The study of words, their meaning, origin, and structure.
Lexicology
What social factors can influence the way people speak?
Age, gender, social class, education, and region can all affect a person’s speech.
What do we call words no longer used in modern English, like “thou”?
Archaic words.
From which language did English borrow the word “piano”?
Italian
What is slang?
Informal, often playful language used by specific groups.
The smallest meaningful unit of language.
morpheme
What is a dialect?
A regional or social variety of a language with distinct vocabulary, grammar, or pronunciation.
What are neologisms?
Newly created words or expressions.
The study of the origin and history of words.
etymology
What are colloquialisms?
Informal words or phrases used in everyday speech.
….. is the literal dictionary meaning;
…..is the emotional or cultural meaning.
Denotation and connotation
What is code-switching?
Alternating between two or more languages or dialects in one conversation.
Words that have the same or nearly the same meaning.
synonyms
Give one example of a French borrowing in English.
Menu,” “ballet,” or “government.”
What is register in sociolinguistics?
The level of formality of language used in a specific situation.
What do we call a new word formed by shortening another, like “ad” from “advertisement”?
Clipping
What is jargon?
Specialized language used by a particular profession or group.
What is the difference between native words and borrowings?
Native words come from Old English; borrowings come from other languages.
What is a loan translation?
A word or phrase translated literally from another language (e.g., “skyscraper”).
What is a euphemism? Give an example.
A mild expression replacing a harsh one (e.g., “passed away” for “died”).
A change in the meaning of a word over time (e.g., “girl” once meant any young person).
semantic change
What’s the difference between standard and non-standard English?
Standard English follows accepted norms; non-standard varieties differ by region or group.
What are barbarisms?
Foreign words used in English without full adaptation (e.g., “déjà vu”).
When did English borrow the most words from French?
During the Middle English period.
What is contextual meaning?
The meaning a word takes from the situation in which it is used.