Which discipline studies words and their meanings within the lexicon?

• A. Phonetics
• B. Phonology
• C. Lexicology
• D. Semantics

Answer: (C)

Words and their meanings within the mental dictionary of a language are the focus of lexicology. It looks at vocabulary as a system—how words are formed, what they mean, how those meanings relate to other words, and how meanings shift over time. Phonetics is about how sounds are produced, and phonology studies the sound system and patterns of a language. Semantics is about meaning in language more broadly, including how meaning develops in context, but lexicology zeroes in on words themselves and their place in the lexicon. So the best fit is lexicology because it directly analyzes words and their meanings as the building blocks of vocabulary.