MODE & AUDIENCE
The mode of communication that uses non-verbal cues such as facial expressions and pitch, but leaves no permanent written record.
SPOKEN MODE
The primary function of a text whose main goal is to give facts, instructions, or educational data to the reader.
informational/referential function
What term refers to the subject area or domain of activity that a piece of language relates to, such as law or medicine?
FIELD
What type of context refers to the immediate environment—such as time, physical location, and objects present—where a conversation occurs?
Physical context (or situational context)
Unlike dialect (which includes grammar and vocabulary), what term refers only to the pronunciation patterns of a region or group?
ACCENT
This term describes the specific group of readers, listeners, or viewers that a text or speech is intentionally created for.
TARGET/ INTENDED AUDIENCE
A speech designed to convince an audience to change their minds or take a specific action serves this function.
persuasive function
What is the term for specialized vocabulary or terminology used by a specific profession that outsiders might find difficult to understand?
JARGON
What term describes the historical, political, and cultural background surrounding the creation and reception of a text?
Cultural context (or socio-historical context).
What is a variety of language spoken in a specific geographic area or social group that includes its own distinct vocabulary and grammar?
DIALECT
What happens to the mode of a text when a spoken speech is transcribed word-for-word into a written document?
It shifts from the spoken mode (spontaneous, temporal, relying on tone) to the written mode (permanent, static, lacking vocal delivery cues
Phrases like "How are you?", "Nice weather today," or "Have a good one" serve this specific function, used to maintain social relationships rather than exchange factual info.
phatic communion
Words like stat, intubate, scalpel, and triage immediately signal that a text belongs to which field?
MEDICAL FIELD
What are words called whose meanings change completely depending on who is speaking, where, or when (e.g., here, there, today,
Deictic words (or deixis).
What is the practice of switching between two or more dialects, accents, or languages depending on the social setting?
CODE SWITCHING
What quality of writing must an author adjust when writing an editorial for a national newspaper to match the expectations of an educated readership?
REGISTER
Which function of language is being used when a speaker expresses their own personal emotions, feelings, or inner state—such as shouting "Ouch!" or saying "I feel completely overwhelmed
Expressive function (or affective/emotive function).
What linguistic phenomenon occurs when everyday words like bug, RAM, or cloud take on specialized technical meanings in computer science?
SEMANTIC FIELD
What term refers to the unspoken background knowledge and assumptions that two speakers rely on to understand each other without extra explanation?
Shared knowledge (or common ground / presupposition).
What is the prestigious, standardized dialect taught in schools and used in news broadcasts called?
STANDARD ENGLISH
What term refers to texts that combine two or more communication channels at once—such as combining written text, images, and audio in a website?
Multimodal texts
What is the term for a single utterance that performs a direct action in the real world the moment it is spoken—such as "I declare you guilty," "I apologize," or "I name this ship"?
A performative utterance (or speech act / declaration).
What concept explains how a doctor alters their field-specific language when switching from writing a medical paper to talking to a patient's family?
CODE- SWITCHING
What term describes a specific group of people who share a set of communicative goals, contexts, and language conventions—such as video game developers, medical researchers, or legal professionals?
A discourse community.
While a regional dialect is tied to geography, what term describes a dialect associated with a specific social class, ethnic background, or demographic group?
Sociolect (or social dialect).