Basic Lexicon for Teachers of English Language Learners (ELLs) Flashcards
What is the Theory of Transformational Grammar?
Theory by Noam Chomsky. According to this view/theory, children are able to learn the superficial grammar of a particular language because all intelligible languages are founded on a deep structure of grammatical rules that are universal and that correspond to an innate capacity of the human brain.
What are “cognates”?
Cognates are words which have a common origin. There are 3 district levels:
True Cognate- The word is spelled the same, meaning the same, but pronunciation will be different according to language structure of the words such as an accent mark. Example.. English-rodeo, Spanish- rodeo
Partial Cognate- The word in other languages has the same origin but the spelling will differ. The meaning will be the same but the pronunciation due to the language structure will be different. Example…English-fragrance, Spanish- frangancia
False Cognate- The word in another language may have the same origin but will have different spelling and different meaning. Pronunciation will be different. Example..English-exit, Spanish- exito (means ‘false friend’ not exit)
What is “discourse”?
is a continuous stretch of speech or written text, going beyond a sentence to express thought.
For example: style in writing or rules of conversation. Cultural rules for conversation; ex: taking turns, opening conversation (How are you?)
We don’t write the way we speak – differences between written and spoken discourse
What is a “Language Register”?
The meaning of language as determined by situational context cues. Language registers are influenced by what is being talked/written about and the relationship between the speakers. This situational context of language use is referred to as a language register.
What is “Lexical Ambiguity”?
when some words may have two or more meanings such as:
pen- a writing instrument or
pen- a place where pigs live
fall- a season of the year or
fall- to tumble down, plunge
What is “Lexicon”? What does “Lexicon” include information about?
is the knowledge that a native speaker has about a language.
This includes information about:
- the form and meanings of words and phrases
- lexical categorization
- the appropriate usage of words and phrases
- relationships between words and phrases, and
- categories of words and phrases.
Phonological and grammatical rules are not considered part of the lexicon.
Lexicon is one’s mental list of the words in a language, including information about the meaning, grammatical function, pronunciation. (A written lexicon is a list of all the words in a dictionary.)
What is “morphology”?
is the study of the internal structure of words, how words are structured, and how they are constructed from smaller parts (morphemes).
Can be thought of as a system of adjustments in the shapes of words that contribute to adjustments in the way speakers intend their utterances to be interpreted. In linguistics, word formation is the creation of a new word. The basic part of any word is the root. You can add a prefix at the beginning and/or a suffix at the end to change the meaning. For example, in the word “unflattering,” the root is simply “flatter,” while the prefix is “un-“.
What is “phoneme”?
is a speech sound. Consonants and vowels are examples of speech sounds.
For example, “text” and “test” are words identical except for the third letters: “x” and “s.” The sounds these letters represent allow one to differentiate between the two words. These words both have four phonemes: three identical and one unique. By changing just one letter in a word, and inserting a new phoneme, a different word is formed. Almost all words are made up of a number of phonemes blended together. Another example is the word “ball.” It is made up of three phonemes: /b/ /aw/ /l/. Each sound affects the meaning. Take away the /b/ sound and replace it with /w/ and there is an entirely different word. Change the /aw/ for an /e/ sound and again the meaning changes.
What is “phonics”?
is simply the system of relationships between letters and sounds in a language.
Examples: When your kindergartner learns that the letter B has the sound of /b/ and your second-grader learns that “tion” sounds like /shun/, they are learning phonics.
What is “phonological awareness”?
A reader with strong phonemic awareness will demonstrate the ability to hear rhyme and alliteration (the repetition of the same consonant sound at the beginning of several different words used in a sentence or paragraph), find the different sound in a set of words (ie. “bat”, “ball”, “wet”) and blend and segment phonemes.
What is “pragmatics”?
is the study of the aspects of meaning and language use that are dependent on the speaker, the addressee and other features of the context of utterance, such as the following:
The effect that the following have on the speaker’s choice of expression and the addressee’s interpretation of an utterance:
- Context of utterance
- Generally observed principles of communication
- The goals of the speaker
Pragmatics studies appropriate language usage, especially how context influences the interpretation of speech. The same sentence can be used to do different things in different situations. “Gee, it’s hot in here!” can be used to state a fact or to get someone to open a window. It is how the meaning is conveyed by a word or sentence depends on the context used (such as time, place, social relationship).
What is “semantics”? What are two ways to interpret/define “semantics”?
the literal meaning of sentences, phrases, words, and morphemes. “What is the meaning of the word vegetable?” “How does the word order influence meaning of a sentence?”
Two ways to interpret/define semantics:
- Semantics, generally defined, the study of meaning of linguistic expressions.
- Semantics, more narrowly defined, the study of the meaning of linguistic expressions apart from consideration of the effect that pragmatic factors, such as the following, have on the meaning of language in use:
* Features of the context
* Conventions of language use
* The goals of the speaker
What is “syntax”? Also, what two parts can the category of “syntax” be divided into?
is the way words are put together in a language to form phrases, clauses, or sentences.
The syntax of a language can be divided into two parts:
- Syntactic classes such as noun, verb, and adjective
- Syntactic functions, such as subject and object
What is the “cognitive approach to learning language”?
The cognitive approach, increasingly favored by experts in language acquisition, emphasizes extemporaneous conversation, immersion, and other techniques intended to simulate the environment in which most people acquire their native language as children.
Learn phonics will help students learn to do “what”?
- to learn to read.
- to learn to spell.
- to know which letters to use as she/he writes words
For example: Written language can be compared to a code. Therefore, knowing the sounds of letters and letter combination will help your child decode words as she/he reads.
