Language and the Self Key Definitions

Question 1

idiolect

Answer 1

the distinctive pattern of an individual’s speech

Question 2

sociolect

Answer 2

the style of speech shared by people in a particular region or social group

Question 3

cooperative principle

Answer 3

the principie that speakers usually mean what they say and that hearers accept th is in trying to work out the meaning

Question 4

conversational face

Answer 4

the image that a person has of themselves as a conversationalist

Question 5

face-threatening acts

Answer 5

acts or words which appear to threaten the self- esteem of a speaker in conversation

Question 6

positive politeness

Answer 6

friendly strategies to make the participant feel good about themselves (e.g. compliments, use of title, mutually understood jargon, nicknames)

Question 7

negative politeness

Answer 7

strategies intended to avoid giving offence and imposing on others by showing respect (e.g. ‘I hope you don’t mind if I…’, ‘Would you mind if I asked you to …?’)

Question 8

adversative conjunction

Answer 8

a connecting word which starts an idea opposing the one which has just been stated (e.g. ‘but’, ‘however’)