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English Language Year 1 > Lexis > Flashcards

Lexis Flashcards

1
Q

Define lexis

A

Vocabulary choices and meaning.

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2
Q

Define idiolect

A

Our distinctive and individual style of speaking.

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3
Q

Define fillers

A

Words such as ‘um’ and ‘er’, used in spontaneous speech when we are thinking on what to say, or in nervous situations.

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4
Q

Define taboo

A

Expletives.

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5
Q

Define dialect

A

The words and vocabulary choices we make

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6
Q

Define neologism

A

Creating new words.

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7
Q

Give examples of neologisms

A

BREXIT, chillax, flabbergasted.

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8
Q

Define colloquialisms

A

Informal words or phrases typically used in comfortable situations.

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9
Q

Define spoonerisms

A

A verbal error in which a speaker accidentally transposes the initial sounds or letters of two or more words.

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10
Q

Give an example of a spoonerism

A

Lack of pies & pack of lies

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11
Q

Define sociolect

A

How social groups influence our idiolect.

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12
Q

Define jargon

A

Using specific terms only a social group will understand.

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13
Q

Define initialisms

A

Abbreviations consisting of initial letters.

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14
Q

Give examples of initialisms

A

BBC, DNA

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15
Q

Define acronyms

A

Combining the first letter/syllable of each word in a phrase to create a new word, which is said as the word is spelt.

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16
Q

Give examples of acronyms

A

FOMO, ASAP

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17
Q

Define vague language/hedging

A

How a writer creates certainty and uncertainty.

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18
Q

Give examples of hedging

A

About, kind of, sort of

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19
Q

Define synonyms

A

Words with a similar or same meaning

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20
Q

Define antonyms

A

Words with opposite meaning

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21
Q

Paronomasia

A

Linguistic term for wordplay

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22
Q

Define negative reinforcement

A

Telling a child not to do something or correcting them

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23
Q

Define positive reinforcement

A

Praising for doing something using expressives

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24
Q

Define formality

A

How we appear in certain situations, e.g. polite vs impolite. How we use language, e.g. standard vs non-standard. Whether we use formal or informal vernacular.

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25
Define vulgarism.
Words just short of taboo, e.g. 'bloody' or 'crap'. Not as frowned upon as taboo.
26
Define slang
A very broad term for many different uses of language which are not considered to be 'proper' or standard English.
27
Define standard English
Informal, neutral, formal and very formal. SE is the term used for grammatical constructions generally accepted as 'correct' English, but even here there is a spectrum ranging from informal to highly formal.
28
Define non-standard English.
Words and grammatical constructions not considered to be correct SE, but which are confined to specific regions of the country.
29
Define operant conditioning
Children learn via positive and negative reinforcement
30
Define vague language
Language which is ambiguous in its meaning
31
Give examples of vague language
12 ish, soonish, sort of
32
Define minimal response
A short/small response
33
Give examples of minimal response
yeah, uh-huh, dunno
34
Define semantics
The study of meaning, e.g. we say 'maybe' when we mean 'no'. The semantics behind 'maybe' implies 'no'.
35
Define opinionated language
A personal viewpoint often presented as if a fact.
36
Give an example of opinionated language
In my view that is the best thing to ever happen
37
Define anaphora
A type of repetition where the first part of a phrase is repeated.
38
Give an example of anaphora
'Hear us speak, hear our plea'
39
Define anadiplosis
A type of repetition where the end part of a word is repeated.
40
Give an example of anadiplosis
The time for peace has come, the time to build chasms has come.
41
Define statistical language
Factual data used in a persuasive way.
42
Define repetition
Repeating words for effect
43
Define triplets
Using three points to support an argument
44
Define euphemism
A word or phrase people use to make something or someone sound positive, good and likeable.
45
Give an example of a euphemism
'Passed away' instead of 'died'
46
Define dysphemism
A word or phrase people use to make something or someone sound negative, bad and unlikeable.
47
Give an example of dysphemism
'Six feet under' for 'death'
48
Define french lexis
Elegant sounding terms
49
Define latinate lexis
Complicated, long, polysyllabic words.
50
Define Anglo-Saxon lexis
Basic, often monosyllabic (1 syllable) terms e.g. axe, rag
51
Define etymology
A word's origin, history and journey
52
Define diachronic linguistics
Change over time
53
Give examples of diachronic linguistics
suffer - to allow meate - all foods nice - silly and foolish
54
Define synchronic linguistics
Change happening in a moment of time. How it is not how it got there.
55
Define semantic change/drift
How words evolve over time
56
Define pejoration
Where a word's meaning becomes more negative over time
57
Give an example of pejoration
The word 'attitude' used to mean position but now often relates to having a 'bad attitude'.
58
Define amelioration
When a words meaning becomes more positive over time
59
Give an example of amelioration
The word 'dizzy' once meant 'foolish', it is now often associated with having vertigo.
60
Define specialisation/narrowing
Where a words meaning narrows over time
61
62
Define generalisation/broadening
Where a word's meaning broadens over time
63
Give an example of generalisation/broadening
'Pretty'. It denotes being attractive but has recently acquired the new denotation of modifying a sentence, e.g. 'that's pretty cool'
64
Define connotations
Word associations
65
Define denotations/sense
Dictionary definitions of words
66
Define lexical/semantic field
Using words with common denotations
67
Define high frequency words
Words that occur often in language
68
Define low frequency words
Words you don't hear often. Some low frequency words may be archaic or become obsolete
69
Give examples of low frequency words
'Timorous' for 'shy', or 'venerable' for 'old'
70
Define lexical ambiguity/polysemy
Where a word could have multiple meanings in a sentence. The meaning of a sentence could therefore be unclear.
71
Give an example of lexical ambiguity/polysemy
There's a *bank* over there.
72
Define homonyms
The umbrella term for homophones and homographs. Also used for words which are both a homophone and a homograph. E.g. blue the colour and blue the feeling
73
Define collocations/collocated phrases
Two- or three-word phrases heard frequently together.
74
Give some examples of collocations/collocated phrases.
Salt and pepper, knife and fork, the whole wide world, once upon a time.
75
Describe atypical/untypical collocations or// malapropisms
Incorrect collocations or idioms
76
Give examples of malapropisms
'powerful coffee' instead of 'strong coffee', 'tall temperature' instead of 'high temperature'.
77
Define idioms in terms of collocations
A type of collocations; more specifically, they are defined as familiar metaphorical expressions. This can include euphemisms and dysphemisms, too, e.g. it's raining cats and dogs.
78
Define 'genderlect'
Deborah Tannen coined the term 'genderlect' to describe the way the conversation of men and women is not right and wrong, superior and inferior - they are just different.

English Language Year 1 (8 decks)

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