How many words r there in the English language?
How many words are being actively used by people in real life?
How many words are being actively used by people in real life?
How many words r there in the English language?
1 - a lot
2 - not as many
In reality, I don't think there is any exact count of the number of words, since it's always changing, and it's not clear what should be included in the count. For example, which chemical names are vaiid words: something like water, carbon, tin are certainly words, but what about 1,2-dicyclohexyl-1,2-dichloroethene?
What can be counted is the number of entries in some unabridged dictionary or word list.
2 - not as many
In reality, I don't think there is any exact count of the number of words, since it's always changing, and it's not clear what should be included in the count. For example, which chemical names are vaiid words: something like water, carbon, tin are certainly words, but what about 1,2-dicyclohexyl-1,2-dichloroethene?
What can be counted is the number of entries in some unabridged dictionary or word list.
<<What can be counted is the number of entries in some unabridged dictionary or word list. >>
Many words are never counted as entries in dictionaries, such as words made from verb + adverb/preposition like 'to come back' (i.e. "return"), 'to think about' (i.e. "consider").
Technically, they are separate words from 'come' and think' in the same way that 'come' and 'overcome' or 'view' and 'review' are separate words because they express different meanings/concepts. The only difference is that the preposition is separated and not attached to the front.
If the words were listed as "backcome" and "aboutthink", we'd have a great many more entries than we currently do.
something to aboutthink ;)
Many words are never counted as entries in dictionaries, such as words made from verb + adverb/preposition like 'to come back' (i.e. "return"), 'to think about' (i.e. "consider").
Technically, they are separate words from 'come' and think' in the same way that 'come' and 'overcome' or 'view' and 'review' are separate words because they express different meanings/concepts. The only difference is that the preposition is separated and not attached to the front.
If the words were listed as "backcome" and "aboutthink", we'd have a great many more entries than we currently do.
something to aboutthink ;)
English is the language with the most words due to the zillions of technical words.
Should technical words really be considered English words when most of them are actually Latin and Greek words?
If they are English words then does that mean that all the newish English load words for technical concepts into other languages (eg, computer words) are considered words of those languages?
If they are English words then does that mean that all the newish English load words for technical concepts into other languages (eg, computer words) are considered words of those languages?
<<Should technical words really be considered English words when most of them are actually Latin and Greek words?
>>
Yes, because they are used in English.
<<If they are English words then does that mean that all the newish English load words for technical concepts into other languages (eg, computer words) are considered words of those languages? >>
Likewise yes, because they are used in those languages.
>>
Yes, because they are used in English.
<<If they are English words then does that mean that all the newish English load words for technical concepts into other languages (eg, computer words) are considered words of those languages? >>
Likewise yes, because they are used in those languages.
It's a subjective thing. There's no concrete definition of which words are classed as foreign or not. Depends on how you want to see it.
Techincal words of course should be counted as part of English vocabulary.
First of all, English has a huge number of words due to the Norman Invasion, which, in the end, nearly doubled the vocabulary (I know it didn't really double the vocabulary, but it did increase it vastly).
And yes, this is coupled with the insistence of the sciences to borrow heavily from Latin and Greek.
And yes, this is coupled with the insistence of the sciences to borrow heavily from Latin and Greek.
Skippy : « First of all, English has a huge number of words due to the Norman Invasion, which, in the end, nearly doubled the vocabulary (I know it didn't really double the vocabulary, but it did increase it vastly). »
C'est une peu plus compliqué que cette aimable légende. Ce n'est pas parce que Guillaume le Conquérant est devenu roi d'Angleterre que l'anglais a "beaucoup" de "mots" : toutes les langues ont "beaucoup" de "mots".
De nouveaux lemmes romanogrécolatins sont arrivés avec l'établissement permanent d'une société francophone organisée (très diverse au demeurant) sur les Îles britanniques au cours du Moyen-Âge. De ces lemmes, nous ne connaissons que ceux que les lettrés anglophones de l'époque ont consigné par écrit. Parallèlement nombre de lemmes du vieil-anglais ont cessé d'être utilisés, à l'écrit du moins.
Quant aux lemmes médiévaux de toutes origines effectivement utilisés à l'oral (y compris par les illettrés anglophones), il est difficile, par définition, de conjecturer quoi que ce soit.
C'est une peu plus compliqué que cette aimable légende. Ce n'est pas parce que Guillaume le Conquérant est devenu roi d'Angleterre que l'anglais a "beaucoup" de "mots" : toutes les langues ont "beaucoup" de "mots".
De nouveaux lemmes romanogrécolatins sont arrivés avec l'établissement permanent d'une société francophone organisée (très diverse au demeurant) sur les Îles britanniques au cours du Moyen-Âge. De ces lemmes, nous ne connaissons que ceux que les lettrés anglophones de l'époque ont consigné par écrit. Parallèlement nombre de lemmes du vieil-anglais ont cessé d'être utilisés, à l'écrit du moins.
Quant aux lemmes médiévaux de toutes origines effectivement utilisés à l'oral (y compris par les illettrés anglophones), il est difficile, par définition, de conjecturer quoi que ce soit.
Skippy: "First of all, English has a huge number of words due to the Norman Invasion, which, in the end, nearly doubled the vocabulary (I know it did not really double the vocabulary, but it did increase it vastly). "
It is a little more complicated than that kind legend. This is not because William the Conqueror has become king of England that English has "a lot" of "words" all languages have "a lot" of "words".
New lemmas romanogrécolatins arrived with the permanent establishment of a francophone society organized (very diverse incidentally) on the British Isles during the Middle Ages. Of these lemmas, we know only those literate English at the time were recorded in writing. The same number of lemmas of old-English ceased to be used in writing at least.
As for all lemmas medieval origins actually used in oral (including illiterate English), it is difficult, by definition, to speculate anything.
It is a little more complicated than that kind legend. This is not because William the Conqueror has become king of England that English has "a lot" of "words" all languages have "a lot" of "words".
New lemmas romanogrécolatins arrived with the permanent establishment of a francophone society organized (very diverse incidentally) on the British Isles during the Middle Ages. Of these lemmas, we know only those literate English at the time were recorded in writing. The same number of lemmas of old-English ceased to be used in writing at least.
As for all lemmas medieval origins actually used in oral (including illiterate English), it is difficult, by definition, to speculate anything.
Conservatively speaking, there are at least 2 million words in English, technical words included!
English is the only language in the word that has a technical vocabulary, it's something well known that French doctors talk to each other using smoke signals. And so do Spanish architects and Italian engineers.
<<Spanish architects>>
I thought Spanish architects used hand gestures and sign language.
You need to do a little more research there before you start spouting off non-sense young feller
I thought Spanish architects used hand gestures and sign language.
You need to do a little more research there before you start spouting off non-sense young feller