A Level Glossary Flashcards
(272 cards)
1
Q
lingua franca
A
A common language used over and above local languages to allow communication between speakers of different native languages.
2
Q
linguistic determinism
A
The idea that the structure of a language determines the thought processes of its speakers.
3
Q
linguistic imperialism (linguistic dominance)
A
Imposing one language, usually one associated with power, on the speakers of another language.
4
Q
linguistic prestige
A
The degree of respect and value given to a particular style of language by a speech community.
5
Q
linguistic reflectionism
A
The idea that language reflects the thoughts and ideas of a culture.
6
Q
linguistic relativity
A
The idea that the structure of language affects a person’s view of the world.
7
Q
literal
A
Direct or surface meaning of a word.
8
Q
logo
A
A graphic mark, symbol, or emblem representing a brand or movement.
9
Q
metalanguage
A
Language used to describe language (e.g., ‘noun’).
10
Q
micropause
A
A very short pause to take a breath.
11
Q
Middle English
A
The English language from after the Norman invasion to around 1500.
12
Q
modal verbs
A
Auxiliary verbs that indicate possibility, obligation, or certainty.
13
Q
modality
A
Indications of speech act type or degree of certainty in statements.
14
Q
mood
A
The atmosphere or feeling created by a text.
15
Q
multilingualism
A
When individuals speak more than one language in their daily life.
16
Q
narrowing
A
When a word’s meaning becomes more specific than its earlier meaning.
17
Q
nasal
A
A sound produced with air passing through the nose.
18
Q
nature
A
Inherited genetic and physical make-up of a person.
19
Q
negative politeness
A
Strategies to avoid offence and show respect.
20
Q
neologism
A
A newly invented word or expression.
21
Q
neuter
A
Neither male nor female in language terms.
22
Q
new varieties of English (NVEs)
A
Regional/national English varieties in non-native English-speaking regions.
23
Q
n-gram
A
A sequence of items from a text sample based on phrase length.
24
Q
n-gram graph
A
A line graph showing frequency changes of n-grams over time.
25
non-standard English
Regional forms of English not judged to be socially acceptable.
26
noun phrase
A phrase that stands for or replaces a noun with additional information.
27
nurture
In the context of 'nature versus nurture', the sum total of all environmental influences a person experiences.
28
obsolete
No longer in use; often the meaning is no longer understood.
29
Old English
The language of the Anglo-Saxon settlers in Britain, used until approx. 1100 AD, very different from modern English.
30
open questions
Questions where the respondent is free to put any answer.
31
overextension
When a word is used more broadly than it should be.
32
past perfect tense
Expresses past actions completed before another past event (e.g., 'She had eaten').
33
patois
A particular variety of speech seen as low status, not to be confused with Jamaican Patois.
34
pejoration
When a word takes on a more negative meaning over time.
35
perspective
The angle from which a writer views or experiences events.
36
phatic communication
Social communication like greetings used to build relationships.
37
phoneme
The smallest unit of sound distinguishing words in a language.
38
phonetics
The study of speech sounds and their pronunciation.
39
pidgin
A simplified mix of languages for communication between people with no common language.
40
pilot survey
A small-scale survey to test questionnaire design and analysis.
41
pitch movement
The way voice quality changes; adds meaning when used for tone.
42
plagiarism
Passing off someone else’s work as your own without acknowledgment.
43
plosive
A speech sound involving a small explosion of air (e.g., /p/, /t/).
44
political correctness
Avoiding offence to disadvantaged groups.
45
positive politeness
Friendly strategies to make participants feel good about themselves.
46
pragmatics
The study of language use in social context.
47
prefix
Letters added to the beginning of a word to make a new word.
48
prepositions
Words like 'under', 'by', 'near' that show relationships between things.
49
prescriptivism
The belief that language should follow strict rules.
50
present perfect
Describes actions that have recently occurred (e.g., 'He has left').
51
present simple
Describes current actions or general truths (e.g., 'He walks slowly').
52
protolanguage
A common ancestor of modern languages.
53
purpose
The reason a text is written and what the writer aims to achieve.
54
quotation
A word or phrase taken directly from another text.
55
Great Vowel Shift
A series of changes in English pronunciation (1350 - 1550 AD), especially affecting vowels.
56
heurism
Learning through experience; heuristic language helps a child learn and explore.
57
holophrastic
In language acquisition, a single word expressing a complete idea (e.g., 'ball' means 'I want the ball').
58
homophones
Words with the same pronunciation but different meanings or spellings.
59
hybrid
Something made by combining two different elements.
60
hypernyms
Words for general categories (e.g., 'furniture', 'primate').
61
hyponyms
Specific names or actions under a broader category (e.g., 'fork' under 'cutlery').
62
hypothesis
A statement of what a researcher is trying to investigate.
63
idiolect
The distinctive pattern of an individual's speech.
64
idiom
A phrase not directly translatable, with a culturally understood meaning (e.g., 'cost me an arm and a leg').
65
imply
To suggest without directly stating.
66
inclusion
Making people or groups feel that they belong and are valued.
67
inflection
Changes in word form for grammatical distinctions (e.g., 'book' vs. 'books').
68
inserted phrase
Words placed into part of a sentence.
69
intensifier
An adverb added to an adjective (e.g., 'totally unique') to intensify meaning.
70
interpretation
Suggested meaning or view of language choices or ideas in texts.
71
intonation
The rise and fall of voice while speaking, affecting meaning.
72
jargon
Technical or over-complicated language used in specific fields.
73
Kachru's circles model
A model classifying how English is used worldwide.
74
killer language
A dominant language which causes the extinction of other, lesser-used languages.
75
Language Acquisition Device (LAD)
An innate system allowing spontaneous language development in children, proposed by Chomsky.
76
Language Acquisition Support System (LASS)
Support from caregivers that helps children acquire language and become social.
77
language death
A situation where a language has no remaining native speakers.
78
language family
A group of related languages evolved from a common root.
79
language revitalisation
Efforts to ensure endangered languages are passed on to new generations.
80
language shift
When a community gradually switches to speaking another language.
81
Late Modern English
English from 1800 AD to the present, shaped by scientific/social change and rule standardisation.
82
lemma
The base or stem word.
83
lexis
All the words in a language.
84
limited narrator
A narrator who only knows part of the story and reveals only what they can see.
85
86
closed questions
where the respondent chooses from the options given
87
coalescence
the phonological process whereby two sounds merge into one (e.g. 'assume' pronounced as 'ashume')
88
code switch
switching between different varieties or registers of language
89
cognitive development
the mental processes involved in gaining knowledge and abilities through thought, experience, and the senses
90
coinage
the creation of a new word which people start to use
91
collocation
a relation in a corpus whereby two lexical items (i.e. words) frequently appear together (for example, collocates of 'money' include the verbs 'get', 'make', 'spend', and the nouns 'lot', 'value' and 'amount')
92
colloquial
the casual conversation of everyday language
93
computer-mediated communication
communication between people by means of electronic devices, such as email, texting and chat rooms
94
computer-mediated discourse
the specialised form of language between online users
95
concise
short and to the point
96
concordancer
a software program which analyses patterns from the corpus (corpora)
97
conditioning
a process whereby behaviour is changed or modified due to the repeated presence of a stimulus
98
comparative
words such as 'better', 'greater', 'less', 'more'
99
compounding
forming a word from two or more units that are themselves words (e.g. 'blackboard' from 'black' and 'board')
100
conversational face
the image that a person has of themselves as a conversationalist
101
conversational floor
speaking until you have finished what you wish to say, or until someone interrupts you
102
conversion
creating a new word, or a new word class, from an existing one, or from a different word class (e.g. the noun 'green' in golf being derived from the adjective 'green')
103
cooperative principle
the principle that speakers usually mean what they say and that hearers accept this in trying to work out the meaning
104
corpus
a large and structured set of texts, usually stored electronically
105
corpus data
the information stored in a corpus comprising written texts and/or transcriptions of spoken language
106
corpus linguistics
the study of language and how it changes over long periods of time, based on the analysis of large collections of different text types
107
creole
a natural language, spoken by native speakers, which has developed from a mixture of languages
108
creolisation
when two or more distinct languages merge to form a new variety with its own native speakers
109
culture
all the values and information for life in a society
110
cyclical
coming full circle; in writing, creating a balanced, yet rhetorical effect
111
derivation
forming a new word from an existing word, often by adding a prefix or suffix, such as '-ness' or 'un-' (e.g. 'happiness' is derived from 'happy')
112
accent the characteristic pronunciation associated with a geographical area or social group
113
accommodation in the context of language, how people adjust their style of speech to be more like others around them
114
acronym a word formed from the initial letters of two or more successive words (e.g. 'scuba', 'radar')
115
adjacency pair dialogue that follows a set pattern (e.g. when speakers greet each other) of an utterance from one speaker and a response from the other
116
adversative conjunction a connecting word which starts an idea opposing the one which has just been stated (e.g.
117
'but', 'however')
118
alliteration the use, mainly in poetry, of the same sound, especially a consonant, at the beginning of several words that are close together
119
American English the variety of English spoken by people in The United States of America
120
analogy a developed comparison between two separate ideas
121
anecdote a brief, concise account of a funny or interesting moment in someone's life
122
Anglocentric centred on a view of Britain antagonist a character who opposes or presents an obstacle to the protagonist (in some stories this might be a criminal or villain, but it need not be anyone as unpleasant as this!)
123
chiminal or Villain, but it need not be anyone as unpleasant as this!)
124
antithesis relates to opposites. This could relate to a contrast between two things or ideas; the term is also used in writing to describe a counter-argument to a proposition or thesis.
125
archaism in English language, words which are no longer in everyday use or have lost a particular meaning in current usage
126
aside a term derived from drama when a character speaks secretly to the audience or to themselves during the main action
127
assert state something as a fact
128
assonance the repetition of a pattern of similar sounds within a sentence
129
audience the reader(s) of, or listeners) to, a text. This can apply both to an individual (Uncle Joe'), or to a group (middle-aged women who like sporty cars).
130
babbling a stage in child language acquisition in which an infant starts to produce patterns of sounds which have no meaning to the child but which start to resemble patterns of syllables in the child's native language back-channelling feedback in words and sounds which a listener gives a speaker to show they are listening (e.g. 'um',
131
'agreed')
132
backformation the formation of a simpler word frombroadening when the meaning of a word becomes broader or more inclusive than its earlier meaning (e.g. the earlier form of 'dog' originally only referred to a specific breed) caretaker language the simple style of speech used by those who look after infants and small children characterisation the techniques used by the writer to present their characters
133
chronological sequenced according to time (e.g. starting in the past, ending in the present day)
134
135
136
137
138
139
140
141
142
143
144
145
146
147
accent
148
accommodation
in the context of language, how people adjust their style of speech to be more like others around them
149
acronym
a word formed from the initial letters of two or more successive words (e.g. 'scuba', 'radar')
150
adjacency pair
dialogue that follows a set pattern (e.g. when speakers greet each other) of an utterance from one speaker and a response from the other
151
adversative conjunction
a connecting word which starts an idea opposing the one which has just been stated (e.g. 'but', 'however')
152
American English
the variety of English spoken by people in The United States of America
153
Anglocentric
centred on a view of Britain
154
antithesis
relates to opposites. This could relate to a contrast between two things or ideas; the term is also used in writing to describe a counter-argument to a proposition or thesis.
155
archaism
in English language, words which are no longer in everyday use or have lost a particular meaning in current usage
156
assert
state something as a fact
157
audience
the reader(s) of, or listeners to, a text. This can apply both to an individual ('Uncle Joe'), or to a group (middle-aged women who like sporty cars).
158
babbling
a stage in child language acquisition in which an infant starts to produce patterns of sounds which have no meaning to the child but which start to resemble patterns of syllables in the child's native language
159
back-channelling
feedback in words and sounds which a listener gives a speaker to show they are listening (e.g. 'um', 'agreed')
160
backformation
the formation of a simpler word from a more complex one by removing an affix (e.g. editor → edit)
161
broadening
when the meaning of a word becomes broader or more inclusive than its earlier meaning (e.g. the earlier form of 'dog' originally only referred to a specific breed)
162
caretaker language
the simple style of speech used by those who look after infants and small children
163
coalescence
the phonological process whereby two sounds merge into one (e.g. 'assume' pronounced as 'ashume')
164
code switch
switching between different varieties or registers of language
165
cognitive development
the mental processes involved in gaining knowledge and abilities through thought, experience, and the senses
166
coinage
the creation of a new word which people start to use
167
collocation
a relation in a corpus whereby two lexical items (i.e. words) frequently appear together (for example, collocates of 'money' include the verbs 'get', 'make', 'spend', and the nouns 'lot', 'value' and 'amount')
168
colloquial
the casual conversation of everyday language
169
computer-mediated communication
communication between people by means of electronic devices, such as email, texting and chat rooms
170
computer-mediated discourse
the specialised form of language between online users
171
concise
short and to the point
172
concordancer
a software program which analyses patterns from the corpus (corpora)
173
conditioning
a process whereby behaviour is changed or modified due to the repeated presence of a stimulus
174
comparative
words such as 'better', 'greater', 'less', 'more'
175
compounding
forming a word from two or more units that are themselves words (e.g. 'blackboard' from 'black' and 'board')
176
conversational face
the image that a person has of themselves as a conversationalist
177
conversational floor
speaking until you have finished what you wish to say, or until someone interrupts you
178
conversion
creating a new word, or a new word class, from an existing one, or from a different word class (e.g. the noun 'green' in golf being derived from the adjective 'green')
179
cooperative principle
the principle that speakers usually mean what they say and that hearers accept this in trying to work out the meaning
180
corpus
a large and structured set of texts, usually stored electronically
181
corpus data
the information stored in a corpus comprising written texts and/or transcriptions of spoken language
182
corpus linguistics
the study of language and how it changes over long periods of time, based on the analysis of large collections of different text types
183
creole
a natural language, spoken by native speakers, which has developed from a mixture of languages
184
creolisation
when two or more distinct languages merge to form a new variety with its own native speakers
185
culture
all the values and information for life in a society
186
cyclical
coming full circle; in writing, creating a balanced, yet rhetorical effect
187
derivation
forming a new word from an existing word, often by adding a prefix or suffix, such as '-ness' or 'un-' (e.g. 'happiness' is derived from 'happy')
188
lingua franca
A common language used over and above local languages to allow communication between speakers of different native languages.
189
linguistic determinism
The idea that the structure of a language determines the thought processes of its speakers.
190
linguistic imperialism (linguistic dominance)
Imposing one language, usually one associated with power, on the speakers of another language.
191
linguistic prestige
The degree of respect and value given to a particular style of language by a speech community.
192
linguistic reflectionism
The idea that language reflects the thoughts and ideas of a culture.
193
linguistic relativity
The idea that the structure of language affects a person’s view of the world.
194
literal
Direct or surface meaning of a word.
195
logo
A graphic mark, symbol, or emblem representing a brand or movement.
196
metalanguage
Language used to describe language (e.g., 'noun').
197
micropause
A very short pause to take a breath.
198
Middle English
The English language from after the Norman invasion to around 1500.
199
modal verbs
Auxiliary verbs that indicate possibility, obligation, or certainty.
200
modality
Indications of speech act type or degree of certainty in statements.
201
mood
The atmosphere or feeling created by a text.
202
multilingualism
When individuals speak more than one language in their daily life.
203
narrowing
When a word’s meaning becomes more specific than its earlier meaning.
204
nasal
A sound produced with air passing through the nose.
205
nature
Inherited genetic and physical make-up of a person.
206
negative politeness
Strategies to avoid offence and show respect.
207
neologism
A newly invented word or expression.
208
neuter
Neither male nor female in language terms.
209
new varieties of English (NVEs)
Regional/national English varieties in non-native English-speaking regions.
210
n-gram
A sequence of items from a text sample based on phrase length.
211
n-gram graph
A line graph showing frequency changes of n-grams over time.
212
non-standard English
Regional forms of English not judged to be socially acceptable.
213
noun phrase
A phrase that stands for or replaces a noun with additional information.
214
nurture
In the context of 'nature versus nurture', the sum total of all environmental influences a person experiences.
215
obsolete
No longer in use; often the meaning is no longer understood.
216
Old English
The language of the Anglo-Saxon settlers in Britain, used until approx. 1100 AD, very different from modern English.
217
open questions
Questions where the respondent is free to put any answer.
218
overextension
When a word is used more broadly than it should be.
219
past perfect tense
Expresses past actions completed before another past event (e.g., 'She had eaten').
220
patois
A particular variety of speech seen as low status, not to be confused with Jamaican Patois.
221
pejoration
When a word takes on a more negative meaning over time.
222
perspective
The angle from which a writer views or experiences events.
223
phatic communication
Social communication like greetings used to build relationships.
224
phoneme
The smallest unit of sound distinguishing words in a language.
225
phonetics
The study of speech sounds and their pronunciation.
226
pidgin
A simplified mix of languages for communication between people with no common language.
227
pilot survey
A small-scale survey to test questionnaire design and analysis.
228
pitch movement
The way voice quality changes; adds meaning when used for tone.
229
plagiarism
Passing off someone else’s work as your own without acknowledgment.
230
plosive
A speech sound involving a small explosion of air (e.g., /p/, /t/).
231
political correctness
Avoiding offence to disadvantaged groups.
232
positive politeness
Friendly strategies to make participants feel good about themselves.
233
pragmatics
The study of language use in social context.
234
prefix
Letters added to the beginning of a word to make a new word.
235
prepositions
Words like 'under', 'by', 'near' that show relationships between things.
236
prescriptivism
The belief that language should follow strict rules.
237
present perfect
Describes actions that have recently occurred (e.g., 'He has left').
238
present simple
Describes current actions or general truths (e.g., 'He walks slowly').
239
protolanguage
A common ancestor of modern languages.
240
purpose
The reason a text is written and what the writer aims to achieve.
241
quotation
A word or phrase taken directly from another text.
242
Great Vowel Shift
A series of changes in English pronunciation (1350 - 1550 AD), especially affecting vowels.
243
heurism
Learning through experience; heuristic language helps a child learn and explore.
244
holophrastic
In language acquisition, a single word expressing a complete idea (e.g., 'ball' means 'I want the ball').
245
homophones
Words with the same pronunciation but different meanings or spellings.
246
hybrid
Something made by combining two different elements.
247
hypernyms
Words for general categories (e.g., 'furniture', 'primate').
248
hyponyms
Specific names or actions under a broader category (e.g., 'fork' under 'cutlery').
249
hypothesis
A statement of what a researcher is trying to investigate.
250
idiolect
The distinctive pattern of an individual's speech.
251
idiom
A phrase not directly translatable, with a culturally understood meaning (e.g., 'cost me an arm and a leg').
252
imply
To suggest without directly stating.
253
inclusion
Making people or groups feel that they belong and are valued.
254
inflection
Changes in word form for grammatical distinctions (e.g., 'book' vs. 'books').
255
inserted phrase
Words placed into part of a sentence.
256
intensifier
An adverb added to an adjective (e.g., 'totally unique') to intensify meaning.
257
interpretation
Suggested meaning or view of language choices or ideas in texts.
258
intonation
The rise and fall of voice while speaking, affecting meaning.
259
jargon
Technical or over-complicated language used in specific fields.
260
Kachru's circles model
A model classifying how English is used worldwide.
261
killer language
A dominant language which causes the extinction of other, lesser-used languages.
262
Language Acquisition Device (LAD)
An innate system allowing spontaneous language development in children, proposed by Chomsky.
263
Language Acquisition Support System (LASS)
Support from caregivers that helps children acquire language and become social.
264
language death
A situation where a language has no remaining native speakers.
265
language family
A group of related languages evolved from a common root.
266
language revitalisation
Efforts to ensure endangered languages are passed on to new generations.
267
language shift
When a community gradually switches to speaking another language.
268
Late Modern English
English from 1800 AD to the present, shaped by scientific/social change and rule standardisation.
269
lemma
The base or stem word.
270
lexis
All the words in a language.
271
limited narrator
A narrator who only knows part of the story and reveals only what they can see.
272
