Complete List of Terms and Definitions for nature and function of language

Terms Definitions
Lexicon the vocabulary of a language
compound-complex sentence structure contains 2 or more coordinating clauses and 1 or more suboridinate clauses
morphology the study of word formation
IPA International Phonetic Alphabet
declarative sentence type makes a statement
collocations the tendency for some words to routinely combine with each other Eg rotten eggs, good morning, fairy princess
etymology the study of the origins and history of words
preposition a part of speech that expresses spatial information EG on, under, over
phonemes distinctive sound units in a language; Australian English has 44
vowels are sounds made without complete closure of the mouth a,e,i,o,u
inflectional morpheme using an affix to show grammatical relationship 'ing' ,ed, or 's'
auxiliary verb a verb that precedes the lexical verb in a verb phrase EG I can go I have gone
subordinate clause (dependent) it cant stand on its own as a sentence
interrogative sentence type asks a question
ellipsis the omission of words from a sentence because they can be worked out from the context
determiner a part of speech that expresses number, definiteness and possession, EG 'a' and 'the'
affix a morpheme that is attached to other words to create new words or express grammatical relationship
clause a group of words containing a subject (noun) and a predicate (verb)
closed-class words no new words can be added to this class, they are function words. Includes determiners, conjuctions, pronouns,
verbs words to express states, actions or processes
stem/root a morpheme that can stand alone, representing the core meaning of a word
Content words open class words they carry meaning, nouns,verbs, adjectives, adverbs
Insertion The addition of sounds where they previously didn't exist
EG film -fililum
Semantics the study of the meaning of language- combines all other subsystems
main clause (independent) it can stand on its own as a sentence
Function words closed class words used to connect content words, pronouns, conjunctions, prepositions, determiners
paralinguistic features used in spoken communication- facial expressions, body language, eye gaze
compound sentence structure contains 2 or more clauses of equal status and use coordinating conjunctions EG 'and'
simple sentence structure contains a single clause
morpheme smallest unit of meaning
Discourse analysis the study of connected sentences, such as monologues, dialogues, paragraphs, conversations
predicate what is written or said about the subject
complex sentence structure contains two or more clauses with the relationship between clauses one of subordination, uses subordinating conjunctions EG 'because', 'although', 'which'
open-classed words new words can be added to this class, they are content words. Includes nouns, verbs, adverbs, adjectives
semantic field an area of meaning (category) covered by words with related meanings. EG Fruit - apples, bananas,
nouns words to name a person, place or thing, they show the gist of an utterance
imperative sentence type expresses a command or directive
subject the person or thing the sentence is about
suffix a morpheme attached to the end of a root/stem
conjuction words used to link phrases and clauses together eg 'and', 'because' 'or'
exclamative sentence type expresses exclamation, can begin with 'what' or 'how'
denotation the dictionary definition of a word
Interjection words that have emotional meaning that stand by themselves outside a clause EG Doh!
connotation the associations attached to a word in addition to its dictionary meaning
phrase a group of related words
prefix a morpheme attached to the front of a root/stem
derivational morpheme using an affix to create a new word 'less' 'im'
adjective words that describe nouns or pronouns
prosodic features features of speech such as pitch stress, intonation, tempo and volume
Syntax The study of the structure of sentences
Lexicology the study of words
consonants are sounds made by the closure or narrowing of the vocal tract, all other letters except vowels
Inference Extra information assumed by hearer/readers in order to amke a connection between what is said and what is meant
pronoun words used as substitutes for noun phrases EG I, you, her, mine
onomatopoeia words that imitate the sounds they refer to. EG woof and purring
Phonetics The study of speech sounds and sound patterns
modal verbs Auxiliary verbs that mark contrasts in attitude such as obligation, possibility and predication EG must, can, will, should
modes of language speech, writing and signing