Lexis Flashcards
Define latinate lexis
Lexis which is often polysyllabic
Define French lexis
Lexis which is often elegant sounding
Define loanwords
Words that we borrow from other places in the world (also called borrowings)
Define semantic drift
Another word for semantic change - this concerns the journey of a word and how it changes diachronically.
Define specialisation
Where a word’s meaning narrows (also called narrowing)
Define pejoration
Where a word’s meaning deteriorates over time
Define amelioration
Where a word’s meaning improves over time
Define generalisation
Where a word’s meaning broadens (also called broadening)
Define etymology
The birth and journey of a word
Define denotation/sense
The dictionary definition of a word
Define obsolete lexis
Words which have died from the language
Define archaic lexis
Words which are out of fashion/no longer in use, as a modern reader.
Define eponym
Where a discovery, invention, or place is named after the person who founded it.
Define descriptivism
A focus on describing the language as it is used, not saying how it should be used.
Define prescriptivism
A focus on saying how a language should or ought to be used.
Define portmanteau
Blending of words to create neologisms
