unstable lexis
Unstable lexis | Simon Cole | October 12th, 2002
Hi Folks,
LEX (U9:13) refers to stable and unstable lexis, depending on areas of shared experience the item points to. The fewer areas of shared experience, the more stable that item is.
Is this like saying unstable = ambiguous meaning, stable = unambiguous meaning?
It seems so to me.
LEX (Unit 10:8) refers to two definitions of 'General English' the second of which states;
'General English is restricted to the use of the most frequent systemic lexis, plus the most frequent unstable referential lexis.'
Is the word 'way' an example of frequent unstable lexis? Dave Willis in "The Lexical Syllabus" describes it as the 3 rd most frequent noun according to the Cobuild corpus and the Collins Cobuild Dictionary entry for the word has 36 categories, some of them subdivided.
It seems so to me.
What implications does this definition have for sample/sourcing criteria when compiling a corpus of 'General English'?
Simon
Tokyo, Japan
Re: Unstable lexis | Colin Graham | October 20th, 2002
Hi Simon,
Since none of the LEXers appear to have responded to you mail...
Is this like saying unstable = ambiguous meaning, stable = unambiguous meaning?
With my earlier caveat to James, about my not currently doing LEX, in mind...
I would say, as a general guide, you're probably safe to look at it that way. However, Peter Roe used unstable rather than ambiguous, so why the change/choice of words?
I'm not going to get into a protracted discussion but, I would modify your equations to say unstable lexis is more likely to contribute to ambiguity and stable lexis is less likely to contribute to ambiguity. As always, the amount of context and co-text also have roles.
Examples of what I mean:
detrimental (stable, unambiguous)
right (unstable, ambiguous)
Is that detrimental? (stable, unambiguous)
Is that right? (unstable, ambiguous)
Is that a detrimental angle? (stable, unambiguous)
Is that a right angle? (unstable, UNambiguous)
I would argue that the last example can only have the cluster of meanings to do with 'verticality' in this particular context, hence 'right' becomes unambiguous because of the context it is placed in but still remains unstable. (You could argue also for 'right angle' as being a stable lexical chunk....)
LEX (Unit 10:8) refers to two definitions of 'General English' the second of which states; 'General English is restricted to the use of the most frequent systemic lexis, plus the most frequent unstable referential lexis.'
Is the word 'way' an example of frequent unstable lexis?
Yes, I'd say that's a good example. So is 'time' ;-)
What implications does this definition have for sample/sourcing criteria when compiling a corpus of 'General English'?
Maybe you should do CL and find out! I'd say so long as you recognize the limitations of what you can conclude from the corpus and that it's of sufficiently large size to have examples of the less common usages of the unstable lexis and that you don't base too many specific ideas on what you find and that you allow for the differences between the spoken and written and (inter)national forms of Englishes......
I think this concept would be useful to consider when compiling a corpus of genre-specific English, though. Many 'jargon' uses are, to my way of thinking, a narrowing of the meaning such that frequent, unstable lexis can be used with a higher degree of stability and so are less likely to be contributing to ambiguity- for those in that particular community of genre users. Think of 'program' in the computer world, for example. If you say 'program' to a member of the public, they may be more likely to think of a TV broadcast or the brochure you get at a concert or sports event, whereas I would bet that most computer users would think of a computer program....
Anyway, hope this helps
Colin
\(^_^)/
Banzai!
Unstable lexis | Simon Cole | October 21st, 2002
Colin,
Thanks! (Shame on me- I've done CL! Ha ha.) Your comments on the definition of general English put it in perspective for me a lot. Thanks.
Simon
with 
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