Lexis and Semantics Flashcards
Denotative meaning (Denotation)
literal meaning of a word
Connotative Meaning (Connotation)
the associated meaning of a word
Figurative language
language used in a non-literal way to describe something in another’s terms (metaphor and similie)
Synecdoche
a form of figurative language where an element of something is used to describe the whole or vice verse
Eg. a new set of wheels, going to the pictures
Analogy
a comparison, framing something in a different way
Semantic fields
grouping of words connected by a shared field of reference
Synonyms
words that have equivalent meanings
Antonyms
words that have contrasting meanings
Hypernyms
words that label categories
Eg. animal (this contains; dog, kangaroo, ladybird)
Hyponyms
words that can be included in a larger, more general category
Homonyms
words that are identically spelled but hold different meanings
Eg. cool, box, wake
Homophones
words of different spellings with distinct meanings that when spoken aloud sound the same
Eg. too, to, two
Levels of formality
vocab styles including intimate (slang and colloqualisms), taboo, casual and formal
Elision
the process of missing our parts of words, usually for informality
Eg. studying English Lit, pysch instead of psychology
Clipping
words that appear complete but have been constructed by having part of their content elided
Eg. pram, car, bus
Occupational Register
a technical vocab associated with a particular occupation
Dialect
the words you speak - This can be lexis (tea cake, ginnel) or grammar (I’ve not got one vs ‘I haven’t got one)
Sociolect
a language style (not pronunciation) associated with a particular group
Portmanteau
spork, Brexit, hangry
Compounds
idiot-proof, ice-cream
Acronyms
NASA, LASER, SCUBA
Initialisms
BBC, RSPCA
Semantic change
the process of words changing meaning over time, including narrowing, broadening, amelioration, pejoration, semantic reclamation
Narrowing
a word’s meaning becomes less generalised or inclusive over time
Broadening
a words meaning becomes more diverse over time
Amelioration
a words meaning has gained positive connotations over the years
Prejoration
a words meaning has gained negative connotations over the years
Semantic Reclamation
the process of a cultural group taking back lexis that have been used pejoratively towards them in order to neutralise its power
Antithesis
contrasting ideas that have been juxtaposed in a text - not necessarily direct opposites but the switch from one idea to another
