Keywords Flashcards
Accent
Form of pronunciation associated with a particular district
Adjacency pairs
A pair of utterance from different speakers where the second speaker is controlled by the first speakers utterance. This occurs in a question-answer format or when one person greets another
Agenda setting
This refers to the person who takes the initiative and chooses the topic being talked about
Alienation
Theatrical technique developed by the dramatist Brecht, where a commonly held belief is challenged and the audience is made to reconsider its validity
Alignment
This is indicated by repetition of a speakers phrase
Alliteration
Use of the same consonant at the beginning of words close together for emphasis
Antitheses
Constructions in which words are opposed or contrasted but balanced as in: “Man proposes, God disposes”
Argot
Special vocabulary used by a particular group and often not understood by others
Assonance
Repetition of similar vowel sounds, especially within words on stressed syllables
Bathetic
Anticlimactic speech or situation. Change from serious mood to a more trivial one
Blank verse
Unrhymed verse, usually with 10 syllables to a line with alternate unstressed and stressed beats
Body language
Gestures such as nodding or waving or facial expression. Can be used to indicate turn taking in discourse
Caesura
Pause or break within a line of verse creating a sense of balance or draw attention to a significant word
Catharsis
Outpouring of emotions and the relief of tension that the audience feels at the climatic moment in a play
Characterisation
How an author uses dialogue, actions and behaviour to develop a characters personality
Choric
Taking on the role of a “chorus” and commenting and reflecting on the action
Climax
Ascending series of events or ideas which intensify or a moment of decision
Colloquial
Semi technical term for everyday or vernacular form of language which is informal or include slangs
Construct
Something carefully shaped and created rather than naturally occurring
Convergence
When a speaker wants to show orientation with another speaker they may change their normal speech by adopting a more formal or higher (upward convergence) prestige or informal register (downward convergence). Opposite is divergence where speaker wants to isolate themselves from another speaker
Demotic
Everyday ordinary, prosaic language
Denouement
When the tangles of the plot are unravelled and all is revealed and resolved
Dialect
Variety of langue where the regional or social background of the speaker can be identified from their vocabulary
Dramatic effects
Effects used do evoke an emotional or intellectual response
Dramatic irony
When the audience knows more than he character and is made to feel helpless, anxious or tense
Suspense
Occurs when he audience is told something and waits in a state of dread or anticipation for action to unfold
Dualism
Concept they world is ruled by opposed forces of good and evil and the concept that humans have two basic natures - physical and spiritual
Elision
Omission of a sound of syllable
Ellipses
Omission of part of sentence of a word
Endorsement
Where a speaker wishes to endorse another speakers view of statement to indicate solidarity by reinforcement
Enjabment
Continuation of a phrase or unit of meaning form one line to the next without a break in a poem
Existentialist
Writing which follows the philosophical concept that denies there is meaning to life other than what we create for ourselves
Fallacious
Deceptive, misleading, illogical, wrong
Field specific lexis
Particular semantic field of words connected in meaning
Foregrounded
A term used when a speaker of writer brings a topic to the foreground ie emphasises it
Gatekeeper
Person with power to control the discourse, governing the turn taking or the ritual
Hedge
Speaker avoids directness or hesitating. Also used to avoid being compromised if what you say is later proved wrong
Hubris
Arrogance and pride - Greek tragedy
Hyperbole
Exaggeration used deliberately for emphasis
Idiolect
Individual’s particular way of speaking
Idiomatic
Speech typical of a people of place
Idiosyncratic
Particular to one individual often with the implication of quirkiness of eccentricity
Imagery
Refers to figurative language
Incrementum
Action or process of gradually increasing. Usually refers to lists which build up to a climax
International features
Features of spoken discourse which are commonly seen when people interact, such as someone being dominant
Irony
Language that conveys a meaning often the opposite of what the words might literally suggest
Mediated
When someone or something has intervened in a situation
Metaphor
Figure of speech where two things are concisely compared
Paralinguistic features
Broad term used to refer to aspects of talk that are non-lexical but convey meaning. Words such as umm and grunts
Parallelism
Occurs when utterances are parallel
Pathos
Usually refers to feelings of sadness that a character or scene evokes
Personification
Giving human characteristics to non-human forms
Phonological features
This refers to the sounds in speech such as pitch and intonation, speed and stress. Whispering can convey secrecy and using flat tones suggest depression
Puns
Word play, usually witty remark that relies for its humour on bringing together two words of similar form but different meaning
Register
How formal the speaker is
Satire
Aims to bring about correction or reform by means of amusement or ridicule
Schema
Set of expectations in any given situation
Absurdist
Writing which presents us with the idea that life has no intrinsic meaning and that it is in fact pointless
Soliloquy
A form of monologue that allows the character to speak their internal thoughts out loud to offer an audience self - revelation or motive or self uncertainty. What is said can always be regarded as the truth as it appears to that character
Solipsism
Extreme form of scepticism which bold that’s the only knowledge is the knowledge of ones own existence
Topic management
How the topic is being handled ie who changes the topic
Triple structure
Triplets. Repeating worlds or longer utterances for rhetoric effect “education” x3
Grice’s maxims
Quality: tell the truth
Quantity; give enough maximum information with minimum effort
Relation: be relevant and act accordingly
Manner: be clear and not obscure
T R I P E
T- transactional - exchanges where there is some negation (asking for directions)
R- referential (providing information)
I - interactional(social exchanges)
P - phatic(small talk/devoid of serious content)
E - expressive/expository(convey feelings or exposing something)
Dysphemism
Unnecessary extreme way of saying something not normally considered appropriate ie taboo language
Euphemism
Polite way to say something not considered socially acceptable ie to kick the bucket
Dynamic verb
Verb that refers to a movement or action such as run leap or grasp
Oxymoron
Expression that seems contradictory eg living death
Self repair
When a speaker corrects himself/herself
Face theory
Act of avoiding conflict in conversation which relates to the tactics used to minimise the risk that someone will lose “face”
Positive politeness
Actively making the other speaker feel good: offering compliments, sound things for them
Negative politeness
Means avoiding conflict, not imposing, avoiding engaging with tricky topics, apologising when not particularly in the wrong
Inference
Conclusion reached on basis of evidence and reasoning
Interjection
Abrupt remark especially as an aside or interruption “good grief!”
Interrogatives
Asking questions
Declarative
Simple utterances
