Transition Subject Terminology

Question 1

Accent

Answer 1

The ways in which words are pronounced. Can vary according to the region or social class of a speaker.

Question 2

Adjacency pairs

Answer 2

Parallel expressions used across the boundaries of individual speaking turns. They are usually ritualistic and formulaic socially.

Question 3

Co-operative signals

Answer 3

Words, phrases and non-verbal utterances used by a listener to give feedback to a speaker that the message is being followed and understood.

Question 4

Contraction

Answer 4

A reduced form often marked by an apostrophe in writing. e.g “can’t - cannot”

Question 5

Deixis

Answer 5

Words such as “this”, “that”, “here”, “there” which refer backwards or forwards or outside a text - a sort of verbal pointing. Very much a context dependent feature of talk.

Question 6

Dialect

Answer 6

The distinctive grammar and vocab which is associated with a regional use of a language.

Question 7

Discourse analysis

Answer 7

The study of the rules governing appropriate language use in communicative situations.

Question 8

Elision

Answer 8

The omission or slurring of one or more sounds or syllables.

Question 9

False start

Answer 9

This is when the speaker begins an utterance, then stops and either repeats or reformulates it.

Question 10

Field

Answer 10

The general subject area of a text.

Question 11

Filler

Answer 11

Items which do not carry conventional meaning but which are inserted in speech to allow time to think, to create a pause or to hold a turn in conversation.

Question 12

Function

Answer 12

The purpose of a text.

Question 13

Grammar

Answer 13

The study of the way the sentences of a language are constructed.

Question 14

Graphology

Answer 14

Any aspect of the form and appearance of a text that modifies meaning in any way.
The factors which affect the physical layout and appearance of a text on the page.

Question 15

Grice’s Maxims

Answer 15

Conversational ‘rules’ for successful conversation: quantity, relevance, manner and quality.

Question 16

Hedge

Answer 16

Words and phrases which soften or weaken the force with which something is said - e.g. “perhaps”, “maybe”, “sort of”, “possibly”.

Question 17

Idiolect

Answer 17

An individually distinctive style of speaking.

Question 18

Interactional talk

Answer 18

Language in conversation used for interpersonal reasons and/or socialising.

Question 19

Lexis

Answer 19

The vocabulary of a language, as distinct from its grammar; the total stock of words and idiomatic combinations of them in a language; lexicon.

Question 20

Mode

Answer 20

Speech or writing. A particular type or form of something. A genre.

Question 21

Morphology

Answer 21

The branch of linguistics that studies the structure of words.

Question 22

Non-fluency features

Answer 22

Typical and normal characteristics of spoken language that interrupt the ‘flow’ of talk. Some examples: hesitations, false starts, fillers, repetitions, overlaps and interruptions.

Question 23

Paralinguistic features

Answer 23

Related to body language - it is the use of gestures, facial expressions + other non-verbal elements to add meaning to the speakers message beyond the words being spoken.

Question 24

Phatic talk

Answer 24

Conversational utterances that have no concrete purpose other than to establish or maintain personal relationships. It’s related to small talk and follows traditional patterns, which stock responses and formulaic expressions.

Question 25

Phonology

Answer 25

The study of the sound system of a language or of languages in general.

Question 26

Prosodic features

Answer 26

Includes features such as stress, rhythm, pitch, tempo and intonation - which are used by speakers to mark out key meanings in a message. Especially, how something is said.

Question 27

Repairs

Answer 27

An alteration that is suggested or made by a speaker, the addressee, or audience in order to correct or clarify a previous conversational contribution.

Question 28

Semantics

Answer 28

The study of the meaning associated with words.

Question 29

Sociolect

Answer 29

A social dialect or variety of speech used by a particular group, such as working-class or upper-class speech.

Question 30

Syntax

Answer 30

The study of the rules for the formation of grammatical sentences in a language.

Question 31

Tag question

Answer 31

String of words normally added to a declarative sentence to turn the statement into a question.

Question 32

Transactional talk

Answer 32

Language to get things done or to transmit content or information.

Question 33

Turn taking

Answer 33

A time during which a single participant speaks, withing a typical, orderly arrangement in which participants speak with minimal overlap and gap between them. The principal unit of description in conversational structure.

Question 34

Utterance

Answer 34

A complete unit of talk, bounded by the speakers silence.

Question 35

Vague language

Answer 35

Statements that sound imprecise and unassertive. e.g. “ and so on” “or whatever”.