First, the word is a unit of speech which, as such, serves the purposesof
human communication. Thus, the word can be defined as a unit of communication.
Secondly, the word can be perceived as the total of the sounds which
comprise it.
Third, the word, viewed structurally, possesses several characteristics.
The modern approach to word studies is based on distinguishing between the
external and the internal structures of the word.
By external structure of the word we mean its morphological structure. For
example, in the word post-impressionists the following morphemes can be
distinguished: the prefixes post-, im-, the root press, the noun-forming suffixes –
ion, -ist, and the grammatical suffix of plurality –s.
The external structure of the word, and also typical word-formation patterns,
are studied in the framework of word-building.
The internal structure of the word, or its meaning, is nowadays commonly
referred to as the word‘s semantic structure. This is the word‘s main aspect.
The area of lexicology specialising in the semantic studies of the word is
called semantics.
One of the main structural features of the word that it possesses both
external (formal) unity and semantic unity.
A further structural feature of the word is its susceptibility to grammatical
employment. In speech most words can be used in different grammatical forms in
which their interrelations are realized.
Thus, the word is a speech unit used for the purposes of human
communication, materially representing a group of sounds, possessing a meaning,
susceptible to grammatical employment and characterized by formal and semantic
unity.
