Glossary of Linguistic Terms
Glossary of Linguistic Terms
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Accelerando:
Accelerando is the term when speech speeds up, and is said at a quicker pace. Accelerando is only for spoken, not written speech however. This obviously speeds up narrative pace and makes the mood more intense and dramatic.
Acronym:
An acronym is where words are shortened to just the first letter. E.G. ‘U.N’ is an acronym as it is short for ‘United Nations’. The effect of acronyms is normally to add verisimilitude or realism to a text. It also makes a text harder to understand as the reader must know what the acronym stands for.
Adjective:
A class of word that describes the noun. E.g. the blue ball. Here the word blue is the adjective and serves to give the reader more information. The effect of adjectives can be very different, but in giving the reader more information, they usually allow the reader to make judgments about the text and make imagery more evocative.
Adverb:
A class of word that describe the verb rather than the noun. E.g. ‘She laughed loudly’. Here ‘loudly’ is the adverb and serves to give a sense of urgency and pitch to the language.
Alliteration:
Alliteration is a literary technique in which successive words begin with the same sound or letter. E.g. ‘Bugs Bunny’. The usual effect of alliteration is euphony-creating pleasant sounds on the ear. It can also serve to alter the tone of the text, often making it more lighthearted.
Ambiguity:
Where words or phrases are open to more than one interpretation. E..g. ‘Dogs must be carried on the escalator’ could either mean: to go up the escalator a dog must be carried, or if you have a dog you must pick them up when walking up the escalator. The effect of ambiguity is either to make the reader unsettled as they can’t pin down the meaning or to empower the reader, to create their own meaning from the text.
Ambivalence:
Ambivalence is
[pic]
Accelerando:
Accelerando is the term when speech speeds up, and is said at a quicker pace. Accelerando is only for spoken, not written speech however. This obviously speeds up narrative pace and makes the mood more intense and dramatic.
Acronym:
An acronym is where words are shortened to just the first letter. E.G. ‘U.N’ is an acronym as it is short for ‘United Nations’. The effect of acronyms is normally to add verisimilitude or realism to a text. It also makes a text harder to understand as the reader must know what the acronym stands for.
Adjective:
A class of word that describes the noun. E.g. the blue ball. Here the word blue is the adjective and serves to give the reader more information. The effect of adjectives can be very different, but in giving the reader more information, they usually allow the reader to make judgments about the text and make imagery more evocative.
Adverb:
A class of word that describe the verb rather than the noun. E.g. ‘She laughed loudly’. Here ‘loudly’ is the adverb and serves to give a sense of urgency and pitch to the language.
Alliteration:
Alliteration is a literary technique in which successive words begin with the same sound or letter. E.g. ‘Bugs Bunny’. The usual effect of alliteration is euphony-creating pleasant sounds on the ear. It can also serve to alter the tone of the text, often making it more lighthearted.
Ambiguity:
Where words or phrases are open to more than one interpretation. E..g. ‘Dogs must be carried on the escalator’ could either mean: to go up the escalator a dog must be carried, or if you have a dog you must pick them up when walking up the escalator. The effect of ambiguity is either to make the reader unsettled as they can’t pin down the meaning or to empower the reader, to create their own meaning from the text.
Ambivalence:
Ambivalence is