English language metalanguage

Declarative sentence

A statement that is used to provide information or state a fact

Interrogative sentence

A sentence that asks a question

Imperative sentence

A sentence that issues a command, make a request or give instruction

Exclaimative sentence

A sentence that contains an exclaimation or strong emphasis

Sentence fragment

Incomplete sentence that does not include subject or predicate

Simple sentence

An independent clause with no conjuction or dependent

Compound snetence

2 Independent clause with a connecting conjuction

Complex sentence

An independent clause and a dependent clause with a conjuction

Compound complex sentence

2 independent clauses and a dependent clause with conjuction or subordinate

Field

Content or subject matter

Mode

Speech, written or sign

Setting

Time and place which a communicative act occurs

Text type

Specific classification or label for a discourse

Purpose

Reasons that a text is created, such as meeting politeness expectation, establish expertise or authority…

Tenor

Relationship of audience, including authority, social relation, social roles, relative power, social distance

Semantics

Subsystem of language that describe how meaning is conveyed in language

Semiotics

Study of signs and symbols and their use of interpretation

Demotation

Factual and objective meanings that are often derived from the dictionary

Connotation

Associated meaning that words can carry based on context

Theory of universal grammar

Proposes that children are both with innate knowledge about the structure of language, which allows them to adopt any language

Poverty of stimulus

Argues that a child’s linguistic experience alone is not enough to explain how they end up with detailed knowledge about language

Usage based theory

Children acquire language through social interaction in combination with their general cognative skills

Cognative skills

Intention reading, patterning, analogy, imitation

Elision

When word ends in consonant, a child will simply miss out the consonant

Substitution

Child substitute one sound for another due to difficulties pronouncing it, often wuth consonant clusters

Insertion

Often involves the addition of an extra vowel sound to the end of the word

Assimilation

Happens when one consonant or vowel becomes similar ro another, and is replaced with it

Reduplication

Repitition of whole syllables and recognised as a feature of child talk