Language Terms Flashcards
Accent
Differences in pronunciation, so it is possible to speak Standard English with a London, Liverpool, or an American accent (Pronunciation features: Vowels and consonants)
Dialect
A variety of language which differs grammatically and/or lexically from other varieties (Non-pronunciation features: grammar, syntax, lexico-semantics)
Social Varieties
Spoken by people belonging to a particular social group
Received Pronunciation (RP)
Sometimes called BBC English, RP describes the standard non-regional accent of the south of England, a prestigious variety
Overt Prestige
When the standard variety or varieties associated with high social classes, are valued by speakers
Covert Prestige
The opposite, when a language variety spoken by a lower status group is valued by speakers
Standard English (SE)
Dialect commonly associated with speakers from social groups higher on the socioeconomic scale
Prescriptive approach to Language Variation
Based on notions of “Correctness” in language and stipulates what people should say distinguishing good from bad
Descriptive approach to Language Variation
Emphasizes validity of different varieties of language and describes what people actually say rather than prescribing what they should say, approach adopted in the study of linguistics
Multiple negation
Is the use of more than one negative in a sentence where a negative sense is intended (I couldn’t get none nowhere vs. I couldn’t get any anywhere)
Infinitive Verb and Split Infinitive Verb
An infinitive verb in its basic form is before a tense is added such as ‘to go’. A split infinitive is when another verb is inserted splitting the verb such as ‘to boldly go’
Preposition
Words that indicate relationships between words in the clause (for, of, to, in, about)
Prescriptivism
An attitude and not a theory of language
Descriptive Language
Not an attitude, but a recognized and long established field of academic inquiry
Lexical Verb
Most important verb in a sentence. Usually expresses the subjects action or state of being (words like kick, sneeze, vegetate)
Auxiliary Verb
A verb that adds grammatical meaning to a clause, usually in conjunction with a main verb such as ‘it is raining = is, is the aux as it is the action of the main verb”
Syntax
Coordination or ordering together, referring to the set of rules that determines the arrangement of words in a sentence
Verb
Words that show action (sing), occurrence (develop), or state of being (exist) such as run, walk, talk, sing, drink, cry, fetch, bake
Adverb
A word that describes a verb, an adjective, another adverb such as quickly, slowly, yesterday, here, there, today
Noun
Referring to a person, place, or thing
Adjective
A word that modifies or describes a noun or pronoun such as I like old houses, the boy is tall and skinny
Mental Grammar
A system that all speakers of a language have in their minds, which allows them to understand each other
Phonetics
The study of speech sounds, of the way humans produce speech, what speech sounds like, and how it is differentiated from the written form of language
Phonology
The study of how sounds are organized or patterned in a language or language variety. Such as in English, the ng sound at the end of most pronunciations of hung or sung can only occur at the end. Also refers to a more abstract, or mental, representation of speech sounds
