English Terminology

Building consumers

position the receiver as the ideal reader and therefore consumer of product

Critique

a detailed analysis and assessment of something, especially a literary, philosophical, or political theory.

Communicative Purpose

the reason why a piece of writing has been written or a speech made (e.g. to entertain, to explain, to persuade, to argue)

Didactic

a term describing a work intended to preach or teach often containing a particular moral or political point

Determinism

the belief that language determines how we think

Disempowering

taking power and language away from a social group

En masse

addressing a large number of readers

Empowering

Giving power and language to a social group

Ethnocentrism

centered on a particular ethnicity

Ethos

beliefs, ideologies

Face

the concept that communication relies on presenting a "face" to listeners & audiences

Ideology

inherent belief in a text

Synthetic sisterhood

the 'false friendship' created in magazines aimed at females

temporal context

time of production

Text

A statement or coherent set of oral or written statements.

Cartoon

A drawing or scene printed in a book, newspaper, etc., usually humorous in nature, and sometimes accompanied by text or commentary.

Aphorism

Sentences that are regarded as the law, as absolute reality.

Kinetics

Pertaining or relating to kinesics (set of gestures and body movements).

Canon

A model or prototype that gathers the characteristics that are considered perfect in its genre, especially the one referring to the human figure that gathers the ideal proportions.

Literary genres

Lyrical - One of the oldest, whose usual expression is the poem, in its multiple and very different possible presentations.

Dramatic - That which represents some episode or conflict in the life of human beings through the dialogue of the characters.

Narrative - A narration of facts.

Forms of Writing

Prose - Manner of writing, keep writing without a fixed structure.

Verse - A way of writing with a fixed structure, such as a poem.

Collate

To put in good order things that have some connection or relationship to each other.

Synalepha

In poetry, when there are 2 vowels together between words, they are counted as one syllable because it is easy to transition.

Enjambment

When a line is tactically cut where it should not be cut.

Lexicon

Way of calling texts/words.

Morphology

Analyzing the meaningful structure of the components of a word.

Syntax

The order of words and sentences.

Semantics

The study of various aspects of the meaning, sense, or interpretation of linguistic signs, such as symbols, words, expressions, or formal representations.

Prepositions

Words like before, under, under, fits, with...

Consignation:

Precise - A specific date, such as 25 May 2024

Imprecise - A vague reference, such as "a few days before..."

Subjective - A perception of time, such as "10 seconds passed, but it seemed like 10 hours."

Psycho-narration

The narrator gives an account of his character's mental processes even though the words, as such, are not necessarily attributable to the character but to the narrator. The narrative is focused, to a greater or lesser degree, on the consciousness of that character.

Interjection

A word that has no specific meaning (definition) but represents an idea or feeling, such as "Ouch!" or "Oops..."

Interpellate

Demanding explanations on a matter, especially if done with authority or entitlement.

Metonymy

Referring to an instrument to talk about its owner (e.g., "Gabriel's pen traveled the world") or using a container to refer to the object inside (e.g., "taking a glass" refers to the liquid inside).

Parallelism

A literary device of repetition, consisting of the reiteration of the same structure in several phrases or sentences to achieve a rhythmic and sequential effect.

Epithet

An adjective denoting an obvious quality of a noun, such as "white" in "the white snow."

Euphemism

A mild or decorous manifestation of ideas whose straightforward and frank expression would be harsh or rude, such as using "Wednesday" instead of "shit."

Litotes

A mild or decorous manifestation of ideas whose straightforward and frank expression would be harsh or rude, also known as "sugarcoating."

Magical Realism

A Latin American literary movement that makes the strange familiar, presenting a reality with a physical world that exists.

Surrealism

A movement that explores the unconscious and the oneiric (pertaining or relating to dreams) to create a unique universe.

Intertextuality

The relation of a text to others that precede it, creating connections and references between texts.

Epistle

A poem or other literary work in the form of a letter or series of letters.

Dogma

A set of beliefs of an indisputable and obligatory character for the followers of any religion, representing an unquestionable belief.

Heretic

A person who denies any of the established dogmas of a religion, often considered as going against the accepted beliefs.

Secular

Not related to or associated with any religion.

Retruncation

The reorganization of the elements of a sentence in a subsequent sentence, creating a different structure and meaning, such as "You have to work to live, not

Allusion

A reference to another work of literature, person, or event. Usually implied, not explicit. Often provides another layer of meaning

Allegory

A literary work in which characters, objects, or actions represent or symbolize ideas. Can be a story of some complexity corresponding to another situation on a deeper level

Ambiguity

The multiple meanings, either intentional or unintentional, of a word, phrase, sentence, or passage. Could be created through weakness of the writer's expression but often is deliberate to create layers of meaning

Ambivalence

Simultaneous and contradictory attitudes or feelings towards something or someone. Writer's attitude to something may not be clear but may seem to hold at least two responses

Anaphora

The repetition of a word or phrase at the beginning of successive clauses OR Use of a word referring back to a word used earlier to avoid repetition

Antonyms

words that have contrasting meanings

Cataphoric reference

making reference forwards to something as yet unidentified in a text. E.g. "It was warm. It was living. It was a rabbit."

Cliche

an overused expression, idea or image that lost its original meaning/impact

Contraction

a shortened word

Collocation

2+ words that often appear together as part of a set. often well known & predictable, many could be idioms or cliches (safe & sound)

Command

The type of sentence in which someone is told to do something

Compliance techniques

language used to make people comply

Colloquial language

the linguistic style used for casual communication

Dialect

words or phrases particular to a geographical place

Disclose markers

words, phrases or clauses that help to organize what we say or write

Double entendre

a statement that has two meanings, one of which is dirty or vulgar

Dysphemism

substitution of a more offensive or disparaging word or phrase for one considered less offensive.

Euphemism

An indirect, less offensive way of saying something that is considered unpleasant

Formulaic

a term to denote language that is patterned and always appears in the same form (e.g. Yours faithfully)

Imperative

a command

Implicature

suggestions, eg I'm tired meaning, 'I want to go home and you should come with me.'

Inclusive Pronouns

Pronouns to make the reader feel included e.g. 'we', 'our'

Intensifier

a word or phrase that adds emphasis (e.g. very, unbelievably)

Intertextuality

references to other texts

Irony

the use of words to convey a meaning that is the opposite of its literal meaning

Levels of formality

Vocabulary styles including slang, colloquialisms, taboo, formal and fixed levels

Metonymy

when one whole thing represents something close to it

Modality

a speaker's or writer's attitude towards the world, can express certainty, willingness, possibility, obligation etc. through modal words and expressions

Modal verb

an auxiliary verb which cannot be used as a main verb (can, may, will, shall)

Neologism

new word or expression

Occupational register

A technical vocabulary associated with a particular occupation or activity

Parody

A work that closely imitates the style or content of another with the specific aim of comic effect and/or ridicule.

Polyvocality

many voices in a text

Prosody

longer units of speech that convey meaning, including linguistic functions such as intonation, tone, stress and rhythm

Pun

a play on words that have similar sounds but different meanings

Rhetoric

the art of effective or persuasive speaking or writing, especially the use of figures of speech and other compositional techniques.

Rhetorical devices

Persuasive devices

Satire

the highlighting or exposing of human failings or foolishness within a society through ridiculing them

Semantic fields

groups of words connected by a shared field of reference, eg medicine, art.

Sensationalism

when newspapers, television, etc. intentionally present information in a way that is intended to be shocking or exciting

Sociolect

A language style associated with a particular social group

Super latives

of the highest degree, usually ending in -st (tallest)

Synecdoche

part represents the whole

Synonyms

words that have similar meanings

Synthetic personalization

the process of addressing mass audiences as though they were individuals through inclusive language usage

Triadic structure

pattern of three (same as rule of 3, 3 part build-up etc)

Compositional Axis

Describes where the subjects in an image are placed.

Vertical axis

The left is known, the right is new or unknown

Horizontal axis

The upper section is ideal, the lower elements are real

Caricature

A character shown through the exaggeration of the features that he or she possesses

Chiaroscuro

The relationship of light and shade in an image

Connotation

An idea or feeling that a word or image invokes in addition to its literal or primary meaning for a person

Denotation

The literal meaning of a word or image

Emanata

Unrealistic pictorial elements often used in comics emanating from a character symbolizing something about that character