other Flashcards
register
formality of language adopted by a speaker or writer, ranges from highly informal to highly formal
overt + covert norms
- overt norms: language use that is widely accepted as prestigious within society –> standard english, high socioeconomic status, well educated
- covert norms: language use that is not given prestige by the wider community. however, they are more valuable than overt norms in certain social groups because of their ability to include and exclude –> non-standard englishes
standard + non-standard english
Non-Standard English = closely tied to informality, as it does not conform to the expected norms defined by the standards
The use of Standard Australian English carries greater prestige than non- Standard English in many public contexts, it is equally true that non-Standard varieties carry higher prestige in contexts where covert norms require their use.
politcal correctness
a style of language designed to avoid offence/exclusion. attempts to maintain face needs
- inclusive language
- avoids gender exclusion in titles & professions
- avoid derogatory and discriminatory expressions
jargon
language specific to is context, and may not be understood by those outside of the field. allows ideas to be efficiently communicated, ‘linguistic shorthand’
slang
- informal speech that is not standard in the specific language or dialect.
- associated with particular groups and is typically created through re-purposing pre-existing words
- exclusive, meaning cannot be figured out by those who are not part of the in-group
colloquial language/colloquialisms
- markers of informality
- more permanent than slang and are more widely understood
- diminutives, contractions, shortenings, assimilated and blended lexemes
- often used to reduce social distance, inclusive
double-speak
- the use of euphemistic, ambiguous, indirect language to mislead, confuse or obscure meaning. often used to make unpleasant truths sound more acceptable
- frequent in the fields of politics and advertising, when deceiving the audience is of benefit
taboo language
language that is offensive, controversial or insensitive and shouldn’t be used in public contexts
- profanities: offensive language, particularly to a religious group
- obscenities: utterances that offend morality, rude
- expletives: swear words
- slurs: derogatory, insulting remark
- epithets: describes the qualities or attributes of a person, often with neg connotations
public language
rhetoric
language used when the intent is to be persuasive. 3 strategies:
- ethos: appeal to audience’s sense of ethical responsibility
- pathos: appeal to empathetic nature
- logos: appeal to logic and reasoning
positive face needs
the need to be liked, respected, and treated as a member of a group - language that builds rapport, encourages solidarity, intimacy, equality or inclusiveness addresses positive face needs
–> expressing affection through nicknames or other terms of endearment, giving compliments, asking questions to show interest, encouragement, acknowledgements, attending to interests, swearing (in some contexts)
negative face needs
- the need to have freedom and not be imposed upon by others - language that demonstrates respect for or minimises impositions addresses neg face needs.
–> hedges or indirectness, politeness markers ‘please’ and ‘thank you’, apologies for impositions, questions rather than demands, honorifics - likely to occur when participants are socially distant, share low solidarity, unequal status, more formal interactions
situational context
the immediate circumstances in which a discourse occurs that influence the text’s linguistic features: function, field, mode, setting and relationship between participants
cultural context
- refers to the values, attitudes and beliefs held by the participants in a discourse, as well as those of the wider community at the time the discourse occurs.
- made up of traditions, attitudes and expectations that shape our view of the world
- influences language choices of participants and the way the discourse is interpreted by others
