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ALL TERMINOLOGY Flashcards

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Proverbs and Idioms flashcards
1
Q

abstract noun

A

A noun that denotes a concept or thing with no physical qualities e.g. courage, welcome, doom.

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2
Q

accelerando

A

A term used to describe speech that is getting faster (marked accel on transcripts).

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3
Q

accent

A

The distinctive manner of pronouncing language associated with a particular region, social group etc.

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4
Q

acceptable

A

A term used to describe any language use that native speakers feel is allowed.

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5
Q

accommodation

A

A term used to describe the changes people make to their speech, prosodic features and gestures in order to emphasise or minimise the differences between them.

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6
Q

acronym

A

An abbreviation formed by taking letters from a series of words, which is pronounced as a word e.g. radar, NATO, LOL.

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7
Q

active voice

A

A grammatical structure in which the subject is the actor in a sentence e.g. The dog chewed the bone.

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8
Q

adjacency pair

A

A sequence of two connected utterances by different speakers one after the other e.g question/answer, greetings, complaint/explanation, statement/affirmation, command/action etc. e.g. Shut the window. → Sure.

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9
Q

adjective

A

A word that defines attributes of a noun and that can occur before the noun (e.g. the red tulip) or after a stative verb (e.g. the tulip was red), and can often express contrasts (e.g. the smaller flower was reddest).

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10
Q

adjective phrase

A

A group of words with an adjective as the head e.g. really quick, amazingly scary to do.

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11
Q

adjunct

A

An adverb that provides more information about a verb, answering the questions when? how? where? e.g. The baby often (time) sleeps fretfully (manner) upstairs (place).

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12
Q

adverbial

A

A clause element which provides additional information about time, manner, place and reason in a sentence e.g. He will come today. (noun); He will come up the mountain. (prepositional phrase); He will come because he is desperate. (subordinate clause).

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13
Q

adverb phrase

A

A group of words with an adverb as the head e.g. very quickly, too quickly for comfort, more quickly than I cared for.

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14
Q

adverb

A

A word that defines the action of a verb (e.g. the rain fell heavily), that can act as an intensifier (e.g. really loud), that can express contrasts (e.g. more crucially, most crucially), and that can function as a sentence connector (e.g. Nevertheless, I would not be voting for the candidate after that).

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15
Q

affix

A

A bound morpheme which is used to form a new word e.g. declutter, beautiful.

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16
Q

agreement

A

A term used to describe the relationship between words (also called concord).

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17
Q

alliteration

A

A term to describe the repetition of consonants or consonant clusters at the beginning of words in close proximity e.g. Conservatives on course to conquer after commentators got it wrong.

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18
Q

ambiguity

A

A term used to describe language with multiple meanings e.g. Police looking into Sinkhole i.e. investigating (‘looking into’ = multi-word verb) OR looking (‘into Sinkhole’ = prepositional phrase of place).

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19
Q

anaphoric reference

A

A term to describe referencing in which a pronoun points backwards to an earlier noun phrase e.g. The storm caused devastation. It felled trees, ripped tiles from roofs and demolished garden fences.

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20
Q

antithesis

A

A rhetorical device which sets two contrasting ideas in opposition—there will often be grammatical patterning to draw attention to the linked ideas e.g. It was the best of times, it was the worst of times …

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21
Q

antonyms

A

Words that are opposite in meaning or associations e.g. foreign/local, winter/summer.

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22
Q

apposition

A

A noun phrase, separated from the rest of the sentence with commas, dashes, or brackets, which elaborates on the noun phrase preceding it e.g. The Daily Mail, a tabloid with a strong Conservative ideology, described Cameron’s election results as a “stunning
outright victory”.

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23
Q

appropriate

A

A term used to describe any language use that is seen as suitable for the context in which it is used.

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24
Q

archaic

A

A term describing lexis, syntax or orthography that is no longer used.

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25
Q

aspect

A

The timescale of the action expressed by the verb phrase, which may be complete (perfective) or ongoing (progressive).

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26
Q

assimilation

A

In phonology, the way in which the sounds of one word can change the sounds of neighbouring words in connected speech.

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27
Q

assonance

A

A term used to describe the repetition of vowel sounds e.g. Old age should burn and rave at close of day/Rage, rage, against the dying of the light.

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28
Q

asyndetic

A

A term used to describe a list of words, phrases or clauses that are not connected by a conjunction e.g. I believe in government of the people, by the people, for the people.

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29
Q

attributive

A

A term used to describe modifiers that precede the noun they are describing e.g. an unsatisfactory result.

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30
Q

auxiliary verb

A

A verb that precedes the lexical verb in a verb phrase e.g. I do believe in fairies. He may visit. Do you want to come? Peter has finished the book. The rain was falling all day. She did not run yesterday.

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31
Q

back channelling

A

Interactive features such as minimal responses (e.g. mm, yeah, ahh) that demonstrate a participant is listening and paralinguistic features (e.g. laughter) that show affirmation, but which do not disrupt the speaker’s turn.

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32
Q

back-formation

A

A process for forming words in which an affix is removed from an existing word creating a new word in a different word class e.g. babysit (verb) from babysitter (noun).

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33
Q

base

A

The minimal form of a word to which affixes can be added.

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34
Q

bi-nomial pair

A

An expression containing two words joined by a conjunction (usually and/or), often with a fixed order (collocation) e.g. scream and shout, make or break, hustle and bustle.

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35
Q

blend

A

A word formed by combining two or more words to create a new word combining the meaning of the originals (also called portmanteau words) e.g. webinar → web + seminar.

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36
Q

borrowing

A

Introducing a loan word from one language into another.

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37
Q

bound morpheme

A

A prefix or suffix that can only occur attached to a free morpheme e.g. unhappy, driver, cars, exchange.

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38
Q

cardinal number

A

The basic form of a number e.g. one, ten, three thousand.

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39
Q

caretaker speech

A

The distinctive speech adults use when they talk to young children.

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40
Q

cataphoric reference

A

A term to describe referencing in which a pronoun points forwards to a later noun phrase e.g. He’s ahead of the pack. And it’s Many Clouds still at the front and over the last fence now.

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41
Q

clause

A

A group of phrases which usually has a tensed verb phrase

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42
Q

cliché

A

An image that has lost its original meaning or novelty through overuse e.g. only time will tell, frightened to death, the quiet before the storm.

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43
Q

clipping

A

The creation of a new word with the same word class and denotation by dropping a syllable (also called truncation) e.g. Thurs, spec, flu, phone.

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44
Q

closed class

A

A group of words with a grammatical function (e.g. determiners, pronouns, prepositions and conjunctions) to which new words are rarely added.

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45
Q

cleft sentence

A

A sentence which has been rearranged with a dummy subject it + to be followed by the focus of the sentence and a relative clause e.g. It is school traffic that slows everything down on a weekday.

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46
Q

cohesion

A

Linguistic connections which link elements of a discourse.

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47
Q

coinage

A

The construction and addition of new words to the word stock.

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48
Q

collective noun

A

A noun that refers to a group, which may take a singular or plural verb form depending on whether the group is seen as a single cooperative body or a collection of individuals.

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49
Q

collocation

A

A recognisable group of words that frequently occur together e.g. there you go.

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50
Q

colloquialism

A

An informal word, phrase or pronunciation, often associated with informal speech.

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51
Q

comment clause

A

A commonly occurring clause in speech which adds a remark to another clause e.g. I mean …, I think …

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52
Q

comparative

A

A form used for comparisons of adjectives or adverbs e.g. colder, more ludicrous (adjectives); more calmly (adverb).

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53
Q

complement

A

A clause element that adds extra information about the subject after a copula verb (e.g. The skylark’s song was memorable.) or the object (e.g. I painted the wall purple.)

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54
Q

complex sentence

A

A sentence made up of one main clause and at least one subordinate clause e.g. Choosing stone for the garden wall (subordinate clause) was (main clause verb phrase) very complicated because there were so many options in the garden
centre (subordinate clause).

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55
Q

compound

A

A word or phrase made up of at least two free morphemes e.g. wallpaper, small-talk.

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56
Q

compound-complex

A

A sentence made up of at least two coordinated main clauses and at least one subordinate clause e.g. The car park was full (main clause) because there was building work (subordinate clause), but it made no difference to the shoppers (main clause) who were determined to get what they had come for (subordinate clause).

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57
Q

compound sentence

A

A sentence made up of at least two main clauses linked by a coordinating conjunction e.g. The sky was dark (main clause) and the wind whipped our hair (main clause).

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58
Q

concrete noun

A

A noun that refers to physical things like people, places, objects and substances.

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59
Q

conjunct

A

An adverb that has a linking function e.g. nevertheless, however, instead.

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60
Q

conjunction

A

A closed class word used to join other words or phrases together e.g. bread and butter pudding (coordinating); I liked her since she was always ready to help (subordinating).

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61
Q

connotations

A

The associations linked to a word that go beyond its denotation.

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62
Q

consonant cluster

A

A group of consonants occurring at the beginning of a word e.g. stream, thread, plot.

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63
Q

context

A

The circumstances (social, historical, geographical, cultural, physical) in which speech and writing take place.

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64
Q

contraction

A

A shortened word e.g. can’t, won’t, we’re.

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65
Q

convergence

A

A process in which two speakers adapt their language and pronunciation to reduce the difference between them.

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66
Q

coordinating conjunction

A

A word that joins words, phrases, clauses or sentences of equal grammatical status e.g. and, or, but.

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67
Q

copula verb

A

A verb that is followed by a complement e.g. be, seem, appear, grow, become.

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68
Q

count noun

A

A noun that refers to things that can be counted, and which has a plural form e.g. computer/computers.

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69
Q

declarative

A

A grammatical mood where the subject is followed by the verb in a sentence which expresses a statement e.g. The balloon flew over the mountain.

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70
Q

degree adverb

A

An adverb which indicates the extent of a quality e.g. very, really, quite, nearly, so.

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71
Q

deixis

A

A term describing expressions that rely on the context for interpretation e.g. there, over here, that high.

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72
Q

demonstrative

A

A term used to describe pronouns and determiners that distinguish between similar items e.g. this/that, these/those.

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73
Q

denotation

A

The dictionary meaning of a word.

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74
Q

deontic modality

A

A modal verb expressing ability, necessity or obligation e.g. can, could, may, must, shall, should.

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75
Q

dependent clause

A

A clause which cannot stand alone (also called subordinate clause).

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76
Q

derivation

A

A term to describe words that are formed by adding affixes to create new words e.g. slow + ness, arriv(e) + al, simpl(e) + ify.

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77
Q

descriptive

A

An approach to language based on observation of language in use, focusing on appropriateness and acceptability rather than on making judgements.

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78
Q

determiner

A

A closed class word which only occurs at the beginning of a noun phrase and which defines the number and definiteness of the noun e.g. the dog, some flowers, a mistake, that list.

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79
Q

dialect

A

A language variety with distinctive lexis and grammar used by speakers with common regional, social or cultural backgrounds.

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80
Q

dialect levelling

A

The reduction in differences between dialects caused by language contact and mass media.

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81
Q

direct object

A

A clause element that is directly affected by the action or process of the verb e.g. The racing-driver crashed the car.

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82
Q

direct speech

A

A form of speech in which the actual words spoken are recorded, usually between speech marks e.g. He looked down at the floor and muttered, ‘Well, it wasn’t my fault.’

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83
Q

discourse

A

Any spoken or written language longer than a sentence.

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84
Q

discourse markers

A

Words or phrases that stand outside the clause and act as fillers, topic changers, hedges etc. e.g. well, right, y’know, I mean, basically.

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85
Q

disjunct

A

A sentence adverb allowing the speaker or writer to comment on the content or style of a sentence e.g. honestly, fortunately for you, clearly.

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86
Q

divergence

A

A process in which two speakers adapt their language and pronunciation to increase the difference between them.

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87
Q

double negative

A

A structure in which more than one negative particle is used in a single verb phrase e.g. He didn’t never tell lies.

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88
Q

dummy word

A

A word which fills a grammatical function in a clause, but which has no meaning e.g. It is Jack who should be apologising. Do you want a cup of tea?

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89
Q

dynamic verb

A

A verb which expresses an action rather than a state and which has a progressive form e.g. I was picking apples.

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90
Q

-ed participle

A

A nonfinite verb formed by adding an –ed inflection to the base of regular verbs (or which has an irregular form), which occurs with an auxiliary in a tensed verb phrase, or by itself as a nonfinite clause (also called a past participle) e.g. The girl (had swum) for miles. The window broken by the stone (had been repaired).

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91
Q

elision

A

The omission of sounds in connected speech.

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92
Q

ellipsis

A

The omission of part of a sentence that can be understood by the context. e.g. The sprinter had broken the world record, Ø reached a new PB and Ø charmed the crowds.

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93
Q

embedded clause

A

A subordinate clause which functions as a part of a clause element e.g. The fireworks which lit up the sky had cost a fortune (post-modifying subject noun phrase). They had done enough to achieve victory (post-modifying object noun phrase).

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94
Q

emphatic stress

A

Emphasis placed upon syllables or words in spoken discourse

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95
Q

enclitic

A

An unstressed morpheme which joins phonetically to the preceding word e.g. don’t, I’d.

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96
Q

end focus

A

The positioning of information at the end of a clause for emphasis

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97
Q

enjambement

A

The overlapping of meaning from one line to another in verse without punctuation.

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98
Q

enumerators

A

Cardinal and ordinal numbers.

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99
Q

epistemic modality

A

A modal verb expressing a speaker’s assessment of the reality or likelihood of an event taking place e.g. can, may, might, must, should, will, would.

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100
Q

etymology

A

A study of the origins and history of words.

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101
Q

euphemism

A

A word that replaces another which is seen as taboo or social unacceptable.

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102
Q

exclamation

A

The tone communicated by the use of an exclamation mark e.g. We were only joking!

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103
Q

exclamative

A

A sentence beginning with how or what in the initial position to communicate strong feelings e.g. what an insult!; how unbelievable is that!

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104
Q

existential ‘there’

A

A sentence in which There is used as a dummy subject with a delayed subject occurring after the verb to be for emphasis e.g. There was litter everywhere.

105
Q

exophoric reference

A

A term to describe referencing in which a lexical item points to the wider linguistic context e.g. That man there is my brother.

106
Q

false start

A

An utterance that is started, left incomplete, and then restarted with a different grammatical structure e.g. and Si.. Glen Johnson; they are (.) it’s impossible; I felt that it (.) people were everywhere.

107
Q

field

A

An area of meaning linked to the subject matter of a discourse (e.g. physics) which will contain linked lexical items e.g. gravity, relativity, spacetime, Einstein, Newton, density gradient.

108
Q

figurative language

A

A term used to describe any language use that is non-literal, using devices such as metaphors, similes etc. to create poetic and descriptive effects.

109
Q

filled pause

A

A voiced hesitation in spoken language.

110
Q

filler

A

Words, usually with no semantic value, which are inserted into speech either from habit or to give a participant thinking time as they search for a word e.g. er, um, ah.

111
Q

finite

A

A term used to describe verb phrases marked for tense, person and number.

112
Q

foregrounding

A

A change in the order of clause elements to draw attention to a particular linguistic item (also called fronting) e.g. In winter, I’m really moody.

113
Q

form

A

The class of a word or the type of phrase.

114
Q

free morpheme

A

The smallest meaningful unit of language that can occur by itself.

115
Q

function

A

The role of words, phrases or clauses within a sentence e.g. modifiers in a noun phrase.

116
Q

function word

A

Closed words like prepositions, conjunctions, determiners etc. that express grammatical functions within a sentence.

117
Q

future time

A

A verb phrase that indicates actions/processes that have not yet taken place using the modal will, the multi-word verb to be + going to, or the simple present in subordinate clauses.

118
Q

gradable

A

A term to describe adjectives and adverbs that can be compared (e.g. colder, coldest) or intensified (e.g. so cold).

119
Q

grammatical mood

A

A term describing the relationship between the verb phrase and the intention of a sentence e.g. making a statement (declarative); asking a questions (interrogative); telling someone to do something (imperative); communicating something hypothetical
(subjunctive).

120
Q

head word

A

The main linguistic item in a phrase.

121
Q

hedging

A

The use of mitigating words or sounds to lessen the impact of an utterance e.g. I think, I’m not an expert but …, somewhat, it’s possible that …

122
Q

hesitation

A

The repetition of the initial sound of a letter e.g. s. straight; th. um (.) the very obvious.

123
Q

homonym

A

Words with the same sound and form but different meanings e.g. rock (noun, aggregate of solid mineral matter) and rock (verb, move gently back and forwards).

124
Q

homophone

A

Words with the same sound but different spelling and meaning e.g. flower/flour.

125
Q

hyperbole

A

Exaggeration or overstatement used as a rhetorical device to heighten feelings.

126
Q

hypercorrection

A

A process of overcompensation where speakers use non-standard forms in the belief that they are more formal or correct e.g. She gave it to John and I.

127
Q

hypophora

A

A rhetorical device in which a speaker or writer poses a question and then provides the answer.

128
Q

idiolect

A

A term used to describe the characteristic speech of an individual, including distinctive features of pronunciation, lexis, and grammar.

129
Q

idiom

A

A distinctive expression in which the meaning is not a literal interpretation of the individual words e.g. She jumped the gun when she sent in that complaint yesterday. i.e. ‘acted too fast’.

130
Q

imperative

A

A grammatical mood expressing a directive using a verb in the base form with no subject e.g. Sit. Don’t eat it. Stop.

131
Q

implicature

A

A term used to describe what a hearer infers from an utterance.

132
Q

inclusive

A

A term used to describe a first person plural reference (e.g. we, us) that includes the speaker as well as the addressee(s).

133
Q

independent clause

A

A clause that can stand alone, has a tensed verb phrase, and makes sense by itself (also called a main clause).

134
Q

indirect object

A

The animate being that receives the action of the verb, which comes before the direct object, or after it in the form of a prepositional phrase e.g. The cat brought Sandra a mouse OR The cat brought a mouse to Sandra.

135
Q

indirect speech

A

A form of speech which reports what someone else has said, where the subordinator that introduces words spoken e.g. The teacher said that I could pass.

136
Q

infinitive

A

A non-finite base form verb which usually occurs with the preposition to e.g. to sit.

137
Q

inflection

A

The marking of a grammatical relationship with a suffix e.g. plural and possessive nouns, verbs participles (-ing, -ed).

138
Q

-ing participle

A

A non-finite verb formed by adding an -ing inflection to the base form of a verb, which occurs with an auxiliary in a tensed verb phrase, or by itself as a non-finite clause (also called a present participle) e.g. The girl was crying for ages. The leaves falling from
the trees carpeted the ground.

139
Q

initialism

A

A word formed from the first letters of a sequence of words pronounced letter by letter e.g. NHS, BBC, OMG.

140
Q

initial position

A

A term used to describe the first site in a sentence, clause, phrase or word. intensifier An adverb that adds emphasis e.g. so, very, really.

141
Q

interactive feature

A

Distinctive non-verbal utterances that affirm (e.g. mm, yes), show agreement (e.g. feature laughter), add reinforcement (e.g. echo utterances).

142
Q

interjection

A

A closed class group of words and phrases that communicate emotions or spontaneous responses which are not part of the grammatical structure of a clause e.g. hey!, oh dear!

143
Q

interrogative

A

A grammatical mood expressing a question, in which the subject and the verb are inverted e.g. Has she got a cat? Would they buy a book? Does he want to come?

144
Q

interruption

A

The ending of one speaker’s turn by the intervention of another speaker, which may be a non-cooperative challenge, or may be the result of multiple participants with equal status in a conversation.

145
Q

intonation

A

The quality or tone of voice in speech, which can stay level, rise or fall.

146
Q

intransitive

A

A verb which requires no object to complete its meaning (e.g. The baby smiled.)—some verbs can be both intransitive (e.g. The family ate.) and transitive (e.g. The family ate the meal.)

147
Q

irony

A

A way of writing or speaking in which the intended meaning appears to be the opposite of what is actually said e.g. Thanks so much for taking the bins out! (i.e. bins have not actually been taken out = implicit criticism).

148
Q

latch-on

A

A smooth link between different speakers in a spoken exchange.

149
Q

lexical cohesion

A

Links created between words as a result of their related meanings.

150
Q

lexical diffusion

A

The gradual spread of linguistic change.

151
Q

lexical set

A

A group of words linked by a common word class, which may also have related meanings.

152
Q

lexical verb

A

The verb in a verb phrase that carries the main meaning (also called a main verb) e.g. The man fell. The children had finished. The car should have arrived by now.

153
Q

lexis

A

The term used to describe the vocabulary of a language.

154
Q

liaison

A

A process that changes the pronunciation of words at boundaries, usually inserting /r/.

155
Q

loan word

A

A word borrowed from another language e.g. tortilla.

156
Q

main clause

A

A clause that can stand alone, has a tensed verb phrase, and makes sense (also called an independent clause)

157
Q

malapropism

A

A misuse of words that sound similar e.g. fire distinguisher for fire extinguisher.

158
Q

marked theme

A

A linguistic unit that occurs at the front of a sentence replacing the subject (the theme of a sentence) e.g. In the middle of winter, you don’t expect crocuses to flower.

159
Q

metaphor

A

A figurative use of language in which one thing is seen in terms of something else e.g. He was at a crossroads and didn’t know which road to take (= making choices in life).

160
Q

metonymy

A

The use of an attribute to represent the whole e.g. the stage = theatre.

161
Q

minimal pair/set

A

Two or more words that are identical except for one phoneme occurring in the same place which changes the meaning e.g. pin/pan, shot/pot, in/dip/did/dig.

162
Q

minor sentence

A

A sentence or utterance that lacks one or more of the clause elements (e.g. three samosas—said to a server on the deli counter), often formulaic in structure (e.g. Sure!—in response to a question).

163
Q

modal verb

A

An auxiliary that alters the meaning of the lexical verb in terms of likelihood, ability, permission, obligation etc. e.g. we must go (obligation); we might go (possibility); we will go (prediction).

164
Q

mode

A

A term used to describe whether language use is written, spoken, or multi-modal.

165
Q

modifier

A

A word used to add descriptive detail to another word e.g. the slow train; the train screeched wildly.

166
Q

monitoring features

A

Expressions which allow a speaker to check that the hearer is still listening, has understood etc. e.g. if you remember …, would you believe … , you know.

167
Q

monosyllabic

A

Having one syllable.

168
Q

morpheme

A

The smallest unit of meaning e.g. dog (free); re- (bound).

169
Q

morphology

A

The study of the structure of words in terms of morphemes.

170
Q

multi-word verb

A

A verb which has a particle e.g. the police kicked in the door (verb + adverb = phrasal verb); the girl looked at the painting (verb + preposition = prepositional verb).

171
Q

negative

A

The use of particles or words to deny what is asserted by a verb e.g. The tree has not grown. The child never sat down. I ate nothing.

172
Q

neologism

A

The creation of a word from existing lexical items e.g. electracy—the skills and facility needed to make full use of the communicative potential of new electronic media (modelled on ‘literacy’).

173
Q

non-count noun

A

A noun referring to things which cannot be counted and which often do not have a plural form e.g. traffic, applause.

174
Q

non-finite verb

A

Verb forms that are not marked for tense, person or number e.g. base forms, infinitives, -ing (present) and –ed (past) participles.

175
Q

non-finite clause

A

A dependent clause introduced by a non-finite verb, which can function as a postmodifier (e.g. The family running for the bus were clearly late.) or as a clause element (Deprived of love, pets don’t thrive.)

176
Q

non-standard

A

Language that does not conform to the standard prestige form which is used as a linguistic norm.

177
Q

noun

A

An open class word with a naming function, often with a plural form and which can be marked for possession.

178
Q

noun clause

A

A dependent clause introduced by the subordinating conjunction that, which can fulfil the subject site (e.g. What I want is time to rest.), the object site (e.g. I believe that the tide is coming in.) or the complement site (e.g. My one hope in life is that I do something
useful.) of a clause.

179
Q

noun phrase

A

A phrase which usually has a noun as its head, that can function as a subject, object, complement or adverbial in a clause.

180
Q

normal non-fluency

A

Commonly occurring features of spoken language such as hesitations and false starts which break up the flow of speech.

181
Q

obsolete words

A

Words that are no longer in use e.g. jargogle: to confuse or jumble; scuppet: a spade used for making ditches.

182
Q

onomatopoeia

A

The term used to denote words that imitate sounds e.g. splash, murmur, clank, buzz.

183
Q

open class

A

A large group of words (nouns, adjectives, verbs and adverbs) to which new words can be added—they carry the main meaning in a sentence (also called lexical words).

184
Q

ordinal number

A

Numbers that indicate the order of a sequence e.g. first, second, third.

185
Q

orthography

A

The study of spelling and the ways letters are used in a language e.g. spelling rules, hyphenation, capitalisation, word breaks, punctuation.

186
Q

overlap

A

Participants speak at the same time, but the dominant speaker’s turn is not ended—this can mark positive feedback where one speaker provides backchannel affirmation or support; the misjudgement of the end of a turn; or an additional point or
comment on what is being said.

187
Q

oxymoron

A

The use of apparently contradictory words in a phrase e.g. eloquent silence, darkness visible.

188
Q

paralinguistics

A

The study of non-verbal communication e.g. vocal effects (laughing, sighing), gesture, posture and facial expressions.

189
Q

parallelism

A

Patterning of pairs of sounds, words, or other structures to create a sense of balance e.g. quickly and decisively, neither a poet nor a philosopher.

190
Q

parenthesis

A

The use of brackets, dashes or commas in written language, or pauses in spoken language, to mark out an optional element of a sentence or utterance.

191
Q

passive voice

A

A grammatical structure in which the subject and object change places to alter the focus of a sentence and the verb phrase is made up of to be + -ed participle e.g. The book was written (by a local woman).

192
Q

pauses

A

Breaks in spoken language which can be minimal (micro pause), often marking the end of utterances, or timed (in seconds) e.g. we’ll stop there (.) let’s try to (2) meet up later.

193
Q

perfective

A

An aspect made up of to have + -ed participle e.g. the cat has caught a mouse (past action with present relevance); the cat had caught a mouse (action completed before a specific time).

194
Q

periphrastic

A

A grammatical structure formed by a combination of words rather than by inflection e.g. the man did go/the man went (past tense); the vote of the people/the people’s vote (possessive).

195
Q

personification

A

A device in which something non-human is given human attributes e.g. the blushing birds.

196
Q

phatic speech

A

Words, phrases and clauses that have a social function e.g. good morning; lovely day; thanks.

197
Q

phonemes

A

The smallest unit of sound.

198
Q

phonetics

A

The study of spoken sounds and the way in which they are produced.

199
Q

phonology

A

The study of sounds in a particular language and the ways in which they are combined to create meaning.

200
Q

phrase

A

A group of words that has no finite verb (except for a verb phrase) e.g. a sleeping dog (noun); very clear blue (adjective); really soon (adverb); is going (verb).

201
Q

polysyllabic

A

Having more than one syllable.

202
Q

post-modification

A

Lexical items that follow the head in a phrase e.g. the horse that bites; very happy to see you.

203
Q

pragmatics

A

The study of how contextual factors influence a speaker’s or writer’s language choices.

204
Q

predicative

A

The term used to describe modifiers that follow a copula verb e.g. the grass was long.

205
Q

predicator

A

The verb phrase filling the verb site of a clause e.g. the dog was running up the mountain.

206
Q

prefix

A

A bound morpheme that can be added to the beginning of a free morpheme e.g. redo.

207
Q

pre-modification

A

Lexical items that precede the head in a phrase e.g. quite sad; apple tree.

208
Q

preposition

A

A closed class word which comes in front of a noun phrase to express a relationship e.g. on the mountain; under the table.

209
Q

prepositional phrase

A

A phrase made up of a preposition and a noun phrase which can function as a postmodifier (e.g. the dog with a fluffy tail) or as an adverbial (e.g. the man walked along the river).

210
Q

prescriptive

A

An approach to language that dictates rules of usage, and which focuses on concepts of ‘right’ and ‘wrong’.

211
Q

proclitic

A

An unstressed morpheme which joins phonetically to the following word e.g. ’twas, ’tis.

212
Q

progressive

A

An aspect made up of to be + -ing participle e.g. the dog is chasing a rabbit (ongoing action in the present); the dog was chasing a rabbit (ongoing action in the past).

213
Q

pronoun

A

A closed class word that can replace a noun phrase e.g. the boy → he.

214
Q

proper noun

A

A noun that refers to the names of specific people, place and occasions, and which has an initial capital letter in written language e.g. December, Eid, River Bann.

215
Q

prosodic features

A

The use of pitch, volume, pace and rhythm to draw attention to key features of spoken language.

216
Q

quoted clause

A

A clause containing the actual words spoken in direct speech and usually marked with speech marks in written language e.g. ‘He’s behind you,’ chanted the audience.

217
Q

quoting clause

A

A clause accompanying direct speech that tells us who has said something e.g. ‘He’s behind you,’ chanted the audience.

218
Q

rallentando

A

A term used to describe speech that is getting slower (marked rall on transcripts).

219
Q

Received pronunciation

A

An accent which has high social status and is not connected to a specific region (also known as RP).

220
Q

relative clause

A

A dependent clause introduced by a relative pronoun such as that, which, whoever, whom, of which, which post-modifies a noun phrase e.g. the artist whose work was on display entered the room.

221
Q

register

A

A style of language used in a particular context defined in terms of mode, tenor and field.

222
Q

repertoire

A

An individual’s range of spoken and written forms.

223
Q

rhetorical question

A

A question that does not require an answer.

224
Q

self-correction

A

A speaker’s repair to an utterance e.g. bret-ta. (.) breathtaking; Steve (.) Sir Stephen.

225
Q

semantic change

A

Changes in word meaning over time.

226
Q

semantic field

A

A theme or topic created by the use of words with associated meanings e.g. doctor, medicine, vaccinating, surgery, prescription.

227
Q

sentence

A

A grammatical structure made up of one or more clauses, marked by a capital letter and a full stop in written language (called an utterance in spoken language).

228
Q

simile

A

A device which makes a direct comparison between two things using the prepositions like or as e.g. her heart was beating like the wings of bird against its cage.

229
Q

slang

A

Distinctive, and often short-lived, words and phrases used by clearly defined social or age groups associated with informal speech e.g. cork it (stop talking).

230
Q

simple sentence

A

A sentence made up of one main clause e.g. The astronaut fastened his belt.

231
Q

spontaneity markers

A

Distinctive features of spoken language that mark speech as spontaneous and unscripted, including comment clauses, fillers, hesitations etc.

232
Q

standard

A

The form of a language considered to be the norm and used as the medium of education, government, and the legal system.

233
Q

stative verbs

A

Verbs that express states of being or processes, which rarely take a progressive form e.g. understand, wish, doubt.

234
Q

subject

A

A noun phrase or a clause which is the actor of a sentence e.g. Winning medals is the goal of all athletes. The builder plastered the wall quickly.

235
Q

subjunctive

A

A grammatical mood used to express something hypothetical or tentative—most common now in formulaic expressions (e.g. God save the Queen.) and in If structures (e.g. If I were Prime Minister….)

236
Q

subordinate clause

A

A clause that cannot stand alone, but needs another clause to complete its meaning e.g. Because I was tired, I went to bed early. subordinating conjunction A conjunction used to introduce a subordinate clause e.g. while, as soon as, although e.g. I couldn’t finish cutting the grass until the rain stopped.

237
Q

suffix

A

A bound morpheme that can be added at the end of a free morpheme e.g. goodness.

238
Q

symbol

A

A device in which a word or phrase represents something more than itself e.g. fog can be symbolic of confusion

239
Q

syndetic

A

A term used to describe a list of words, phrases or clauses that are connected by a conjunction e.g. A dove, a red rose, a rainbow and a kitten are all positive symbols.

240
Q

synonyms

A

Different words that have the same or similar meanings e.g. repulsive, nauseating, disgusting.

241
Q

syntax

A

The study of the grammatical relationships between words in sentences.

242
Q

tag question

A

An interrogative structure that is attached at the end of a statement to encourage a reply e.g. It’s good, isn’t it? I don’t like it, do you?

243
Q

tenor

A

The relationship between participants in a language interaction.

244
Q

tense

A

A change in the form of a verb to indicate timescale e.g. he walks (present); he walked (past).

245
Q

transitive

A

A verb which requires an object to complete its meaning e.g. The baby ate a banana.— some verbs can be ditransitive (e.g. Uncle Andrew told the children a story.)

246
Q

turn-taking

A

The organisation of participants in a spoken interaction, where the turns may be equal or where one speaker may be dominant.

247
Q

tripling

A

Patterning of words, phrases, clauses or sentences in recognisable groups of three e.g. No birdsong. No wind in the trees. No sign of life.

248
Q

utterance

A

A grammatical structure made up of one or more clauses, often preceded by a micro pause and followed by another pause or a change of speaker in spoken language (called a sentence in written language).

249
Q

unintentional repetition

A

The accidental repetition of a monosyllabic word in spoken language e.g. they they’ve; we we we.

250
Q

verbal noun

A

A noun derived from a verb e.g. Sewing is a useful skill.

251
Q

verbless clause

A

A clause that contains no verb although the structure implies there should be one e.g. When in doubt, ask.

252
Q

verb

A

An open class word expressing states, process and actions, which can be marked for tense, aspect, voice and modality.

253
Q

verb phrase

A

A phrase made up of a single lexical verb, or up to four auxiliaries and a lexical verb e.g. follows, was following, should have been following, may have been being followed.

254
Q

vocative

A

The term of address used to refer directly to a person in speech e.g. Come over here, John. Prime Minister, I’m very pleased to meet you.

255
Q

wh- question

A

Questions introduced by wh- question words, which expect new information in the answer e.g. Why are you late? → requires reason.

256
Q

word formation

A

The process of creating words from free and bound morphemes e.g. un + gracious + ly

257
Q

word order

A

The arrangement of words, phrases and clauses in a sentence.

258
Q

yes/no question

A

Questions marked by the inversion of subject and, which require an affirmative or negative response e.g. Is this dress alright? → requires yes/no.

ENGLISH (9 decks)

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