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Key Terminology Flashcards

1
Q

Discourse

A

Features of the whole text’s structure

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2
Q

Pragmatics

A

What speakers really mean in a given context

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3
Q

Lexis

A

Words

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4
Q

Semantics

A

Words and meanings

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5
Q

Grammar

A

Sentence/clause/phrase/words structure

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6
Q

Rhetoric

A

Using language to persuade and inspire

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7
Q

Phonology

A

Sound

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8
Q

False start

A

A change of thought reflected in the start of a new sentence in mid utterance

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9
Q

Backtracking

A

Returning to a topic which had earlier been dropped

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10
Q

Grammatical blends

A

When a sentence begins one way but ends in another, e.g starting as a declarative statement and turning into a question

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11
Q

Vague completer

A

“…and stuff”

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12
Q

Adjacency pair

A

When a comment of one speaker initiates the response of another, creating a ‘take-it-in-turns’ structure

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13
Q

Insertion sequence

A 
A sequence of conversation which intervenes between the two parts of the adjacency pair which may develop, comment or extend the implications of the initial move in the adjacency pair
example: 
"Would you like coffee?"
"Is there any tea?"
"No, sorry."
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14
Q

Overlapping

A

Different from interrupting as may not be an attempt to take over, but a co-operative chiming in with each other

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15
Q

Discourse markers

A

“Well”, “so”, “anyway”

Could indicate a topic shift

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16
Q

Repairs

A

A practical move in conversation aimed at restoring a conversation because the topic has become difficult/unclear/misunderstood

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17
Q

Anaphoric reference

A

Where a pronoun, noun or noun phrase points back to something mentioned earlier

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18
Q

Ellipsis

A

Omission of a word/words e.g “I’m”

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19
Q

Typography/Graphology

A 
In written texts the visual features helping to organise and structure ideas, including:
font
layout
pictures
use of colour
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20
Q

Backchannel features

A

“mmm” “yeah” to signal that participant is listening

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21
Q

Monitoring features

A

Checking the other person is listening “You know what I mean?”

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22
Q

Deictics

A

Words that point things out in immediate context “What is this?”

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23
Q

Hedges/mitigators

A

Make utterances less blunt or assertive, to avoid breaching the maximum of quality

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24
Q

Implicature

A

Refers to a meaning suggested by an utterance, e.g “its a bit cold in here” could hint to shutting a door

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25
Grice's Maxims
Quantity (don't say too much/too little) Quality (don't lie) Relation (be relevant) Manner (don't be obscure or ambiguous)
26
Face needs
Using hedgers to make comments less face threatening, e.g "Would you mind passing that?" In prepared speech can be used to flatter their audience
27
Phatic communication
Language used more for the purpose of establishing / maintaining social contact rather than exchanging information, e.g talking about the weather.
28
Register
Potentially recognisable by lexis or distinctive grammar former/informal specialised/unspecialised (medicine, law ect.) Prepared speech could use formality
29
Idiolect
The speech habits unique to an individual
30
Sociolect
The speech habits used by a specific social group. | In prepared speech possibly used to appeal to a target audience
31
Germanic lexis
Anglo-Saxon derived words, tending to be informal and monosyllabic or disyllabic
32
Latinate lexis
Latin derived words, tending to be more complex
33
High/low frequency lexis
Words occurring commonly/rarely
34
Dialect lexis
Regional dialect
35
Colloquialism
Lexis used in everyday informal speech | May be used in prepared speech to build up a relationship with audience
36
Subtext
Implications / underlying message shown in the connotations of a particular lexis choice, which are understood though not stated
37
Euphemism
A word replacing a word deemed socially unpleasant / unacceptable. Could explain context
38
Dysphemism
A word with connotations that are offensive | Opposite of euphemism
39
Syntax
Word order
40
Interrogative
A sentence asking a question
41
Exclamatory
A sentence making an exclamation
42
Syntactic parallelism
Repetition of the same word order or grammatical structures. Common in prepared speeches (used in rhetoric)
43
Syndetic list
Lists that are connected by conjunctions at the final 2 ("and")
44
Asyndetic list
The omission of conjunctions from a list in which they would normally be used; no "and"
45
Syntactic inversion
Changing the normal order of words | e.g. "A lamp was in the corner" to "In the corner was a lamp"
46
Open word classes
Lexical word classes | It is possible to add to them, e.g nouns, verbs, adjectives
47
Closed word classes
Grammatical words / function words | Have purely grammatical functions, it is very rare for these words to change, e.g pronouns, conjunctions, determiners
48
Hyperbole
Exaggeration for effect
49
Litotes
Understatement for effect, irony e.g "Hitler was certainly not an angel" Used a lot in UK speech where ironic humour is appreciated
50
Refutation
Answering an attack of our assertions
51
Reductio ad absurdum
Form of argument in which a proposition is disproven by following its implications logically to an absurd consequence
52
Diminutio
Self-deprication to win audience sympathy
53
"Us and them" technique
Used to isolate the opposition and make the speaker relatable
54
Synthetic personalisation
Ways of addressing mass audiences as though they were individuals through inclusive language use, such as direct address or colloquialisms
55
Exemplum
Anecdotes used to illustrate a point
56
Percontatio
Similar to a rhetorical question but is in a tone of bewilderment or amazement, allowing no easy reply e.g "Yet why does it take war to bring these problems to a forefront?'"
57
Ratiocinatio
Type of rhetoric where you pose and argument to yourself and meet the answer
58
Amplificatio
Elaborating an idea by saying it several times in different ways
59
Anaphora
Repetition of the beginning of a sentence or clause for effect e.g. "I have a dream"
60
Epiphora
Repetition of the end of a sentence or clause for effect | e.g "government of the people, by the people, for the people"
61
Diacope
Repetition of a word or phrase with one or two intervening words e.g "All the great speakers were bad speakers at first"
62
Tricolon
Use of 3 parts to a sentence to enforce a meaning
63
Antithesis
Contrasting pairs with parallelism in grammatical structure | e.g "Ask no what your country will do for you; ask what you can do for your country"
64
Parison
Parallelism in grammatical structure of similar ideas
65
Synecdoche
A device in which a part is used to represent something else, e.g "We have a new face in the building"
66
Received Pronunciatio
A British accent with connotations of high social status, not influenced by regional variation. May indicate class background or used deliberately to establish credibility by appealing to class assumptions
67
Assonance
Repetition of vowel sounds
68
Consonance
Repetition of consonant sounds
69
Elision
The cutting of a syllable from a word, omission of an unstressed syllable e.g "isn't"
70
Homophones
Words with the same sound but different meaning | Can be used as part of wordplay
71
Plosives
Repetition of p, d and b sounds
72
Fricatives
Repetition of th, v, f, and ph sounds
73
Dental plosives
Repetition of t sounds
74
Rhotic
Repetition of r sounds
75
Prosodic features
Accent Tone Pitch Intonation
76
Idiom
A group of words put together to mean something non-related to the words individually e.g "over the moon"
77
Zoomorphism
The attribution of animal characteristics to a human
78
Antropornorism
The attribution of human characteristics to animals
79
Laudatory
Use of flattery to persuade
80
Pathos
Using empathy to persuade
81
Logos
Using logic to persuade
82
Ethos
Using ethics/morals to persuade
83
Anadiplosis
Repetition of the same word at the beginning and end of a sentence
84
Hipophora
Answering your own rhetorical questions
85
Modal auxiliary verbs
Can/could/will/would/may

English (3 decks)

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