AO1 Key Terms (Paper 1, 2, 5 and possibly 6) Flashcards
Deixis
Context-bound words
HypOnyms
Words included in a larger, more general category eg the hyponyms car, aeroplane as a from of the hypernym transport
HypERnyms
Words that label categories eg animal, this category including cat, dog etc
Antonyms
Words that have a contrasting meaning eg boy vs girls
Synonyms
Words that have a similar meaning eg anger, fury, irate
Denotative
The literal meaning of a word, not including the feelings and ideas connected with that word
Connotative
Associated meanings with a word
Taboo
Restricting the use of words or other parts of language due to social constraints
Colloquialisms
A word or phrase that is not formal or literary and is used in ordinary or familiar conversation eg aint, gonna
Slang
Consists of words that are non-standard in a given language and is generally spoken to show inclusion in a certain social group
Standard English
The form of the English language widely accepted as the usual correct form
Neology
New word formation
Blending
Mixing words to form new ones eg mansplane, glamping, spork
Acronyms
An abbreviation formed from the initial letters of other words and pronounced as a word eg NASA, BTW
Compounds
The process of combining two words (free morphemes) to create a new word (commonly a noun, verb, or adjective) eg sunflower, ice-cream
Example of a closed compound
Sunflower
Example of an open compound
Ice cream
Eponyms
Is a person or a thing, whether real or fictional, after which a specific discovery, place or era is named eg America, Boycott
Initialism
Is a word made from the first letters of each word in a phrase. Unlike acronyms, initialisms cannot be spoken as words: they are spoken letter by letter eg DVD
Occupational register
Vocabulary associated with a particular occupational register
Sociolect
Language associated with a particular social group
Dialect
Language associated with a particular geographical region
Semantic change
The process of words changing meaning
Amelioration
Is the upgrading or elevation of a word’s meaning, as when a word with a negative sense develops a positive one
Pejoration
A word acquires unfavourable connotations eg Liquor (liquid> alchololic drink)
Broadening
The meaning of a word becomes broader or more inclusive than its earlier meaning eg business
Narrowing
The meaning of a word becomes less general or inclusive than its earlier meaning
Semantic field
Grouping of words with similar meaning
Narrative thread
Something a text keeps returning to throughout
Simile
The comparison of one thing with another thing eg “like” “as”
Metaphor
A phrase used to describe something as if it was something else- not a comparison
Hyperbole
Exaggerated statements or claims not meant to be taken literally.
Personification
The attribution of a personal nature or human characteristics to something non-human
Onomatopoeia
Words evoke the actual sound of the thing they refer to or describe eg “boom” of a firework exploding, “tick tock” of a clock
Symbolism
Be they words, people, marks, locations, or abstract ideas to represent something beyond the literal meaning
Alliteration
The occurrence of the same letter or sound at the beginning of adjacent or closely connected words.
Epiphora
The repetition of a word or phrase at the end of successive clauses eg I want pizza, he wants pizza, we all want pizza!
Anaphora
Words repeat at the beginning of successive clauses, phrases, or sentences eg I have a dream speech
Implicature
Something suggested or implied via an utterance
Irony
The contrast between expectations and reality
Cathartic
Emotional relief for an audience
Ideology
A system of ideas shared by a group of people
Vernacular
Used to describe a local language/dialect
Rapport
Relationship
Speech acts
An utterance that serves a function in communication. We perform speech acts when we offer an apology, greeting, request, complaint, invitation, compliment, or refusal.
Asyndedic listing
Words joined via commas, not conjunctions
Intertextuality
The shaping of a text’s meaning by another text- a reference to winder things are made
Communicative competency
To know and follow the rules of conversation
Positive face
Defined as the individual desire of a person that his/ her personality is appreciated by others
Threats to negative face
When an individual does not avoid or intend to avoid the obstruction of their interlocutor’s freedom of action.
Repertoire
The vocabulary we use due to life experiences
Declarative sentence
State an idea
Exclamatory sentence
Show strong emotions
Anaphoric referencing
Making references back to something previously identified in a text
Exospheric referencing
Making references to things beyond the language of the text itself
Italicisation
Adds stress onto words
Rhetorical question
A question asked in order to create a dramatic effect or to make a point rather than to get an answer
Repetition
Repeating something that has already been said/written
Concrete noun
A concrete noun is a noun which refers to people and to things that exist physically and can be seen, touched, smelled, heard, or tasted. Examples include dog, building, coffee, tree, rain, beach, tune.
Proper noun
Identifies a particular person, place, or thing, e.g. Steven, Africa, London, Monday
Abstract noun
An abstract noun is a noun which refers to ideas, qualities, and conditions - things that cannot be seen or touched and things which have no physical reality, e.g. truth, danger, happiness, time, friendship, humour.
Personal pronoun
Take the place of people or things. They can be either singular or plural, depending whether they refer to one or multiple nouns. Examples include I, me, we, and us.
Possessive pronoun
Personal pronouns that also indicate possession of something. These pronouns often appear before the possessed item, but not always. For example, both “my car” and “the car is mine” both indicate who owns the car.
Interrogative pronoun
Begin questions. For example, in “Who are you?”, the interrogative pronoun who starts the question.
Collective pronoun
Refer to groups of people or things, e.g. audience, family, government, team, jury.
Pronoun
Is any member of a small class of words found in many languages that are used as replacements or substitutes for nouns and noun phrases, and that have very general reference, such as I, you, he, this, it, who, what.
Pronoun
A pronoun is a word that takes the place of a noun. Examples: he, she, it, they, someone
Noun
Is a part of speech that names a person, place, thing, idea, action or quality.
Adjective
“Describes” or “modifies” a noun eg the big dog was hungry
Pre and post modifying adjectives
Appear before and after a noun to describe it
Verb- dynamic and stative
Words that show action or state of being
Adverb
An adverb is a word that modifies (describes) a verb (he sings loudly)
Adverb
An adverb is a word that modifies (describes) a verb eg he sings loudly
Determiner
Is a word placed in front of a noun to specify quantity (e.g., “one dog,” “many dogs”) or to clarify what the noun refers to (e.g., “my dog,” “that dog,” “the dog”).
Preposition
A preposition is a word or group of words used before a noun, pronoun, or noun phrase to show direction, time, place, location, spatial relationships, or to introduce an object eg “in,” “at,” “on,” “of,” and “to.”
Conjunction
A word used to connect clauses or sentences or to coordinate words in the same clause (e.g. and, but, if ).
Preposition of direction example
Across, up, down, under, beside
Preposition of time example
At dinnertime, non, lunchtime, tomorrow
Preposition of place example
At the bus stop, door, school
Preposition of location example
At, behind, bellow, beside, next to
Head words
Determines the category of that phrase
Pathetic fallacy
Natural world is created as having human emotions
Euphemistic talk
A polite expression used in place of negative words
Simple sentence
A simple sentence contains a subject and a verb. It expresses a single complete thought that can stand on its own eg the baby cried for food, Professor Maple’s intelligent students completed and turned in their homework.
Compound sentence
Has two independent clauses (contains two simple sentences) . An independent clause is a part of a
sentence that can stand alone because it contains a subject and a verb eg The shoplifter had stolen clothes, so he ran once he saw the police.
Complex sentence
Is an independent clause joined by one or more dependent clauses. A dependent clause either lacks a subject or a verb or has both a subject and a verb does
not express a complete thought eg After eating lunch at The Cheesecake Factory, Tim went to the gym to exercise
Minor sentence
Is one that does not necessarily have a main verb in it, but which can be understood as a complete unit of meaning
eg What time are you leaving?’. ‘Three.’. Here, Three is a minor sentence; it has no verb, but the listener will understand that the person means I am leaving at three o’clock
Quantifier
A word that usually goes before a noun to express the quantity of the object; for example, a little milk- can describe small or large quantities
Discourse markers/cohesive features
Are words or phrases like anyway, right, okay, as I say, to begin with. We use them to connect, organise and manage what we say or write or to express attitude
Prescriptivism
The way language “should” be used
Should be proper english
Conservative ie old fashioned
Descriptivism
The way language is used
Adaptive
Evolution
Subject specific lexis
A group of words drawn from a particular area of experience e.g jargon.
Accommodation
The process by which participants in a conversation adjust their accent, diction, or other aspects of language according to the speech style of the other participant.
Transactional utterance
Utterance that serves to get something done
Referential utterance
Provides information
Directive utterance
Directs an action
Phatic utterance
“small talk”
Adverbs of manner
Express how something happens eg quickly, terribly, fast, slow, well
Adverbs of time
They tell us when the verb happened or will happen. For example, “afterward”, “every day” and “recently’
Adverbs of degree
They usually modify other verbs, adjectives, or adverbs making them stronger or weaker. eg very, almost, extremly
Adverbs of frequency
Express “how often” something takes place eg never, occasionally, often
Upward divergence
Occurs when speakers emphasize the standard features of their speech
Downward divergence
Occurs when speakers emphasize the nonstandard features of their speech
Adverbs of degree
They usually modify other verbs, adjectives, or adverbs making them stronger or weaker. eg very, almost, extremy
Interactional
The language we use to build and maintain relationships
Transactional
Normally carries a message and is the language used to get things done
