DELTA terminology

Question 1

The base form of a word, without any inflections or derivations. For example, “run” is a ____, while “running,” “ran,” and “runner” are different forms of the same ____.

Answer 1

Lexeme

Question 2

Words that commonly occur together. For instance, “make a decision,” “strong coffee,” or “take a photo.” Learning _______ helps understand natural language use. Examples: “Fast food” and “make a decision”

Answer 2

collocations

Question 3

Meaning: The emotional or cultural association attached to a word, beyond its literal meaning.
Example: The word “childlike” has a positive _______, suggesting innocence and wonder.

Answer 3

connotation

Question 4

Meaning: The explicit, literal meaning of a word as defined in a dictionary.
Example: The _______ of “home” is a place where someone lives.

Answer 4

denotation

Question 5

Meaning: The degree of formality or informality of language used in a particular context.
Example: “Hi” is informal, while “Greetings” is more formal; both can be used to address someone.

Answer 5

register

Question 6

Meaning: A word having multiple related meanings.
Example: The word “bank” can refer to a financial institution or the side of a river.

Answer 6

polysemy

Question 7

Meaning: A word that is spelled and pronounced the same as another word but has different meanings.
Example: “Bark” can mean the sound a dog makes or the outer covering of a tree.

Answer 7

homonym

Question 8

Meaning: A word that has a similar meaning to another word.
Example: “Happy” is a __________ for “joyful.”

Answer 8

synonym

Question 9

Meaning: A word that has the opposite meaning of another word.
Example: “Hot” is an ________ of “cold.

Answer 9

antonym

Question 10

Meaning: The process of adding prefixes or suffixes to a word to change its meaning or grammatical function.
Example: By adding the suffix “-able” to “read,” you get “readable.”

Answer 10

affixation

Question 11

A sound made by initially blocking the airflow, but then releasing it through a small space, creating friction. Eg /ʤ/

Answer 11

affricate

Question 12

A sequence of two related utterances by different speakers, the second being dependent on the first
Eg : Compliment –Thanks/Downgrading : This cake is wonderful!/ Thanks. But it’s really simple to make.

Answer 12

adjacency pair

Question 13

The typical approach (including methods, activities, procedures etc) which an individual tends to favour / find most useful in order to acquire information or skills.
Eg : Someone with a theorist learning style (Honey and Mumford) likes to see clear rules and explanations for what s/he is learning

Answer 13

learning style

Question 14

An activity used to measure reading comprehension in which words are removed from a reading passage at regular intervals – eg every 7th word, or every 9th word. The reader then has to replace the words.

Answer 14

cloze test

Question 15

Inaccuracy in speech or writing due to lack of knowledge of the language item needed.

Answer 15

error

Question 16

A sentence (often the initial sentence) in a text or paragraph which introduces and/or summarises the main idea or argument of the text/paragraph.

Answer 16

topic sentence

Question 17

A sound made by bringing two articulators close together and forcing the air through the resulting small space. For example, bringing the teeth close to the lower lip to pronounce the sound /f/

Answer 17

fricative

Question 18

A sound made by temporarily blocking the airflow with two parts of the mouth and then releasing it. e.g. /p/, /b/, /t/, /d/, /k/, and /g/.

Answer 18

plosive

Question 19

a grammatical construction in which two noun phrases are placed next to each other, with one serving to explain or modify the other. The two elements are usually separated by commas, but they can also appear without punctuation if they are closely related.

For example:

My brother, a skilled musician, plays the guitar.
Here, “a skilled musician” is in ________ to “my brother,” providing additional information about him.

_________ helps clarify or add detail to a noun by placing another noun or noun phrase directly beside it.

Answer 19

apposition

Question 20

a type of reference in which a word or phrase refers back to a previously mentioned noun or pronoun. This is commonly seen in discourse where the meaning of a pronoun or noun is understood in relation to earlier context.

For example:

In the sentence, “John loves his dog. He takes it for walks every day,” the pronoun “He” is an _______ reference to “John,” and “it” is an anaphoric reference to “his dog.”
_________ references help maintain cohesion in a text by avoiding repetition and allowing for smoother transitions between ideas.

Answer 20

anaphoric

Question 21

__________ refers to a phonetic process in which a speech sound becomes similar to an adjacent sound. This often occurs in natural speech, where the articulation of a sound changes to make it easier to pronounce in conjunction with surrounding sounds.

For example, in English, the word “input” can be pronounced as “imput,” where the /n/ sound assimilates to the following /p/ sound, making it easier to produce. ________ can involve changes in voicing, place of articulation, or manner of articulation.

Answer 21

assimilation

Question 22

____________ focuses on the way context influences the interpretation of meaning. It examines how speakers and listeners understand language in real-world situations, considering factors such as:

Context: The circumstances surrounding the communication, including the physical setting, the participants, and their shared knowledge.

Implicature: The implied meanings that go beyond the literal interpretation of words. For example, if someone says, “It’s cold in here,” they might imply a request to close a window rather than just stating a fact.

Speech Acts: Actions performed via speaking, such as making requests, giving orders, or making promises. For example, saying “I apologize” not only conveys a message but also performs the act of apologizing.

Answer 22

pragmatics

Question 23

__________ refers to how the structure of written or spoken communication and how larger units of language, such as conversations or texts, function cohesively. Key aspects include:

Cohesion and Coherence: How sentences are linked together to create meaning. Cohesion involves grammatical and lexical links, while coherence refers to the overall logical flow of ideas.

Turn-Taking: In spoken discourse, how participants manage the flow of conversation, indicating when one person speaks and another listens.

Genres: Different types of discourse (e.g., narratives, arguments, conversations) that follow specific conventions and structures.

Answer 23

discourse