VOCAB Final Exam: Introduction to Linguistics

Referential Meaning

Basic components of literal meaning of words.

Ex: Sarcastic sentences.

Semantics

The study of the meaning of morphemes, words, phrases, and sentences.  

Morpheme

The smallest unit of meaning or grammatical functio

Functional Shift/Conversion

When a word belonging to one lexical category (or part of speech) is changed to a different category/POS without any change in the word form.
Verb → Noun

Noun → Adjective

Friend, Email, Bottle, Swim

Backformation

A word of one part of speech (often a noun) is reduced to another part of speech (often a verb).

“Edit” from Editor

“Babysit” from Babysitter

Semantic Shift

Mouse - animal and computer mouse

Cooked

Using an existing word, but with creating a completely new meaning — “MEANING CHANGE”

Syntax

Knowledge of sentences and their structures 

Morphology

Study of words and their form (spelling).

Phonology

Systems and patterns of sounds of language.

Idiom

Phrases cannot be predicted based on the meanings of individual words. Semantic rules for combining meanings don’t apply.

Philology

The study of language history and change

Etymology

How forms and meaning have changed throughout history, it tracks the word all throughout history.

Cognate

Words in different languages that share a similar meaning, spelling, and pronunciation.

SPANISH CLASS

Pragmatics

Understanding of language in context.