Comprehensive Guide to Linguistics: Terminology and Definitions

# Unit 3 – The Sound of Language

Phonetics

The study of speech sounds.

Phonology

The study of the sound system of a language.

Consonant

A speech sound produced with obstruction of airflow.

Vowel

A speech sound produced without significant obstruction of airflow.

Voiced

Produced with vocal cord vibration.

Voiceless

Produced without vocal cord vibration.

Bilabial

Articulated with both lips.

Alveolar

Articulated at the alveolar ridge.

Velar

Articulated at the soft palate.

Nasal

Sound produced with airflow through the nose.

# Unit 4 – The Sound Patterns of Language

Phoneme

The smallest distinctive sound unit.

Allophone

A predictable variant of a phoneme.

Minimal pair

Two words differing in only one phoneme.

Assimilation

A sound becomes similar to a neighboring sound.

Elision

Omission of a sound.

Stress

Relative emphasis on a syllable.

Intonation

Pitch movement in speech.

Syllable

A unit of pronunciation.

Onset

Initial consonant(s) of a syllable.

Coda

Final consonant(s) of a syllable.

# Unit 5 – Word Formation

Derivation

Creating a new word with affixes.

Inflection

Changing grammatical form without creating a new word.

Compounding

Combining two words into one.

Conversion

Changing word class without changing form.

Blending

Combining parts of two words.

Clipping

Shortening a longer word.

Backformation

Creating a shorter word by removing an apparent affix.

Borrowing

Taking words from another language.

Coinage

Inventing a completely new word.

Acronym

Word formed from initial letters.

# Unit 6 – Morphology

Morpheme

The smallest meaningful unit.

Free morpheme

Can stand alone.

Bound morpheme

Cannot stand alone.

Root

Core meaning element.

Stem

Base to which affixes attach.

Prefix

Affix before a root.

Suffix

Affix after a root.

Lexeme

Abstract vocabulary item.

Affix

Bound morpheme attached to a base.

Morph

Actual form representing a morpheme.

# Unit 8 – Syntax

Syntax

Study of sentence structure.

Phrase

Group of related words.

Clause

Contains a subject and predicate.

Sentence

A complete grammatical unit.

Noun Phrase

Phrase headed by a noun.

Verb Phrase

Phrase headed by a verb.

Constituent

A structural unit in syntax.

Subject

Performs the action or topic.

Predicate

Says something about the subject.

Complement

Completes the meaning.

# Unit 9 – Utterance Meaning

Semantics

Study of literal meaning.

Reference

Relationship between language and the world.

Sense

Meaning relations among words.

Denotation

Primary meaning.

Connotation

Associated meaning.

Synonym

Word with similar meaning.

Antonym

Word with opposite meaning.

Polysemy

One word with multiple related meanings.

Homonym

Different meanings sharing the same form.

Hyponym

More specific word within a category.

# Unit 10 – Pragmatics

Pragmatics

Study of meaning in context.

Context

Situation in which language is used.

Deixis

Words whose meaning depends on context.

Presupposition

Assumption taken for granted.

Implicature

Meaning implied but not stated.

Speech act

Action performed through speaking.

Cooperative Principle

Conversation participants cooperate.

Maxim of Quantity

Give as much information as needed.

Maxim of Quality

Tell the truth.

Politeness

Strategies to maintain social harmony.