Linguistic Flashcards

Vocabulary flashcards generated from lecture notes on linguistics, semantic change, word-formation, phraseology, etymology, polysemy, homonymy, stylistics, history of English, phonetic changes, grammatical changes, teaching methods, inclusive education, and cognitive skills.

Semasiology

A branch of linguistics that studies the meaning of words and linguistic units; focuses on how meaning is formed, transmitted, and interpreted in language.

Grammatical meaning

Meaning conveyed by grammatical forms and structures, such as tense, number, mood, or case; shows the relationship between words in a sentence and how they function syntactically.

Lexical meaning

The meaning that a word carries independently of its grammatical form; reflects the concept or idea that the word represents.

Denotational meaning

The objective, dictionary meaning of a word; the concept it directly refers to; what all speakers of a language generally agree on.

Connotational meaning

The emotional, cultural, or stylistic associations a word may carry in addition to its basic meaning.

Semantic change

The process by which the meanings of words develop, shift, or transform over time; a natural linguistic phenomenon occurring due to various historical, social, psychological, and cultural factors.

Broadening (or generalization)

A mechanism of semantic change where a word’s meaning expands to include more referents than before.

Narrowing (or specialization)

A mechanism of semantic change where a word's meaning becomes more specific.

Amelioration

A mechanism of semantic change where a word takes on a more positive meaning over time.

Pejoration

A mechanism of semantic change where the meaning becomes more negative.

Polysemy

A single word that has multiple related meanings.

Homonyms

Different words that evolve to have the same form but different meanings.

Homonymy

Words that have the same form (either in spelling, pronunciation, or both) but different meanings and origins.

Homophones

Words that sound the same but may be spelled differently.

Homographs

Words that are spelled the same but may be pronounced differently.

Complete homonyms

Words that are identical in both sound and spelling but have unrelated meanings.

Synonymy

Involves words that have the same or very similar meanings.

Absolute synonyms

Synonyms that are completely identical in meaning and usage.

Relative synonyms

Synonyms that share core meanings but differing in tone, usage, or collocation.

Antonymy

The relationship between words that have opposite meanings.

Gradable antonyms

Antonyms that allow for degrees.

Complementary antonyms

Antonyms where one excludes the other.

Relational antonyms

Antonyms that describe the same situation from opposite perspectives.

Word-formation

The process of creating new words in a language.

Suffixation

The process of adding a suffix to the end of a word to form a new word, often changing its grammatical category or meaning.

Prefixation

The process of adding a prefix to the beginning of a word to create a new word with a modified meaning.

Derivational suffixes

Affixes that change the meaning or part of speech.

Inflectional suffixes

Affixes that modify the form of a word to express grammatical features such as tense or number.

Compounding

A word-formation process in which two or more independent words are combined to form a new word with a single meaning.

Closed compounds

Compounds written as one word.

Hyphenated compounds

Compounds connected with a hyphen.

Open compounds

Compounds written as separate words but function as a single concept.

Conversion

A word-formation process in which a word changes its grammatical category without any change in its form (also known as zero derivation).

Shortening

The process of forming a new word by reducing the length of an existing one, often while keeping the original meaning (also called clipping).

Back-clipping

Removing the end of a word.

Fore-clipping

Removing the beginning of a word.

Middle-clipping

Removing the middle part of a word.

Complex clipping

Combining parts of two words.

English phraseology

The branch of linguistics that studies fixed combinations of words—phraseological units—which function as a single unit of meaning (also known as idioms, set expressions, or fixed phrases).

Phraseological fusions

Completely non-motivated expressions, meaning their overall meaning cannot be deduced from the meanings of the individual words.

Phraseological unities

Partially motivated expressions where the figurative meaning is still connected to the literal meaning in some way.

Phraseological collocations

Stable combinations of words that are used together conventionally, but the meaning of the whole is still transparent.

Phraseological expressions

Standard, ready-made phrases often used in speech with little to no variation.

Etymology

The study of the origin and historical development of words—their roots, sources, and how their forms and meanings have changed over time.

Words of Native Origin

Words inherited from the earliest forms of the English language, particularly Old English (Anglo-Saxon).

Borrowings (loanwords)

Words taken from other languages and adapted into English.

Etymological Doublets

Pairs (or sets) of words in a language that have the same original source but entered the language through different routes or at different times, resulting in different meanings, spellings, or pronunciations.

Polysemy

Occurs when a single word has multiple related meanings.

Homonymy

Refers to two or more words that share the same form—either in spelling, pronunciation, or both—but have completely unrelated meanings and origins.

Homophones

Words that sound alike but may be spelled differently.

Homographs

Words that are spelled the same but may sound different.

Semantic fields

Groups of words related by meaning that belong to the same domain or area of experience.

Stylistics

The branch of linguistics that studies the use of language in different contexts.

Style

The distinctive way language is used by an individual, group, or in a particular type of text.

Stylistic Devices

Linguistic techniques employed to enhance the expressiveness or persuasiveness of language.

Functional Styles

Different varieties of language used for particular social functions or in specific communicative situations.

Register

The level of formality or informality in language use, depending on the situation, audience, and purpose.

Expressive Means

Linguistic elements used to convey the speaker’s or writer’s attitude, emotions, or to create particular effects.

Phono stylistics

The branch of stylistics that studies how sounds of language—the phonetic features—are used to create expressive effects and contribute to the style and emotional impact of speech or writing.

Phonetic Expressive Means

The sounds and sound patterns that speakers or writers use deliberately to produce aesthetic or emotive effects.

Alliteration

The repetition of the same consonant sounds at the beginning of neighboring words.

Assonance

The repetition of vowel sounds within words close to each other.

Consonance

The repetition of consonant sounds, typically at the end or in the middle of words.

Rhyme

The repetition of similar sounds, usually at the end of lines in poetry or songs.

Onomatopoeia

Words that imitate natural sounds.

Stylistic syntax

A branch of stylistics that studies how sentence structure and the arrangement of words contribute to the style, expressiveness, and impact of a text.

Parallelism

The repetition of similar grammatical structures in successive phrases or sentences.

Inversion

A deliberate change of the normal word order to highlight a particular word or create a poetic effect.

Ellipsis

The omission of one or more words that are understood from the context, making the sentence more concise and impactful.

Repetition

Repeating words or phrases for emphasis or emotional effect.

Climax (Gradation)

Arranging words or phrases in increasing order of importance or intensity.

Anticlimax

Arranging elements in decreasing order of importance, often for humorous or ironic effect.

Hypotaxis

The use of subordinate clauses to show the relationship between ideas explicitly, often resulting in complex sentences.

Parataxis

The placing of clauses or phrases side by side without subordinating them, often using coordination.

Asyndeton

Omission of conjunctions between parts of a sentence, creating a fast-paced or dramatic effect.

Polysyndeton

The deliberate use of many conjunctions to slow the rhythm and add solemnity or intensity.

Stylistic semasiology

The study of meaning in language with a focus on how words and expressions convey figurative or non-literal meanings to create stylistic effects.

Tropes

Figures of speech where words are used in a figurative or imaginative way rather than their literal meaning.

Metaphor

A direct comparison between two unlike things by stating one is the other, highlighting a shared quality.

Simile

A comparison between two unlike things using words like “like” or “as” to highlight similarity.

Metonymy

Replacing the name of something with the name of something closely associated with it.

Synecdoche

A specific type of metonymy where a part is used to represent the whole or vice versa.

Irony

Expressing meaning by using language that normally signifies the opposite, often for humorous or emphatic effect.

Hyperbole

Deliberate exaggeration for emphasis or effect.

Litotes

An understatement by using negation to express a positive statement, often for irony or politeness.

Antithesis

Placing contrasting ideas in close proximity, often in parallel structure, to highlight opposition.

Stylistic Lexicology

Is a branch of linguistics that studies the vocabulary of a language with a focus on its stylistic properties—that is, how words and their meanings contribute to the style and expressiveness of communication.

Neutral words

Words commonly used in everyday speech.

Formal words

Words used in official, academic, or professional contexts.

Colloquial words

Informal words used in casual conversation.

Slang

Very informal, often group-specific vocabulary.

Poetic or literary words

Words chosen for aesthetic effect.

Functional Stylistics

Is the branch of stylistics that studies the different styles of language used in various spheres of communication, focusing on how language is adapted to specific purposes, audiences, and contexts.

Functional Styles

Distinct varieties of language that serve different social functions.

Belles-lettres style

The style of literary and artistic works, such as novels, poetry, essays, and drama.

Publicistic Style

Is used in mass media and public discourse such as speeches, articles, essays, and broadcasts.

Newspaper Style

Is a subtype of the publicistic style, used in news reports, editorials, and features.

Scientific Style

Is used in academic and research contexts to communicate scientific knowledge precisely and logically.

Style of Official Documents

Is used in legal, administrative, and bureaucratic documents, where clarity and precision are essential.

Figures of quality

Are stylistic devices that involve the substitution or modification of words to express qualities or attributes in a vivid, imaginative, or indirect way.