Lexis and Semantics

Neologisms

New words or phrases like "Brexit", "google" as a verb, that have entered the language relatively recently.

Slang

Words like "selfie," "bae," and "lit" are examples of contemporary slang used especially among younger speakers

Colloquialisms

Colloquial expressions like "gonna" (going to) and "wanna" (want to)

Jargon

Medical Lexis = Terms like "hypertension" and "intravenous" are specific to the medical field

Legal Lexis = Words like "plaintiff" and "defendant" are used in legal contexts

Denotation

The literal meaning of a word. For example, "rose" denotes a type of flower

Connotation

The associations or emotional responses that a word evokes. For instance, "rose" can connote romance or beauty

Semantic field

Groups of words related by meaning, such as words related to education: "teacher" "student" "classroom" "exam"

Polysemy / homonyms

A single word having multiple meanings. For example, "bank" can mean a financial institution or the side of a river

Synonyms

Words with similar meanings, such as "happy" and "joyful"

Antonyms

Words with opposite meanings, such as "hot" and "cold"

Idiom

Phrases where the meaning isn't deducible from the individual words, like "kick the bucket" (meaning to die) or "under the weather" (meaning to feel ill)

Formal register

A style of language used in serious, official, and professional communication

Semi-formal register

A style of language that balances between formal and informal, often used in professional but less rigid contexts

Informal register

A casual and relaxed style of language used in everyday conversation among friends and family

Colloquial register

A subset of informal language that includes regional dialects, slang, and everyday expressions

(Usually text that reads like its said)

Archaisms

Words like "thou," "thee," "hitherto," and "thine" are examples of old-fashioned language that is rarely used today

Euphemisms

Mild or indirect words used to replace harsh or blunt ones, like "passed away" instead of "died" or "let go" instead of "fired"

Dysphemisms

A more blunt or harsh way of expressing something unpleasant

Borrowing

Words taken from other languages, such as "ballet" (French), "patio" (Spanish), and "tsunami" (Japanese)

Broadening

The word "holiday" used to mean a religious festival but now means any vacation

Narrowing

The word "meat" used to mean any kind of food but now specifically means animal flesh

Metaphor

A figure of speech where one thing is described as if it were another, suggesting a similarity between them.

Example: "Time is a thief" (suggesting that time steals moments from our lives)

Simile

A figure of speech that compares two different things using "like" or "as."

Example: "As brave as a lion" (comparing someone's bravery to that of a lion)

Hyperbole

An exaggerated statement that is not meant to be taken literally, used for emphasis or effect.

Example: "I've told you a million times" (exaggerating the number of times something has been said)

Triad

A triad or tricolon is a pattern of three words or phrases. For example: we came, we saw, we conquered

Lexis

The vocabulary of a language

Lexical field

A group of words related in meaning (eg words related to war; solider, battle, weapon)

Collocation

Words that frequently appear together (eg make a decision)

Loanword

A word borrowed from another language (eg cafe from French)

Taboo language

Words that are considered socially unacceptable or offensive

Hyponym

A more specific word within a category (eg poodle is a hyponym of dog)

Hypernym

A general category word (eg animal is a hypernym of dog)

Sociolect

Language used by a particular social group

Idiolect

An individuals unique language use

Dialect

Language features particular to a region

Cliché

An over used expression (eg only time will tell)

Figurative language

Language used in a non-literal way in order to describe something (eg simile or metaphor)

Semantic field

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

Levels of formality

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

Occupational register

A technical vocabulary associated with a particular occupation or activity

Neology

The process of new word formation, including blending, compounding, acronyms, initialisms, eponyms

Semantic change

The process of words changing meaning, including narrowing, broadening, amelioration, pejoration, semantic reclamation