HOME > WordMaster® > WORD vs. VOCABULARY | 単語 vs. 語彙
2006.05.24
Hi!
Today's WordMaster edition deals with a common source of confusion among our students. And since it has a lot in common with another important edition from our archives - “EMPLOYEE vs. STAFF” - why not take a few minutes to look at that one as well?
WORD vs. VOCABULARY 単語 VS. 語彙
- A word is a unit of language that has a meaning, (when written) is usually made from one or more letters or characters, and is used to make sentences. For example, “dog”, “run”, and “beautiful” are words.
A vocabulary is a SET of words, such as all the words in a language, all the words in a language that you are able to use, or a special set of words used to talk about a particular subject.
Be Careful! We do NOT call a single word a “vocabulary”. - word とは、意味をもつ言語のまとまりで、通常一文字以上から成り立ち、文章を形作るのに使われます。例えば “dog”, “run”, “beautiful” など、つまり、単語のことです。
vocabulary とは、単語の集合体です。例えば、ある言語のすべての単語や、ある言語の中で使うことができる単語、また、特定の分野について話すときに用いられる特別な単語のまとまり、つまり、語彙のことです。
注意:英語では、一つの単語をさすときは word を使い、“vocabulary” とはいいません。
- (pointing to a page in a book)
Do you know what this word means? - (doing a crossword puzzle)
What's a seven-letter word for “get ready”?** - (to a friend who is studying English)
You should read Berlitz WordMaster. You can learn a new word every day. - A large number of words in the English vocabulary have been borrowed from French, German, and other languages.
- I just started learning Spanish, so I don't have a very big vocabulary yet.
- My teacher said that the best way to increase my vocabulary is to read more.
- This book was written using a 1000-wordvocabulary.
Were you able to answer the question in Example 2?
** Answer: prepare