An ELT Glossary A (Af -Az) Flashcards
(37 cards)
✅ Aims
➡️ Definition: Aims are the intended learning outcomes of a lesson, guiding teaching.
➡️ Example:
In a lesson on the past simple, the teacher aims for students to talk about their weekend activities.
✅ Approach
➡️ Definition: a set of principles about language and language learning that guide teaching practices. It provides the theoretical foundation for teaching but does not prescribe specific methods or procedures.
➡️ Example:
The Communicative Approach focuses on real-life communication and interaction in the classroom, guiding teachers to present language in context but allowing for flexibility in methods, such as role-plays or task-based learning.
✅ Articles
Definite, Indefinite, and Zero Articles
➡️ Definition: are used in English to indicate whether a noun refers to something specific (definite) or non-specific (indefinite), or when no article is needed at all (zero article).
- Definite article (“the”) refers to something known or shared by both speaker and listener.
- Indefinite article (“a/an”) introduces something new or unspecified, used with singular countable nouns.
- Zero article is used with plural or uncountable nouns when no article is needed.
➡️ Example:
Definite: “The tiger bit me!” (a specific, known tiger)
Indefinite: “A tiger will bite if provoked.” (any one tiger, not specified)
Zero Article: “Tigers hunt by night.” (all tigers, in general
✅ Progressive Aspect
➡️ Definition: The progressive aspect indicates that an action or event is ongoing, temporary, or incomplete at a specific time. It is formed with the verb to be and the present participle (-ing form) of the main verb. This aspect reflects the speaker’s view of the action as dynamic or relevant to the context.
➡️ Examples:
Present Progressive: “She is reading a book.” (Action ongoing now)
✅ Attention
➡️ Definition: Attention is the mental focus that learners direct towards language input, allowing them to notice, process, and retain essential information. It plays a key role in transferring input into long-term memory and is influenced by internal motivations and external distractions.
➡️ Example:
If a student is fully engaged in a discussion, their attention helps them internalize new vocabulary. However, a student distracted by their phone may struggle to retain the material due to divided attention
✅ Authenticity
➡️ Definition: Authenticity refers to using language and teaching methods that mirror real-world communication, helping learners engage with the language in ways similar to its actual use outside the classroom.
➡️ Example:
Instead of asking “Do you understand?”, a teacher might have students simulate a real-world task, such as explaining a topic or describing a process to a peer.
✅ Automaticity
➡️ Definition: Automaticity is the ability to use language fluently and effortlessly, relying on memorised routines and chunks to communicate in real-time.
➡️ Example:
When asked about their daily routine, a learner can instantly respond with memorised structures like “I wake up at 7, have breakfast, and go to work,” without pausing to construct each sentence.
✅ Autonomy (Teacher)
➡️ Definition: Teacher autonomy is the ability of teachers to make independent decisions about their teaching methods, materials, and professional development, fostering innovation and adaptability in the classroom.
➡️ Example:
A teacher may start using a coursebook to structure lessons early in their career, but as they gain experience, they may begin experimenting with learner-centred activities and adapting materials to meet students’ needs, increasing their autonomy in the classroom.
✅ Learner Autonomy
➡️ Definition: Learner autonomy is the ability of students to take responsibility for their own learning by making informed decisions about what, how, and when they learn, while developing the skills for independent study. It is fostered through activities that encourage self-reflection, progress monitoring, goal-setting, and decision-making.
➡️ Example:
In a language class, learners might be encouraged to assess their progress by reflecting on their work and setting future learning goals.
✅Allomorph
➡️ Definition: a variant of a morpheme.
➡️ Example: un-, in-, il-, im-, ir- are all allomorphs of the negative prefix.
✅ Allophone
➡️ Definition: An allophone is a variant of a phoneme that does not change the meaning of a word. Allophones are context-dependent and may vary across different linguistic environments or dialects.
➡️ Example:
The phoneme /p/ is aspirated in “pin” [pʰɪn] but not in “spin” [spɪn]. Both are variants of the same phoneme /p/ but pronounced differently in different contexts, without altering the word’s meaning.
✅ Articulation (Place of Articulation)
➡️ Definition: is how speech sounds are formed, involving the movement of parts of the vocal tract (lips, tongue, teeth, etc.) to produce sounds.
➡️ Example:
The sound /p/ in “pat” is produced by pressing both lips together (this is the place of articulation) and then releasing the air (this is part of the manner of articulation).
Articulation (Place of Articulation)
➡️ Definition: Place of articulation refers to the specific location in the mouth where the speech sound is formed, such as the lips, teeth, or palate. It is one of the three key descriptors used to describe consonants, alongside manner of articulation and voicing.
➡️ Example:
The sound /t/ in “top” is produced at the alveolar ridge (the area just behind the upper teeth), making it an alveolar sound.
Articulation (Manner of Articulation)
➡️ Definition: Manner of articulation refers to how the airflow is modified or restricted during the production of a consonant sound. It is one of the three key descriptors used to describe consonants, alongside place and manner of Articulation.
➡️ Example:
The sound /p/ in “pat” is a plosive, where the airflow is completely blocked and then released.
Articulation ( Voicing)
➡️ Definition: Voicing refers to whether the vocal cords vibrate when producing a consonant sound. It is one of the three key descriptors used to describe consonants, alongside manner of articulation and voicing
➡️ Example:
The sound /b/ in “bat” is voiced (vocal cords vibrate), while /p/ in “pat” is voiceless (no vibration).
✅ Alveolar Consonants
➡️ Definition: Alveolar consonants are sounds that are produced by raising the tongue to the alveolar ridge (the bony ridge just behind the upper teeth).
➡️ Example:
The sounds /t/ and /d/ in words like “top” and “dog” are alveolar consonants because they are produced with the tongue against the alveolar ridge.
✅ Alveolar Flap (or tap)
sound.
➡️ Definition: An alveolar flap is a sound produced by quickly tapping the alveolar ridge with the tongue, often replacing the /t/ sound in American English. It sounds similar to a voiced plosive, like /d/, but with a lighter, quicker contact.
➡️ Example:
In American English, “butter” is often pronounced with an alveolar flap as [ˈbʌɾɚ] instead of a plosive /t/.
✅ Amplifiers
➡️ Definition: Amplifiers are a type of intensifier that increase the degree or strength of the adjective or verb they modify, emphasising how much or how strongly something is.
➡️ Example:
In ‘She is totally committed to the project’, the amplifier ‘totally’ strengthens the adjective ‘committed,’ emphasising the degree of commitment.
Anacoluthon
Anacoluthon
➡️ Definition: Anacoluthon is when a speaker begins a sentence with one grammatical structure but then shifts to another, often seen in spontaneous speech. It can also appear in written texts to imitate spoken discourse or due to errors.
➡️ Example:
“We didn’t want to… couldn’t really go immediately.”
✅ Anaphoric Reference
➡️ Definition: A word or phrase that refers back to something mentioned earlier in the text, helping to avoid repetition.
➡️ Example:
“I bought a new car yesterday. It was a real bargain.” (“It” refers back to “a new car.”)
✅ Antonyms
➡️ Definition: Antonyms are words with opposite meanings.
➡️ Example:
“hot” and “cold” (gradable opposites)
✅ A-Priori Syllabus
➡️ Definition: a course syllabus that is designed before teaching begins, with fixed goals, materials, and activities.
➡️ Example:
A coursebook-driven class with a pre-planned set of grammar and vocabulary topics follows an A-Priori syllabus.
✅A-Posteriori Syllabus
➡️ Definition: a course syllabus that develops during the course based on learners’ needs, progress, and input.
➡️ Example:
A Dogme class, where the teacher adapts the lesson plan according to the students’ interests and questions, follows an A-Posteriori syllabus.
✅ Apposition / Appositive
➡️ Definition: Occurs when two language structures (often noun phrases with modifiers) are placed next to each other, both referring to the same person, thing, or concept. The second noun phrase, called the appositive, provides additional information or clarification about the first.
➡️ Example:
“My brother, the engineer, loves to design bridges.”
Here, “the engineer” is in apposition to “my brother,” providing further information.
