Key metalanguage for AC analysis

Question 1

The morphing of a word from a verb form to a noun form, e.g. ‘dedication’,

Answer 1

Nominalisation

Question 2

The subject of the sentence performs the action. E.g. ‘The dog chased the ball’

Answer 2

Active sentence

Question 3

Shifts the focus of a sentence to the recipient of the action. E.g. ‘The ball was chased by the dog’

Answer 3

Passive sentence

Question 4

Shifts the focus of a sentence to the action, subject not mentioned. E.g. ‘The ball was chased’

Answer 4

Agentless passive sentence

Question 5

The need to be liked, respected and treated as a member of a group. E.g. offering compliments.

Answer 5

Positive Face needs

Question 6

The need to be independent and act without imposition from others. E.g. offering apologies.

Answer 6

Negative Face needs

Question 7

Any behaviour or language that challenges an individual’s need for freedom and repect. E.g. making demands.

Answer 7

Face threatening acts

Question 8

How speakers begin a conversation/set the topic of the exchange. E.g. acknowledgement of country

Answer 8

Openings

Question 9

How participants signal the end of conversation. E.g. ‘Thank you for having me’

Answer 9

Closings

Question 10

Sets of phrases that come one after the other. E.g. ‘Thank you for joining us’ ‘It’s a pleasure’

Answer 10

Adjacency pairs

Question 11

Short utterances and cues to acknowledge the speaker without taking the floor E.g. ‘Mmm’, ‘Indeed’, etc

Answer 11

Minimal responses/backchannels

Question 12

Multiple participants speak at the same time

Answer 12

Overlapping speech

Question 13

Linguistic units that speakers use to organise and maintain flow of conversation ‘So’, ‘You know’, ‘Anyway’, etc

Answer 13

Discourse markers/particles

Question 14

Linguistic features which impact a text’s clarity. E.g. pauses, hesitations, false starts, repetition, repairs

Answer 14

Non-fluency features

Question 15

The shifting in topics of discussion

Answer 15

Topic management

Question 16

Speakers ‘take turns’ managing ‘the floor’ of a conversation

Answer 16

Turn-taking

Question 17

How repairs are approached by participants

Answer 17

Management of repair sequences

Question 18

The spontaneous switching of language within texts

Answer 18

Code switching

Question 19

Specialized language for a particular field

Answer 19

Jargon

Question 20

Navigates potentially sensitive/taboo topics to avoid offence

Answer 20

Euphamism

Question 21

Purposely ambiguous rather than explicitly exploring a topic/intent

Answer 21

Double speak

Question 22

Applied to language use to persuade another into action

Answer 22

Rhetoric

Question 23

Seeks to unify by using more general terminology

Answer 23

Non-discriminatory language

Question 24

Meaning that the audience makes when considering a text containing not overly present information

Answer 24

Inference

Question 25

Similar concepts/entities referred to in the same way throughout a text

Answer 25

Consistency

Question 26

Established rules/expectations for how certain types of texts are structured/presented

Answer 26

Conventions

Question 27

Using pairs or groups of words that are equivalent or very similar in meaning

Answer 27

Synonymy

Question 28

Relationship of words that are opposite in meaning

Answer 28

Antonymy

Question 29

Speaker places new/important information at the front of a sentence

Answer 29

Front focus

Question 30

Speaker places new/important information at the end of a sentence

Answer 30

End focus

Question 31

Two or more phrases, clauses or sentences are structurally similar and appear near each other in a text

Answer 31

Parallelism

Question 32

Use of parallelism with juxtaposing meanings

Answer 32

Antithesis

Question 33

Breaking down barriers that might exist between various cultures and social groups

Answer 33

Promoting social harmony

Question 34

Discussing actions/beliefs that create discomfort for a particular society

Answer 34

Negotiating social taboos

Question 35

Forming respect and social bonds with an audience

Answer 35

Building rapport

Question 36

Using particular language to address unfamiliar audiences and implying higher social status

Answer 36

Reinforcing social distance and authority

Question 37

Using language to differentiate from people who lack knowledge of a particular field

Answer 37

Establishing expertise

Question 38

Ensuring clear communication

Answer 38

Clarifying

Question 39

Giving prominence to one aspect of a linguistic message to bias the audience

Answer 39

Manipulating

Question 40

Intentional use of language that makes it difficult for an audience to discern meaning of a message

Answer 40

Obfuscating