individual variation Flashcards
mode, field, function, audience
mode: form of communication
field: subject matter
function: purpose
audience: rel between writer/speaker and reader/listener
accomodation theory
howard giles (1970s)
speakers seek approval in social situations. speech is adjusted to accommodate addressee. i.e. convergence & divergence
transitive and intransitive verbs
transitive: need an object
intransitive: cannot have an object
prescriptivism
specify standard language forms either generally or specifically
descriptivism
objectively analysing and describing how language is actually spoken and written
types of register
informal, colloquial, elevated, idiolect, sociolect
sapir whorf hyposthesis
principle suggesting that the structure of a language influences its speakers worldview
instrumental & influential power
fairclough
instrumental - using language to assert authority
influential - using language to persuade
restricted and elaborated codes
bernstein
working class are likely to use restricted code i.e more diexis, idioms as they assume other person knows
middle class uses restricted and elaborated as intellect is not assumed
politeness theory
brown and levinson
- politness is dictated by social distance, power ratio and task imposition
- face saving acts
synthetic personalisation
fairclough
- addressing large audience as if they were individuals through inclusive language usage.
loaded language
used to influence an audience by using words and phrases with strong connotations.
jargon
special words or expressions used by a profession or group that are difficult for others to understand.
active vs passive voice
ACTIVE VOICE: the sentence’s subject performs the action on the action’s target.
PASSIVE VOICE: the target of the action is the main focus, and the verb acts upon the subject.
inflections
a change in the form of a word (typically the ending) to express a grammatical function or attribute such as tense, mood, person, number, case, and gender.
grices maxims
quantity, quality, relation, and manner
