognize and master the root of words.It is not easy to analyze and synthesize words with root knowledge，which depends on our persistent study and accumulation。