What does Lexicon refer to in linguistics?

What does Lexicon refer to in linguistics?

• A. Vocabulary of a language
• B. Grammar of a language
• C. Sounds of a language
• D. Rules of sentence structure

Answer: (A)

Lexicon is the vocabulary of a language—the set of words and fixed expressions you know, along with their meanings, pronunciations, and basic grammatical properties. It’s like your mental dictionary, including how a word can change form (run, runs, running), what part of speech it is, and how it can be used with other words. This focus on words and their meanings is what sets it apart from the sounds of a language (phonology) and from the rules for combining words into sentences (grammar or syntax). For example, knowing that “bank” can mean a financial institution or the side of a river, and knowing how to say it and inflect it, belongs to the lexicon, while forming the question “Where is the bank?” comes from syntax.

Lexicon is the vocabulary of a language—the set of words and fixed expressions you know, along with their meanings, pronunciations, and basic grammatical properties. It’s like your mental dictionary, including how a word can change form (run, runs, running), what part of speech it is, and how it can be used with other words. This focus on words and their meanings is what sets it apart from the sounds of a language (phonology) and from the rules for combining words into sentences (grammar or syntax). For example, knowing that “bank” can mean a financial institution or the side of a river, and knowing how to say it and inflect it, belongs to the lexicon, while forming the question “Where is the bank?” comes from syntax.