Edexcel A level English Language Terminology

Graphology - The writing system and the presentation of language Phonetics, phonology and prosody - Speech sounds, sound effects and intonation Morphology - The structure of words Lexis - The vocabulary of a language Semantics - The meaning of the vocabulary Syntax - The relationships between words in sentences Mode - The method of communication Field - The subject matter Function - The purpose of the communication Audience - The relationship between writers/speakers and readers/listeners Pragmatics - Variation in meaning, depending on context Discourse - Extended texts (written or spoken) in their context Non standard capitalisation - Irregular use of capital letters Archaic language - Words that have fallen out of common usage Semantic shift - The change in the meaning of a word from one thing to something completely different Inverted syntax - Sequence of words is rearranged to create an alternative weighting on a sentence Litotes - Deliberate downplaying of something for effect synecdoche - Metaphor that states something is only a small constituent part of itself eg 'got a new set of wheels' Pathetic fallacy - When the weather or environment mirrors emotions Common noun - Naming word for a thing that is tangible e.g 'tree' Abstract noun - Naming word for an idea, concept, something non tangible e.g 'love' Proper noun - Naming word for a specific example of a common noun e.g 'Eiffel tower' Verb - Word that represents an action or process Active verb - A word that represents a physical action e.g 'jumping' Stative verb - A word that represents an often mental process e.g 'thinking' Auxiliary verb - Word that often has to go with another verb to create present participles or future tense e.g 'I am going'