Key Terms Flashcards
Lexis
Term used in language and linguistics to refer to vocabulary
Semantics
The study of meaning in language. At a straight forward level, this is concerned with what words actually refer to on the real world
Proper noun
Names of people or places
Abstract noun
Refers to states, feelings and concepts that do not have a physical existence
Concrete noun
Refers to objects that do have a physical existence and can be pluralised
Material verb
Shows actions or events
Relational verb
Identifies properties or show states of being e.g. appear, seem, become
Mental verb
Shows internal processes of communicating through speech e.g. think, wish
Verbal verb
Shows external processes of communicating through speech e.g. say, shout, whisper
Base adjective
Basic form of an adjective or adverb, modifying another word
Comparative adjective
A form used to compare 2 instances either adding ‘er’ or ‘more’
Superlative adjective
A form used to compare more than 2 instances, giving a best example
Personal pronoun
Refer to people and are differentiated in terms of person, number and gender e.g. I, you, she, they
Demonstrative pronoun
Orientate the reader or listener towards a person, object or idea e.g. this, these, those
Indefinite pronoun
Refers to a person, object or idea that is non-specific e.g. somebody, anybody, everything
