Essential Terms

Question 0

Appropriacy

Answer 0

Use the level of formality that suits a situation (formal/neutral/informal): language that reflects the situation in which it is used is often referred to as register

Question 1

Lexis

Answer 1

Units of vocabulary which have a specific meaning: denotations, synonyms, antonyms, lexical sets, word families, homophones, homonyms, false friends, prefixes, suffixes, base words, compounds, chunks - collocations, fixed expressions (figurative meanings) and idioms

Question 2

Reading subskills

Answer 2

Scanning (glance over to find a specific information), skimming/reading for gist/global understanding (glance through to get a general idea), reading for detail (get the meaning out of every word and link), inferring (work out the writer’s opinion)

Question 3

Spoken language

Answer 3

Disappears immediatly after creation; accompanied by body language (gestures and facial expressions); gets meaning and structure through stress and intonation; consists of connected speech; contains interruptions, hesitations and repetitions; uses general vocabulary and simple grammar

Question 4

Speaking subskills

Answer 4

Fluency (speed, hesitations, repetitions, self-corrections), connected speech, accuracy (use of grammar, vocabulary and functions), appropriacy (use of register), body language, interactive strategies

Question 5

Mistakes

Answer 5

Categorised in errors (product of ignorance) and slips (product of lack of concentration). Reasons: interference or developmental errors (overgeneralisation, lack of vocabulary etc.). Fossilisation: communication works, improvement stops

Question 6

Silent period

Answer 6

Reception precedes production: listening to, reading and taking in language before using it

Question 7

Learning styles

Answer 7

Visual, auditory, kinaesthetic; cooperative, individual; reflective, impulsive, analytic; autonomous

Question 8

Paraphrasing

Answer 8

Using other language/words to get the message/meaning across; reformulation