Additional Defintions Flashcards
What is the definition of ‘Audience’ in the context of a text?
The receivers or intended receivers of a text (written, spoken, multimodal)
The concept of an ideal audience/reader/narratee is often found in critical discourse. Texts might also have multiple audiences.
Define ‘Conceptual metaphor’.
A systematic use of metaphor that maps an abstract target domain to a more concrete source domain
For example, an abstract concept such as language might be mapped to a more concrete source domain such as a tool or a doorway.
What is a ‘Corpus’?
A body of language data that has been systematically gathered and stored for language analysis
For example, the British National Corpus consists of over 100 million words and has been used to analyse patterns and trends in English usage.
What does ‘Discourses’ refer to in language study?
Modes of language, registers, or ways of thinking about and presenting something
Examples include spoken or written discourse, medical or legal discourse, and different representations of language.
What is ‘Foregrounding’ in textual analysis?
The way texts emphasise key events or ideas through attention-seeking devices
This can be through lexis, semantics, phonology, or grammar that either repeat content (parallelism) or break established patterns (deviation).
What are the two types of deviation in Foregrounding?
- External: breaking from normal conventions of language use
- Internal: breaking from a previously established pattern in the text
External deviation might include the use of nonsense words or ungrammatical constructions.
What is genre?
The way of categorising and classifying different types of texts according to their features or expected shared conventions or functions.
Genres are fluid and dynamic, evolving with new technologies and cultural practices.
How do genres come into being?
As the result of people agreeing about perceived similar characteristics in terms of content or style.
This agreement leads to the classification of texts into recognized genres.
What does literariness refer to?
The degree to which a text displays qualities that mean that people see it as literary and as literature.
Literariness is best viewed as a continuum rather than a binary classification.
How should we view literariness?
As a continuum rather than viewing texts as absolutely ‘literary’ or ‘non-literary’.
Many ‘non-literary’ texts can display aspects of creative language use.
What is modality in language use?
A system linked to the level of certainty, obligation, doubt, or confidence towards events and actions on the part of the text producer.
Modality can be expressed through modal adverbs and auxiliary verbs.
Give examples of modal adverbs.
Examples include ‘probably’, ‘maybe’, and ‘definitely’.
These adverbs indicate varying levels of certainty.
What are modal auxiliary verbs?
Examples include ‘must’, ‘could’, and ‘might’.
These verbs express necessity, possibility, or ability in relation to actions.
What is the definition of ‘mode’ in communication?
The way in which language is communicated between text producer and receiver, such as as an image, in writing, in digital forms, in speech, or as a logo.
How is ‘mode’ related to ‘medium’?
‘Mode’ is related to ‘medium’ in that medium refers to how messages are mediated (e.g., paper or digital text).
What does ‘channel’ refer to in communication studies?
The physical means of transmission, such as auditory, visual, or olfactory.
What aspects does ‘mode’ encompass?
Planning and spontaneity, distance between text producer and receiver, and the transitory or long-lasting nature of a text.
True or False: Mode is a binary opposition.
False.
What is a ‘narrative’?
A type of text or discourse that functions to tell a series of events, organized by a narrator to narratees.
What are the two distinctive parts of a narrative?
- The story: events, places, characters, and time of action
- The narrative discourse: the shaping of those building blocks into something worth telling.
Define ‘patterns’ in the context of language use.
A broad term that can cover areas related to language use, including syntactical, semantic, phonological, and graphological patterns.
What is an example of a syntactical pattern?
A repeated grammatical structure.
What does a semantic pattern involve?
Words or phrases that are linked or contrasted in meaning.
What are phonological patterns?
Literary devices such as alliteration and rhyme.
What do graphological patterns refer to?
Repeated or contrasting design features.
How can patterns operate on the level of discourses?
By constructing familiar ideas using repeated conceptual metaphors (e.g., life as a journey).
What can patterns help explore in a text?
The internal structure of a text and the possible intentions behind such structures.
What is point of view?
The way in which events and experiences are filtered through a particular perspective to provide a particular version of reality.
What are the aspects related to point of view in a narrative?
- How a narrative is presented in terms of space and time through deixis, time frames, and flashbacks/flashforwards
- A particular ideological viewpoint, often shown through modal verbs, adjectives, and adverbs
- Distinguishing between who tells and who sees in the narrative
How can a narrative’s point of view be affected by ideological viewpoints?
Through the use of modal verbs, adjectives, and adverbs to stress belief or commitment and/or the use of idiosyncratic words and phrases.
What does positioning refer to in a text?
How a text producer places or orientates themselves to the subject being presented and towards the audience or reader being addressed.
What is the purpose of a text?
The intention or objective behind a text in terms of what it is designed to do and how it is used.
True or False: Texts can have only one purpose.
False
Fill in the blank: Point of view may be related to how a narrative is presented in terms of _______.
[space and time]
Fill in the blank: The intention or objective behind a text is referred to as its _______.
[purpose]
What narrative technique distinguishes between who tells and who sees?
Narrative told in the third person but filtered through a particular character’s consciousness.
What is a register in language?
A variety of language associated with a particular field of reference, such as occupational discourse.
Registers can be written, spoken, or multimodal.
Define representation in the context of language.
How experiences, views, and ideas are ‘re-presented’ to influence readers, listeners, and viewers.
This involves using language and other meaning-making resources.
What does style refer to in a text?
The level of formality in a text.
Style can vary within the same register, such as an occupational register.
