Unit 3&4 Metalanguage

Cohesion

The linguistic elements and techniques that create connections between parts of a text.

Lexical choice

The role of content words in creating texts.

Synonymy

Using pairs or groups of words that are equivalent or very similar in meaning.

Antonymy

The relationship of words that are opposite in meaning.

Hyponymy

A word that is a sub-type of a larger category called a hypernym.

Hypernymy

A larger category consisting of smaller categories called hyponyms.

Collocation

Words that typically appear next to or very near each other in texts.

Information flow

Modification of sentence structure to emphasize important elements.

Clefting

Moving a phrase to another position within the sentence to give it prominence.

Anaphoric reference

Using a pronoun to refer back to an element introduced earlier in the text.

Cataphoric reference

Using substitution before the referent is introduced.

Deictics

Expressions used in relation to the speaker, listener or context of the communication.

Paralinguistic features

Non-verbal cues accompanying speech that require contextual knowledge.

Repetition

Using the same word throughout a text to reiterate an idea or topic.

Substitution

Replacing one element of a sentence with something else.

Ellipsis

The omission of words or phrases that are understood in context.

Inference

A conclusion reached based on evidence and reasoning.

Logical ordering

Structuring a text in a visually and textually appropriate way.

Coherence

The overall clarity and logical connection within a text.

Politeness strategies

Communication approaches used to manage social relationships.

Euphemism

A word or phrase used to replace a blunt or taboo term to soften the impact.

Dysphemism

A term used to magnify blunt or taboo words to increase impact.

Active voice

A sentence structure where the agent performs the action on the patient.

Passive voice

A sentence structure where the patient receives the action from the agent.

Hypocoristic use of suffixes

Creating affectionate or familiar forms of words, typically with 'y', 'ie', or 'o' endings.