Vocabulary of a Russian person. Vocabulary: optimal size and ways to increase

is not a myth. At the time when I was at school, I did not know why we need such subjects as Russian literature. I was not interested in the classic books of Pushnikin, Tolstoy, Dostoevsky and other Russian classics. To the same extent, I did not understand such subjects as philosophy, rhetoric, the Tatar language (I live in Tatarstan). And only when you become an adult, you realize that such things as rich vocabulary- this is very important for achieving success in life and plays, if not the role of the main factor in victories, but this is another contribution of your parents to your future competitiveness. When we become adults, we are ready to pay big money for learning what we were taught in school for free.

Vocabulary Shakespeare according to philologists, it was 12 thousand words. In order to communicate more or less freely in English, you need to know and understand about 1000 words in the lexicon and know some set expressions and constructions. But this vocabulary will obviously not be enough to speak fluently and have a rich speech.

You need to improve your vocabulary

To express your thoughts well, you need to have a serious vocabulary. Many experts agree on this. It often happens that successful man he shows himself well in business, but at a business meeting he cannot connect a few words. How to improve vocabulary? There is different ways. Many advise reading more diverse literature, and thereby you indirectly increase your vocabulary and literacy and the quality of your oral speech.

By the way know a lot of interesting words and speak beautifully- it's not the same thing. Your vocabulary should be supplemented by a broad outlook and knowledge, beautiful speech, expressiveness. Here it is worth paying attention to such a thing as rhetoric. They are taught to speak beautifully. Try to listen to other people, and also try to speak in public yourself. Your speech quality will improve very quickly.

Having a rich vocabulary you will become a stronger negotiator. This is a real business skill that exploits philology for capitalist purposes. You will really easier when you finally learn how to link together at least a few words, and not talk in abrupt sentences.

Ways to improve vocabulary

3. Read specialized and fiction, as well as non-fiction books. It doesn't hurt to study something from the non-fiction series

Sidebar: non fiction - nonfiction- This is a special genre of non-fiction, where the presentation is based on real events. Documentary prose. The amount of fiction in this genre is small and only needed to give more brightness to the presentation. The style of presentation is journalistic. The story is based on the words of eyewitnesses, based on real documents. The subjective view of the author can also be traced in documentary prose, which may not coincide with the generally accepted point of view.

4. Watch cultural St. Petersburg authors on Youtube. In general, the fact that in such cities as St. Petersburg, human capital is more developed, and therefore speech, is true. I watch Konstantin Zarutsky, a famous auto video blogger, and it turns out that familiar words can be used in very interesting formats. Recommend.

5. Each new word - type in google and see, what does it mean. This will help in the development of vocabulary. For example, I have just learned what non-fiction is and have become the owner of a slightly richer speech.

6. They say vocabulary can be upgraded by writing articles or by listening audiobooks. Useful for those who have a long commute to work. Player in your ears. I think that going to graduate school, starting to write a dissertation, or at least studying for a few years at a good university is a great way to expand your vocabulary.

7. Learning foreign languages also greatly expands your ability to speak beautifully, for example, using borrowing.

8. Use in speech new phrases, words and sayings. It is good to study poetry.

In the dry matter rich vocabulary is of great importance for a person and his success. This is an indicator of intellectual and social level your personality and your professionalism.

“William Shakespeare's dictionary is estimated by researchers to be 12,000 words. The dictionary of a negro from the cannibalistic tribe "Mumbo-Yumbo" is 300 words. Ellochka Schukina easily and freely managed thirty, ”this quote from Ilf and Petrov’s“ Twelve Chairs ”is familiar to everyone. The satirists, and with them the readers, laughed a lot at the narrow-minded and undeveloped, but overly self-confident and arrogant Ellochka, all of whose interests, thoughts and emotions easily fit into thirty words. Meanwhile, starting to write texts, many, without noticing it, turn into the cannibal Ellochka. Whatever they want to write about, the same “Ho-ho!” comes out from under the pen. and “Hamite, boy!”. In this lesson, we will talk about how to get rid of the problem of the cannibal Ellochka, expand your vocabulary. And in the next lesson we will learn how to learn how to use it correctly.

Vocabulary

Vocabulary (dictionary, lexicon) is a set of words that a person understands and uses in his speech.

Vocabulary is usually divided into two types: active and passive.

Active vocabulary - These are the words that a person regularly uses in speech and writing.

Passive vocabulary - this set of words that a person knows and understands by ear or when reading, but does not use them himself. You can check your passive vocabulary on this site.

Usually the volume of the passive vocabulary exceeds the volume of the active vocabulary several times. At the same time, the volumes of active and passive vocabulary are moving quantities: a person constantly learns new words and at the same time forgets or stops using words that he has already learned.

What should be the volume of active and passive vocabulary? Surprisingly, this question turned out to be quite difficult to answer. The volume of the dictionary V.I. Dahl has two hundred thousand words, the academic dictionary of the modern Russian literary language - about one hundred and thirty thousand, the latest edition of Ozhegov's explanatory dictionary - seventy thousand words. Obviously, such meanings exceed the vocabulary of even the most erudite person. Unfortunately, there is no exact scientific data on the average active and passive vocabulary of an educated adult. Active vocabulary estimates range from five thousand to thirty-five thousand words. As for the passive vocabulary, the spread is from twenty thousand to one hundred thousand words. Most likely, the truth, as always, lies somewhere in the middle. It is reasonable to assume that the active vocabulary of an adult reaches about fifteen thousand words (as you know, the active vocabulary of such a master of the word as Pushkin was about twenty thousand words), and the passive vocabulary - forty to fifty thousand words (it is difficult to imagine ordinary person who would know all the meanings of words from Ozhegov's dictionary).

There is a simple way to help you roughly estimate the amount of passive vocabulary. Take an explanatory dictionary, for example, the same Ozhegov dictionary, open it on an arbitrary page, count how many of the defined words you know. Be honest with yourself: if a word seems familiar to you, but you don’t know exactly what it means, then you don’t need to count this word. Then multiply this figure by the number of pages. Of course, keep in mind that this result is approximate: you must assume that all pages contain the same number of articles from which you know the same number of words. For the purity of the experiment, you can repeat these steps several times. However, you still won't get the exact result.

If you are too lazy to mess with the dictionary and calculations on your own, you can use our test.

Ways to expand vocabulary

When writing texts, it is very important that the words used are as diverse as possible. This, firstly, allows you to express your thoughts most accurately, and secondly, it makes the perception of the text easier for the reader. There are several rules to help expand your vocabulary. They were designed primarily for people studying foreign languages, but can also be effectively used for the native language.

Passive vocabulary

Read as much as possible. Reading is one of the main sources of income new information and, accordingly, new words. At the same time, try to choose literature as much as possible. high level- It doesn't matter if it's fiction, historical literature or journalism. The higher the level of the authors, the greater the chance that they use a variety of vocabulary, and most importantly, they use words correctly. So you will remember not only new words, but also the correct ways to use them.

Don't be afraid to appear ignorant. Many people feel extremely uncomfortable when their interlocutor seems to be very educated, well-read and uses a lot of unfamiliar words. In such a situation, many are afraid of being branded as ignorant, and therefore embarrassed to ask about the meaning of a particular new word. Never act like this. It's always better to ask about a word you don't know than to remain in the dark for the rest of your life. Don't think you'll look up this word in the dictionary when you get home. You will simply forget it. If your interlocutor is really smart, your question will never seem funny to him.

Use a dictionary. It is useful to have a set of academic dictionaries and encyclopedias at home that you can refer to when needed. Naturally, good dictionaries are not cheap, they are often published in small print runs and take up a lot of shelf space. Fortunately, with the development of the Internet, the problem of access to dictionaries has been solved. Now you can find dictionaries and encyclopedias on almost any subject. Portals are quite easy to use: slovari.yandex.ru and www.gramota.ru.

Active vocabulary

The above tips help to expand, above all, the passive vocabulary. However main topic of our lessons is effective writing of texts. Therefore, the goal is not only to learn new words, but also to learn how to actively use them in writing. Here are some exercises aimed at translating a word from a passive vocabulary into an active one:

note method. You need to take cards, leaflets or colored stickers. On one side you write the word you want to remember, on the other - its meaning, synonyms, examples of use. Such cards can be sorted out at home, in transport, at work. Fast, convenient and efficient!

Notebook of synonyms. You can take a simple notebook or create an electronic document where you will write down words and rows of synonyms for them. For example, take the word result. A number of synonyms for it: consequence, consequence, trace, fruit, sum, total, conclusion, conclusion. It must be remembered that not only synonymous words can be attached here, but also entire constructions: in this way, so, from this we can conclude that we have come to the conclusion that, etc. Also, in such a notebook, you can make notes about the nature of a particular word: obsolete, high, vernacular, pejorative. If you use an electronic document, then words on the same subject can be combined into separate blocks. In addition, such a notebook can also be supplemented with antonyms.

Thematic cards. They are convenient to use if you want to memorize and translate several words related to a common theme into your active dictionary at once. Write them down on one card and stick them in a prominent place. As a result, if you remember at least one word from the card, the rest will inevitably come to your mind.

association method. Try to accompany the memorization of words with associations: figurative, color, olfactory, tactile, gustatory, motor. The presence of such an association will help to remember the right word much faster. Moreover, you can rhyme a word important to you into some short rhyme or insert it into a stupid and meaningless, but memorable statement.

Presentations and compositions. We are used to the fact that presentations and essays are school exercises and once you finish school, you can never go back to them. Meanwhile, they help to significantly improve your writing skills and expand your active vocabulary. The presentations are suitable for the situation when you read a text in which you came across a lot of unfamiliar but useful words. Make a short written retelling of this text using these key words and they will remain in your memory. As for essays, there is no need to write long treatises, a short five-sentence story in which you insert new words is enough.

Memory calendar. This is a repetition graph of the words you want to translate into the active dictionary. It is based on research into how human memory works. Scientists have long found out that after a week a person forgets eighty percent of all new information received. However, this percentage can be significantly reduced by repeating the material at regular intervals. Then it goes into long-term active memory. For this, the so-called rational repetition mode was developed. For convenience, here is a table:

• First repetition. Immediately after reading
• Second repetition. After half an hour
• Third repetition. In one day
• Fourth repetition. After two days
• Fifth repetition. After three days
• Sixth repetition. A week later
• Seventh repetition. In two weeks
• Eighth repetition. In a month
• Ninth repetition. After two months

To achieve the maximum effect, it is advisable not to deviate from the schedule. It is also best not to try to remember a large array of words at the same time. It is better to break words into small thematic groups and create your own repetition calendar for each group.

Crosswords, language games and puzzles. A great way to combine business with pleasure: practice the learned words and play! Here are some of the most common language games: scrabble (in the Russian version - erudite, bulldozer), anagrams, antiphrases, burime, metagrams, hat, contact.

Test your knowledge

If you want to test your knowledge on the topic of this lesson, you can take a short test consisting of several questions. Only 1 option can be correct for each question. After you select one of the options, the system automatically moves on to the next question. The points you receive are affected by the correctness of your answers and the time spent on passing. Please note that the questions are different each time, and the options are shuffled.

Vocabulary is the set of all the words that a person owns. It is generally accepted that a wide vocabulary is inherent in the most educated people as well as writers.

Active and passive vocabulary

Active vocabulary is those words that a person uses in when he speaks or writes. At different people this figure can vary greatly. Nobody knows and does not use all the words of the language.

The active vocabulary of a primary school student is approximately two thousand words, by the end of the institute this figure increases at least five times! "Pushkin's Language Dictionary", which includes all the words used by the great poet in his works, contains about 20 thousand words.

Passive vocabulary is those words that a person does not use himself, but understands if he sees or hears them. As a rule, there are many times more of them than the words included in the active vocabulary. This includes various terms, words of limited use (jargonisms, archaisms or neologisms), just quite rare and unusual words.

It's funny that, with the vocabulary of the Russian language of about half a million words, we all actively use no more than 6 thousand, which is about 90% of human speech, and only 10% are rarely used.

The concept of active and passive vocabulary is used in linguistics and literary criticism, as well as in pedagogical and clinical psychology. Teachers also use it. At school, they teach that vocabulary needs to be replenished, and for this, read more. It's true. Reading - The best way replenish your passive lexical baggage. Moreover, the most pleasant, because a person follows the twists and turns of the plot, while the words themselves are remembered. But not every book is suitable for this. We must take good literature, you can use the classics, otherwise there is a risk of running into the author, who has the lowest vocabulary: there is nothing to learn from him, you can teach him yourself!

Another way is to look up unfamiliar words in a dictionary. In principle, it is not necessary to rush through the Ozhegov dictionary in search of the right word - there are corresponding resources on the Internet, which are very convenient to use. But, although you will learn the meaning of the word anyway, you are more likely to remember it when using a paper dictionary. The search itself, which will take more time and effort, will more firmly fix the word in, because it will be constantly repeated mentally while a person is in search.

« Vocabulary William Shakespeare, according to researchers, is 12,000 words. The vocabulary of a Negro from the cannibalistic tribe "Mumbo Yumbo" is 300 words. Ellochka Shchukina easily and freely managed thirty ... "

Are you short of words to properly express your thoughts? If you are faced with the question "?", This article will be useful to you.

AT modern world, a beautiful and rich speech speaks of culture and good education. Rich Russian vocabulary indicates the level intellectual development person. Society perceives a person with a rich vocabulary as an intelligent and creative person. People with a rich vocabulary get jobs faster, move up the corporate ladder more successfully, and are generally listened to more often and more carefully. The more human vocabulary the more likely he is to succeed in life.

The following recommendations will help you to replenish the vocabulary of the Russian language:

Methods, methods and techniques for increasing vocabulary

1. Think about which of the banal, hackneyed, hackneyed words and expressions you are used to using on a daily basis in standard communication situations. Write them down on a piece of paper. Recorded? Now take an explanatory dictionary or dictionary of synonyms from the shelf. Find these words that are already hurting your own ears and that you are tired of hearing every day. Explore the long list alternatives and say each of these words aloud. Which one reflects your personality? Which one suits you personally? Try each one as you try on a suit and see which ones you find comfortable and cozy. Choose a few of these words and practice saying them out loud until they become a natural part of your vocabulary;
2. Communication is the main source of replenishment of human vocabulary.During the conversation, each participant replenishes his vocabulary from the arsenal of the interlocutor, there is a word exchange between them. Talk to your friends, acquaintances, relatives as much as possible. Use new words in your vocabulary, knowledge about a word is nothing without using it;
3. Read reading books is good. Start with those authors who are more understandable and close to your interests. Gradually add literature harder. Text where they meet interesting words and the expressions that you want to remember and apply in the future, re-read aloud (reading to ourselves, we also replenish our vocabulary, but not so quickly, because in this way we only see the words, while reading aloud, we also we hear and, most importantly, we pronounce, therefore we remember better);
4. When you spot a new word, don't just look up its definition in the dictionary. Pay attention to the turn of speech in which this word is used, try to replace it for yourself with the corresponding synonym. Try to rhyme, come up with as many suitable phrases as possible. The more you know about a word, the faster you will learn to use it without complicating your memory. This will immediately affect the beauty and personality of your speech;
5. Write. Rewrite other people's articles and your favorites literary works following the example of Demosthenes, who rewrote Thucydides' History eight times in a row.
6. Crossword puzzles are not just entertainment, but also a way vocabulary development. Use this opportunity on the road, on vacation. Choose crossword puzzles from well-known publications or those that have a good reputation;
7. For those who spend a lot of time on the road, driving or have absolutely no free time, there is a unique opportunity to use books and dictionaries. develop your speech and increase your vocabulary through audiobooks. Similar way will also be acceptable to an audience that perceives better by ear. In any case, while away the time in traffic jams reading good literature is much more useful and effective for your development.

Ways to memorize new words

which the person owns.

Classification [ | ]

There are two types of vocabulary: active and passive.

Active Vocabulary includes the words that a person uses in speaking and writing.

Passive Vocabulary includes words that a person recognizes by reading or listening, but does not use them himself in speaking and writing. The passive vocabulary is usually several times larger than the active one.

human vocabulary[ | ]

Russian language [ | ]

The Russian literary language has about 500 thousand roots, and dozens of words derived from them. "Explanatory Dictionary of the Living Great Russian Language" by V. I. Dahl has about 200 thousand words. The most common words, according to "" under the editorship, are about 30 thousand words, and a little more than 6 thousand words have the highest frequency, covering more than 90% of the texts processed when compiling this dictionary.

However, the "alphabetic-frequency index to Lenin's PSS" has a controversial [ ] calculation method, as well as the vocabulary of the language of A. S. Pushkin. For example, in the PSS of V. I. Lenin: anarchist, anarchist, anarchist, minister-clown, absolutely necessary, parliamentary-impeccable, communist parliamentarian, socialist parliamentarian, etc. are taken into account in the calculation. The same "method" is used by Pushkin's Dictionary of Language. For example, "leaf", "leaf", "leaf", "leaf"; "king" and "king-cannon" are counted as separate words.

English language [ | ]

According to dictionaries Webster (Third International Dictionary) and Oxford English Dictionary (Second Edition, 1993), English has 470 thousand words.

But some researchers argue that when counting English words it is necessary to take into account all neologisms, including words from Internet blogs and other unofficial resources, as well as words used only in varieties in English for example in China and Japan.