LEXICAL-SEMANTIC SUBSYSTEM OF SENSORY VERBS IN THE MODERN ENGLISH VERB SYSTEM

Abstract

The article focuses on the study of the lexical-semantic subsystem of sensory verbs in the Modern English verb system. The objectives of the study are to analyse sensory verbs’ semantic features, establish macro- and micro integral connections between them, and to determine their groups and synonymic sets by differential trait and denotative sema. Definitional, componential, comparative, proportional and quantitative analysis, English explanatory dictionaries and thesauri were used in the study. Sensory verbs of five lexical-semantic fields have approximately the same proportion of lexemes that form the core, main part and periphery of each corresponding lexical- semantic field, with a slightly larger number of verbs in the main part. Old English sensory verbs make up a third of the modern perception process subsystem, almost a half of the borrowed lexemes from French and Latin, a tenth of sensory verbs borrowed from the West Germanic group and a small percentage is formed by borrowings from other languages, unknown or imitative origin. The study analysed the share of sensory verbs according to the periods of English language development. Sensory verbs of the Middle English and New English periods make up more than a half of the sensory vocabulary of the modern perception process subsystem. It is established that sensory verbs are combined into groups and synonymic sets by seven differential traits. The results of the study of connections between sensory verbs show that they are not isolated in their lexical-semantic fields and in general in the sensory subsystem of the sensory perception process, i.e. they migrate between sensory lexical-semantic fields. All the lexemes of the sensory subsystem are hierarchical, belong to the hierarchy of lexical-semantic formations and implicitly have all the features of the higher levels of the hierarchy. Thus, lexical-semantic fields of sensory verbs are open systems.