PPT
Morpheme: This is the smallest unit of meaning in a language. For example, the word "unbreakable" has three morphemes: "un-", "break", and "-able". It cannot be divided further without losing meaning. Phoneme: This is the smallest unit of sound that can distinguish one word from another. For example, changing the sound /b/ to /p/ changes "bat" to "pat". It has no meaning on its own, but it is the fundamental building block of spoken language. Lexeme: This refers to the fundamental unit of the lexicon (vocabulary). It is roughly equivalent to a dictionary entry. For example, "run", "running", and "ran" are all forms of the single lexeme "RUN". Allomorph: This is a variant form of a morpheme. For example, the plural morpheme "-s" sounds different in "cats" (/s/), "dogs" (/z/), and "bushes" (/iz/). These three sounds are allomorphs of the same plural morpheme. Homophone: These are words that possess the same sound (pronunciation) but have different meanings and (usually) different spellings. "Knew" (/njuː/) and "New" (/njuː/) are pronounced exactly the same. Homonym: Strictly speaking, homonyms are words that have both the same sound and the same spelling but different meanings (e.g., "bank" of a river vs. "bank" for money). Since "new" and "knew" have different spellings, they are not strict homonyms. Allophone: These are different spoken variations of a single phoneme that do not change meaning (e.g., the aspirated 'p' in pin vs. the unaspirated 'p' in spin). Antonym: These are words with opposite meanings (e.g., Hot vs. Cold). Synonym: A word that means the same as another word (e.g., "Big" and "Large"). Acronym: A word formed from the initial letters of a name or phrase and pronounced as a word. RADAR stands for RAdio Detection And Ranging. A word which lexically imitates the sound it describes: "Lexically" refers to the word as a vocabulary item or dictionary entry. This is not the precise linguistic description of the mechanism. A word which morphologically imitates the sound it describes: "Morphologically" refers to the structure or formation of the word (prefixes/suffixes). Onomatopoeia is not about word structure, but sound. A word which semantically imitates the sound it describes: "Semantically" refers to meaning. While the meaning is related to sound, the imitation happens in the physical sound, not the abstract meaning. A word which phonetically imitates the sound it describes: "Phonetically" refers to the physical sounds of human speech. Onomatopoeia occurs when the phonetic sounds of the word (like "buzz" or "hiss") mimic the actual real-world sound. Idiolect: The unique variety of language used by a single individual. Everyone has their own idiolect. Register: A variety of language used for a particular purpose or in a particular social setting (e.g., formal legal register vs. casual slang). Accent: Refers only to the distinctive way words are pronounced. It does not include grammar or vocabulary differences. Dialect: A variety of a language that is characteristic of a particular group of the language's speakers (usually defined by geography/region). It includes differences in vocabulary, grammar, and pronunciation. Pragmatics: The study of how context influences the interpretation of meaning (e.g., sarcasm, implication). Semantics: The study of meaning in language, focusing on the literal meaning of words, phrases, and sentences, independent of context. Syntax: The study of the structure of sentences and the rules for arranging words (grammar). Etymology: The study of the origin of words and how their meanings have changed throughout history. Quibble: A slight objection or criticism, or a play on words/pun used to evade a point. Oxymoron: A figure of speech where contradictory terms appear in conjunction (e.g., "deafening silence"). Pantomime: A dramatic entertainment or method of conveying emotions/actions by gestures without speech. Palindrome: A word, phrase, or sequence that reads the same backward as forward (e.g., "Madam", "Refer", "Level").