Cambridge English: Terms Quiz #5

Computer-mediated discourse

The specialist form of language between online users.

Ex: Using “LOL” or emojis in a chatroom.

Deixis

Language whose meaning is determined in part by contextual factors, such as who is using it, when, where and to whom (e.g. this, that, now, you, tomorrow).

Ex: “I’ll meet you here tomorrow.” ("here" and "tomorrow" only make sense in context).

Discourse markers

Words or phrases which mark boundaries between one topic and another, where a writer or speaker wishes to change the subject.

Ex: “Well,” “however,” “on the other hand.”

Aspect

A form of the verb which explains its relation to time, particularly indicating whether an action is completed (e.g. the perfect - had walked) or incomplete (e.g. as in the progressive - was walking or perfect progressive - had been walking).

Metalanguage

Language which is used to describe or comment on language

Ex: This translates as... or I meant to say

Slogan

A short, direct and memorable phrase, frequently used in advertising.

Ex: Nike: “Just do it.”

Structure

The way in which a text is ordered and organised.

Ex: An essay with an introduction, body paragraphs, and a conclusion.

Style

The distinctive overall effect produced by interactions between form, structure and language.

Ex: Formal style: “We regret to inform you…” vs. informal style: “Sorry, we can’t make it.”

Third person narrative

Where the narrator of a story is not directly related to the events being narrated, and typically uses third-person pronouns (e.g. he, she, they) to refer to the characters involved.

Tone

The emotion or attitudes associated with a spoken or written utterance.

Ex: “This is absolutely ridiculous!” (angry tone); “What a wonderful day!” (joyful tone).

Topic sentence

A sentence which contains the essence of the entire paragraph. It is usually at the beginning of

the paragraph and signposts the pattern of information and ideas which follow.

Ex: “Social media has drastically changed how teenagers communicate.”

Topic shift

The point at which speakers move from one topic to another in conversation.

Ex: “How was school today?” → “By the way, have you seen my keys?”

Transactional

Writing or speech which aims to complete a transaction and produce a particular outcome

Ex: a letter claiming a refund; giving spoken directions to a destination

Typography

The visual aspect of written language, including the size, colour and type of font used.

Ex: A newspaper headline in bold, all caps grabs attention: BREAKING NEWS: STORM HITS COAST

Accent

The characteristic pronunciation associated with a geographical area or social group.

Example: British English “bath” (/bɑːθ/) vs. American English “bath” (/bæθ/).

Descriptivism

The view that no use of language is incorrect and that variations in language should be acknowledged and recorded rather than corrected.

Ex: Accepting “gonna” as part of natural speech.

Prescriptivism

The view that language should have a strict set of rules that must be obeyed in speech and writing.

Ex: Saying it is wrong to split infinitives (“to boldly go”) or to use “ain’t.”

Great vowel shift

A gradual, widespread and enduring change in the pronunciation of English vowels, occurring broadly between the period of Middle English and Early Modern English.

Ex: Middle English “bite” (pronounced like “beet”) became Modern English “bite” (/aɪ/).

Modality

The modality of an utterance refers to the attitude a speaker or writer takes to the idea being expressed (e.g. certainty, possibility, obligation, ability). Modality is usually conveyed by the use of the appropriate grammatical mood.

Ex: You must finish your homework (necessity); She might come later (possibility).

Anaphoric reference

Where a word refers back to an earlier part of a text for its meaning

Ex: In the following text, the underlined words refer anaphorically to ‘David’: I recognised David immediately, even though I had not seen him, my oldest friend, in years.)

Asynchronous communication

Where the medium of communication causes a delay between utterance and response (e.g. letter, email, online forum).