Course Main Objective
To highlight the impact of both sciences of lexicography and semantics on lexicography, language vocabulary monitoring and development, analysis of linguistic contexts in various texts and benefit from the linguistic legacy and the outputs of modern theories
Course Learning Outcomes
- 1. Knowledge and Comprehension
- 1.1 Explain types of Arabic lexicons and theories of semantics.
- 2. Skills
- 2.1 Differentiate among the different Arabic lexicon schools and methods of looking up in it.
- 2.2 Employ the semantic concepts and theories in analyzing and understanding contexts.
- 2.3 Use technology in increasing vocabulary from the lexicon and semantics websites.
- 3. Values
- 3.1 Assume responsibility of self-learning in looking up in lexicons and practicing teamwork and leadership upon performing lexicon and semantic assignments.
- 3.2 Observe scientific research ethics and academic integrity as well as values of responsible citizen.
Course Content
- An introduction to the course and its requirements.
- The concept of lexicon and principle of its use and purposes; history and development of lexicography and scholars’ effort to trace and keep language; nature and responsibilities of work in field of lexicography; difference between field of lexicon and that of encyclopedia.
- Lexicon schools in Arabic language and basics of their structure as regards lexis and subjects and difference between each other and the most important Arabic lexicons over different times. (General linguistic lexicons, semantic lexicons, bilingual lexicons, the phonetic variations school, the rhyme school, the alphabetic school). Lexicologists’ approach in explaining the semantic meaning.
- Skills of searching in lexicons and its role in increasing student’s vocabulary (render words to their roots precisely, look up word place inside the lexicon, index of symbols used in Arabic lexicons, the obsolete and used word, set the intended definition among multiple definitions of a word). Some deficiencies of lexicons and aspects of criticizing them.
- The concept of semantics and its fields, issues, history, attitudes, approaches and the value and quality of such science.
- Arab scholars’ effort in semantics
- Types of linguistic semantics (phonetic, morphological, syntactic, lexical, contextual).
- Semantic development: its concept, types, characteristics, reasons: effect of frequent use, figurative use, phonetic change, word transfer among different places, difference of society segments, social change, psychological state on word development.
- Theories of meaning analysis: linguistic context theories, theory of semantic fields, theory of semantic components: effect of sounds, accent and intonation, collocations on semantic direction.
- Phenomena of semantic polysemy (homonymy, opposites, synonymy)
Techniques of semantic expansion (analogy, derivation, arabization, generating, composition)
Textbook (s)
- Abdel Galil, Abdel Qader. Lexical Schools: A Study on Structure and Composition. Dar Safa, Amman, 2nd ed. 2014.
- Omar, Ahmad. M. Semantics. Alam Al-Kotob, Cairo, 7th ed. 2009.
Course ID: ARAB 302
| Credit hours | Theory | Practical | Laboratory | Lecture | Studio | Contact hours | Pre-requisite | 3 | 3 | 3 | - |
|---|
