Key Linguistic Terms Flashcards

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1
Q

Discourse marker

A

Words and phrases that link one topic to the next (e.g. ‘Next thing I know…’)

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2
Q

Letter homophone

A

Words that sound the same but which have different spellings or meaning

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3
Q

Clipping

A

A word formed by shortening an existing word (e.g. telephone becomes phone)

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4
Q

Closing

A

The way a conversation ends

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5
Q

Opening

A

The way a conversation starts

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6
Q

Terms of address

A

The manner in which someone refers to somebody else, reflecting the nature of their relationship

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7
Q

Slang

A

Type of language consisting of words and phrases regarded as informal

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8
Q

Non-standard spelling

A

Spellings written going against traditional grammatical and spellng rules of the English language (e.g. sorta, wiv, dunno, innit, cos)

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9
Q

Phonetic spelling

A

The spelling of words by how they sound

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10
Q

Informal language

A

Language with a certain register due to being comfortable with the person you are talking to

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11
Q

Vague language

A

Language that uses words without precise meanings

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12
Q

Social language

A

Language used by a particular social grouping

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13
Q

Emoticon

A

A representation of a facial expression (such as a smile or frown) formed by various combinations of keyboard characters and used in electronic communications to convey the writer’s feelings or intended tone (e.g. :) :( :/ :D :3 )

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14
Q

Accentuation

A

To give emphasis/prominence to a phrase within an utterance/sentence

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15
Q

Declarative sentence

A

A sentence that makes a statement

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16
Q

Imperative sentence

A

A grammatical form conventionally expressing an order in a sentence

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17
Q

Initialism

A

A word formed from the initial letters of other words (e.g. T.A.R.D.I.S)

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18
Q

Deixis

A

A term for words or expressions that rely on context to give them meaning

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19
Q

Topic shift

A

A change in the focus of a communication

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20
Q

Graphology

A

The study of the visual aspects of a text

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21
Q

Colloquial spelling

A

Informal, everyday language

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22
Q

Dominant speaker

A

Person leading the direction of conversation

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23
Q

Ellipsis

A

Ommission/pause

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24
Q

Hedging

A

Phrases used to soften what the speaker is saying (e.g. sort of, kind of)

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25
Q

Idioms

A

Words and phrases found from common expression that do not actually mean literally what they say (e.g. “It’s raining cats and dogs”)

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26
Q

Non-fluency features

A

Things that halt the flow of a conversations (e.g. fillers such as ‘Um’)

27
Q

Phatic talk

A

Small talk with not much purpose other than social conversation

28
Q

Purpose

A

Reason for the conversation happening

29
Q

Register

A

Formality of a conversation

30
Q

Transactional talk

A

Conversation focused on making a transaction/getting something done

31
Q

Back channelling

A

Showing response to what someone else is saying through nods and small utterances such as ‘yeah’, or ‘mm-hmm’

32
Q

Context

A

The circumstances of the text

33
Q

Dialect

A

A form of language with its own distinct choice of words, grammar and pronunciation, often found in a specific region

34
Q

Idiolect

A

The term for an individual’s language or speech patterns

35
Q

Maxims of co-operation

A

The principles of co-operation by participants to achieve an effective conversation, especially quality, quantity, relevance and manner

36
Q

Paralinguistic features

A

The elements of non-verbal communication: a speaker’s gestures, posture and facial expressions

37
Q

Pragmatics

A

The study of how meanings are conveyed in the social contexts of language use

38
Q

Sociolect

A

The term for a particular social group’s language or speech patterns

39
Q

Acquisition

A

A child’s version of language (e.g. mamma, dadda)

40
Q

Acronym

A

A word formed from the initial letters of other words (e.g. T.A.R.D.I.S)

41
Q

Adjacency pairs

A

A predictable pattern found in conversation, where one utterance warrants a response, such as in question and answer/interview settings

42
Q

Adverbial

A

A word/group of words working as an adverb, usually giving information about time, place, or manner

43
Q

Assonance

A

Words that have internal rhyming (on a proud round cloud in white high night)

44
Q

Auxilary verbs

A

Used with main verbs to construct the verb phrase

45
Q

Borrowing

A

A word/expression taken from another language

46
Q

Coinage

A

The creation of an entirely new word

47
Q

Connotation

A

The associations that a word has

48
Q

Contraction

A

When words are combined to form a single, shortened word (e.g. we have becomes we’ve)

49
Q

Convergence

A

When the speech styles of two or more people move closely to one another

50
Q

Denotation

A

The straightforward, objective meaning of a word (i.e. its dictionary meaning)

51
Q

Euphemism

A

A mild or indirect expression used instead of one that may be considered in some way offensive, painful or unpleasant

52
Q

Field-specific lexis

A

Vocabulary associated with a particular topic or field

53
Q

Filler

A

A non-fluency feature of hesitation (e.g. um, er)

54
Q

jargon

A

The specialist vocabulary associated with a particular occupation or activity

55
Q

Lexical field

A

A group of words with associated meanings and uses

56
Q

Lexis

A

Another term for vocabulary

57
Q

Monosyllabic words

A

Words of one syllable

58
Q

Onomatopoeia

A

When the sound of a word echoes it’s meaning (e.g. buzz, splash)

59
Q

Oxymoron

A

When two words that are opposite are combined (e.g. living death, pretty ugly)

60
Q

Polysyllabic

A

Words with 3 or more syllables

61
Q

Prosodics

A

Non-verbal aspects of speech such as volume, intonation and pitch

62
Q

Received pronounciation

A

The accent associated with upper-class speakers of English

63
Q

Taboo language

A

Words that are avoided because they are considered offensive, embarrassing, obscene or unpleasant

64
Q

Tag question

A

A question attached to the end of a statement (e.g. You’ve done the project, yeah?)