Book contents
- Frontmatter
- Contents
- Authors' acknowledgements
- Preface to the second edition
- List of abbreviations and symbols
- Glossary
- The Spanish speaking world: countries where Spanish is spoken, with an estimate of the numbers of native speakers
- 1 Introduction
- 2 Passages illustrating register and local variety
- Part I Vocabulary
- 3 Misleading similarities between Spanish and English
- 4 Similarities between Spanish words
- 5 Fields of meaning – vocabulary extension
- 6 Complex verbal expressions
- 7 Affective suffixes
- 8 Idioms, similes and proverbs
- 9 Proper names
- 10 Adjectives pertaining to countries and towns
- 11 Abbreviations
- 12 Latin expressions
- 13 Anglicisms
- 14 Grammatical terms
- 15 Interjections
- 16 Fillers
- 17 Transition words
- 18 Numerals
- 19 Measurements
- 20 Semi-technical vocabulary
- Part II Grammar
- Index
5 - Fields of meaning – vocabulary extension
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 05 June 2012
- Frontmatter
- Contents
- Authors' acknowledgements
- Preface to the second edition
- List of abbreviations and symbols
- Glossary
- The Spanish speaking world: countries where Spanish is spoken, with an estimate of the numbers of native speakers
- 1 Introduction
- 2 Passages illustrating register and local variety
- Part I Vocabulary
- 3 Misleading similarities between Spanish and English
- 4 Similarities between Spanish words
- 5 Fields of meaning – vocabulary extension
- 6 Complex verbal expressions
- 7 Affective suffixes
- 8 Idioms, similes and proverbs
- 9 Proper names
- 10 Adjectives pertaining to countries and towns
- 11 Abbreviations
- 12 Latin expressions
- 13 Anglicisms
- 14 Grammatical terms
- 15 Interjections
- 16 Fillers
- 17 Transition words
- 18 Numerals
- 19 Measurements
- 20 Semi-technical vocabulary
- Part II Grammar
- Index
Summary
This section looks at the vocabulary of a number of general fields of meaning. Choice of these fields has been motivated partly by the richness of Spanish vocabulary in certain areas of meaning, and partly by the rather different divisions of meaning which Spanish and English often make. The information is presented in tabular form, with the most general Spanish word (if there is one) usually at the top of the diagram. This method of presentation reveals the structure of vocabulary within each field more clearly and more memorably than is possible in a traditional dictionary. The information in this section may be used in order to build up a wider and more finely tuned vocabulary. The material presented here may be approached either via the title of each diagram (arranged for ease of reference in alphabetical order) or via the individual Spanish words, all of which are listed in the Spanish word index at the end of the book. Examples of current usage are given, but are not translated, since English equivalents are not always helpful and it is better to gain familiarity with the kinds of context in which the Spanish words are used.
- Type
- Chapter
- Information
- Using SpanishA Guide to Contemporary Usage, pp. 108 - 183Publisher: Cambridge University PressPrint publication year: 2005