⭐• Semantic/ Lexical Terminology Flashcards
What is lexis?
The vocabulary system of language, what a specific word choice means to a piece of writing, the signifiance of its presence
What are semantics?
The study of the meaning of words and expressions such as connotations + devices such as metaphor, zoomorphism etc…
What is jargon?
Technical language/ terminology/ vocabulary used within a specific industry or profession
What is dialect?
A specific form of language to a region or social group
What is sociolect?
The dialect of a particular social class
What is idiolect
Speech habits specifc to a particular person/ their own personal language use that makes up their identity
What is slang?
Informal language, more informal than colloquialisms, commonly used to convey a sense of identity and belonging within a culture
What are colloquialisms?
Informal language used in everyday speech
What is taboo language?
Words or phrases that are considered offensive, emotionally powerful, or harmful, and are therefore avoided
What is a cliché?
A cliché is an over used, widley known phrase
What is an Idiom?
Metaphorical ecpessions very specifc to the English language
What is a euphemism?
A polite or implied way of saying something, commonly something difficult to say e.g. Someone has died = Someone has passed away
What is a dysphemism?
A blunt or obvious way of saying something, commonly something difficult to say
What is an archaism?
Older language
What is register?
The level of formality in language determined by written or spoken context
What is a prefix?
The start of a word
What is a suffix?
The end of a word
What is a compound word?
Two full words placed together to make another word
What is an example of a compound word?
Lunch + Time = Lunchtime
What is an abbreviation?
Shortening a word drastically
What is an example of an abbreviation?
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What is an acronym?
When you speak an initilaism as if its a word
What is an example of an acronym?
G.O.A.T (Greatest Of All Time) is said as the word Goat, not each initial individually
What is an initialism?
When you say initials of an acronym separately, not as if its a word of its own
What is an example of an initialism?
BBC is said with each initial (BEE BEE CEE) not as a word e.g. ‘buhbuhcuh’
What is a neologism?
A formulated or made up word
What is a blend word/ portmanteau?
Words that are smushed together
What is an example of a blend word?
Breakfast + Lunch = Brunch
What is a loan word?
A word adopted by a foreign language
What is a synonym?
Words that have similar meaning
What is an antonym?
Words that have a different/ opposite meaning
What is a homonym?
Two or more words with different spellings but the same pronouciation or two or more words with different pronounciations but the same spelling
What are the two different types of homonym?
- Homophone
- Homograph
What is a homophone?
Two or more words with different spellings but the same pronouciation
What is a homograph?
Two or more words with different pronounciations but the same spelling
What is a hypernym?
A superiordinate word, the top of a hyponymic chain, the broadest term e.g. cheese
What is a hyponym?
A subordinate word, lower down the hyponymic chains, a more general lexical term e.g. if hypernym cheese, hyponym could = cheddar/ goats cheese etc…
What is a hyponymic chain?
A chain of lexis with one hypernym at the top and hyponyms of that one hypernym proceeding
What are semantic/ lexical fields?
Words grouped by similar connotations
What is the etymology of a word?
The history or origin of that specific word
What is venacular?
Another term for generic English/ spoken English
What is a monosyllabic word?
A word that contains one syllable
What is a polysyllabic word?
A word that contains multiple syllables
What is syntax?
The order of words in a sentance
What are lexical items?
Another way for saying words
What is a triadic structure?
Another, more lexical way of saying a list of three
What is a connotation?
The personal and subjective meanings we attatch to words/ objects e.g a rose can connote love or passion
What is a denotation?
The factual and objective meanings we attatch to words e.g. a rose denotes a popular type of flower
What is a metaphor?
Calling an object/ person something that it is directly not
What is a metonym?
A figure of speech that involves replacing a word or concept with something closely associated with it e.g ‘The crown’ is a commonly used metonym to refer to the royal family or the reigning monarch
What is a text producer?
The person/ collection responsible for creating/ speaking/ writing a text
What is a text receiver?
The person or group of people responsible for interpreting/ reading through a text
What is a discourse event?
An act of communication that takes place at a specific time and location that involves text producers/ receivers; they allow for increased contextual realisation or understanding and exploration of the intent of a text to be clearer
What is a multi-purpose text?
Texts that appear obvious to a text receiver as having more than one purpose/ message
What is the primary purpose of a text?
The main or most clear/ direct or easily recognisable purpose behind a text
What is the secondary purpose behind a text?
An additional, more subtle purpose included in a text
What is the purpose of terminology such as, multi-purpose texts and primary/ secondary purpose?
To indentify a text with a somewhat euphemistic or dysphemistic attribute or viewpoint embedded (obvious = primary, less obvious = secondary)
What is the implied reader?
The constructed image of an idealised text interpreter/ audience made by the text producer; readers who best fit the central message/ beliefs the text presents
What is the actual reader?
Any group of people/ person that reads and therefore interprets a text; each reading/ interpreting a text using their own unique contexts and personal experiences
What is an implied writer?
A constructed/ formulated image of an idealised writer made by a text receiver; constructed by text receivers based on their own perception of the text and the type of person they would view to write it
What is an actual writer?
The actual ‘real’ group of people/ person behind the production of a text
Its vital when analysing texts to consider how the written message could be perceived very ____________ by a ____________ than ____________ intended by a ____________.
Its vital when analysing texts to consider how the written message could be perceived very different by a receiver than originally intended by a producer.
What are discourse communities?
A group of people with shared interests and belief systems that are highly likely to interpret a text in similar if not identical ways
What is the mode?
The physical channel of communication a text was originally created in e.g. speech or writing
What else can mode be viewed as?
A label for texts to highlight if it was originally a speech or piece of writing
What is oppositional view?
A method of defining the difference between moides by arguing that they have completely different features/ opposing characteristics
What are blended-mode texts?
A piece of text that contains elements of both speech and writing
What is the genre of a text?
A method of grouping texts based on expected and shared conventions, with ‘conventions’ refering to the established rules, practices, or features that are commonly found within a particular genre. These are the recognizable characteristics that help to define a genre and shape the audience’s expectations e.g. in a mystery genre, typical conventions might include a crime, a detective, clues, and a suspenseful plot.
What is intertextuality?
A process through which texts will borrow or refer to conventions of other texts for specific purpose or effect
What is an example of intertextuality?
J.K. Rowling used intertextuality when borrowing the idea of entering a magical world in an unusual way in Harry Potter from Lewis Carroll’s Through the looking glass; Lewis used the looking glass where Rowling used platform 93/4
What is prototype model?
A model for looking at differences or similarities within a category/ mode by thinking about asociations to core concept of that specified mode e.g. mode = speech, a concept in the center ring could be spontaneity as speeches, unlike written communications are often produced in real-time
Label this image of a prototype model.
What is a multi-modal text?
One that is written but designed to be spoken (therefore written and spoken - 2 modes)
What is gravitas?
A level of importance, seriousness, significance
What is a diametric opposition? Or when somebody’s views are diametrically opposed?
It means they are stark contrasts, when something is directly opposes something else, whether it be a viewpoint from a texts recover or two lexical items in a sentence.
What is Amelioration?
The act of making something better; improvement.
What is Pejoration?
A pejorative word is a word or grammatical form expressing a negative or disrespectful connotation - Pejoration is making something negative
What are Collocations?
Collocations are pairs or sets of words that are typically seen together
What is a Semantic Shift?
When a word changes meaning through new societal trends or new aquired asocaiations or meanings
What is high/ low frequency lexis?
High frequency lexis = words that occur often e.g. everyday lang, colloquialisms
Low frequency lexis = words that do not occur often e.g. formal lang, jargon
