Language level 1: Lexis and semantics Flashcards
noun
a word that names a thing or concept
proper noun
refers to names of people or places
abstract noun
refer to states, feelings and concepts that do not have a physical existence
concrete noun
refer to objects that have a physical existence
verb
a word that shows a state of being, action or concept
material verb
show actions or events
relational verb
identify properties or show states of being
mental verb
show internal processes such as thinking
verbal verb
show external processes of communicating through speech
adjective
a word that modifies a noun
adverb
a word that modifies a verb, an adjective or another adverb
base
the basic form of an adjective or adverb, modifying another word
comparitive
a form used to compare two instances either adding ‘-er’ or using ‘more’
superlative
a form used to compare more than two instances, identifying a best example
pronouns
a word that substitutes for a noun
personal pronoun
refer to people and are differentiated in terms of person (1st, 2nd, 3rd), number (singular or plural) and gender (male or female)
demonstrative pronoun
orientate the reader or listener towards a person, object, or idea either nearby or further away
indefinite pronoun
refer to a person, object or idea that is non-specific
determiner
a word that adds detail or clarity to a noun
articles
show that something is definite or indefinite
possessives
shows ownership
quantifiers
show either specific or non-specific quantities of a noun
preposition
a word which shows connections between other words often showing a sense of place or time
conjunction
a word that connects larger structures such as phrases, clauses and sentences
co-ordinating
links words or larger structures such as phrases and clauses together where they are equal
sub-ordinating
link clauses together to show one is dependent on another
lexis
vocabulary used within linguistics
semantics
the study of meaning in language
lexical field
a group of words which acquire meaning through their relationship to other words within the same word field
semantic field
a group of words that fulfil the same kind of role and function in speech and writing
collocates
words that typically appear together
fixed expression
a well-used group of words that becomes accepted and used as one long structure
synonym
a word that has equivalent meaning to another word
euphemism
a more socially acceptable word or phrase
dysphemism
using a blunt or direct word instead of a more polite or indirect alternative, close or taboo
antonyms
words that have opposite meanings
hyponymy
the way of viewing the relationship between
metaphor
a structure that presents one thing in terms of another
