Lexis Flashcards
What is a ‘Lexical Choice’.
A choice of word.
Informal/Formal.
The way in which one writes or speaks. Informal uses more colloquialisms, for example.
Simple/basic language.
Simple language, basic lexemes.
Sophisticated/complex language.
Using words that aren’t basic.
Archaic Lexis.
Language from history - Nordic, Old English.
Monosyllabic.
One syllable - eat, drink, die.
Polysyllabic.
More than one syllable - rhetoric, tiger, Sterek.
Technical jargon.
Words associated with a certain subject - tech speak.
Common lexis.
Words used everyday - greetings.
Lexical (semantic) fields.
Words that fit into the field of a certain subject or topic - equestrianism, surfer, gaming.
Collocation.
Word association.
Dialect
The specific language used in a specific area - Forest Dialect, Herefordian Dialect.
Idiolect.
The specific way someone speaks.
Sociolect.
The dialect of a particular class.
Neologism.
New words or phrases coined into the English language - twerk, Muggle, selfie.
Denotation
The literal meaning of a word.
Connotation
Word association.
Polysemy.
Having more than one meaning.
Euphemism.
An indirect method of speaking - often used for insults or crude suggestions.
Dysphemism.
Used to enhance what they really mean/to sound negative.
Idioms.
A group of words that has a meaning, but not deducible (Raining cats and dogs).
Amelioration.
When words acquire positive connotations over time.
Pejoration.
Where words acquire negative connotations over time.
Etymology.
The journey of a word - where it comes from, and how it evolves over time - e.g ‘Dolphin’. In Greek - ‘fish with a womb’.
Intensifier.
All intensifiers are adverbs,. Put emphasis on other words - ‘Proper sick’.
Vernacular.
Another word synonymous with ‘informal’ and ‘colloquial’.
Syllipsis.
When a word governs two meanings - ‘You held your breath and the door’.
Motherese Language.
Language used around young children or animals - ‘Look at you’, ‘Aren’t you cute!’
Conversion/Zero Derivation.
The creation of a word from an existing word without any change in form - ‘I’ll Google it.’. - Google is used as a verb when it was originally used as a noun.
Hypocorisms.
Nicknames/Petnames - ‘Sourwolf’ , ‘Danny’ for ‘Daniel’.
Number/Letter Homophones.
Using a number or letter to represent a whole sound. ‘Gr8, m8’.
Initialism.
A type of abbreviation which is made up of letters of some name or phrase, but does not make a pronounceable word - FBI, MI6, CIA.
Acronym.
Formed from letters of other words - pronounceable - NASA, JARVIS, SHIELD.
Positive reinforcement.
Encouraging words used by one speaker to another. Often shows a power imbalance.
