Abstract: Thanks to the fast development of science and technology, people from different countries have more communications than ever before. English, known as the "world language", plays a key role in international communication. As the basic element of the English language, lexicon affects the changes of English directly. Many changes have occurred in the lexicon such as the change of pronunciations, the borrowings from other languages and even the creation of many totally new words. This makes the English language more convenient to understand and easier to use. This paper aims to analyze the changes of lexicon through history and try to find the rules of changes in the future. What's more, it will help people to have a better understanding of the development of the lexicon. This paper is composed of five parts. The first part is an introduction. The second part describes all kinds of changes in detail. The third part analyzes the reasons of these changes. The fourth part tries to find the trend of development and the last part is conclusion. It is hoped that the paper will provide some basic knowledge to the English learners and help them to have a better understanding of the lexicon. |
