Linguistic Key Terms 1

The study of the sound system of language, how the particular sounds contrast ineach language to form an integrated system for

The study of the minimal units of language (e.g. the sounds of spoken language)

A class of speech sounds identified by a native speaker as the same sound; a mental entity (or category) related to various allop

The study of how words are constructed out of morphemes

A component of mental grammar that deals with constructing phrasal expressions out of smaller expressions.

smallest linguistic unit that has a meaning or grammatical function

The study of linguistic meaning

variety of a language defined by social factors such as age, religion,ethnicity, or socioeconomic status

variety of languages defined by region or geography

one of the two or more words that descend from the same source. Usually similar inboth form andmeaning

situation in which groups of speakers of different languages come into contact with one another

the process by which children acquire the lexicon and grammatical rules of their native language

methods and results of linguistic research to such areas as language teaching, national language policies, lexicography, translation, etc

systematic phonological variation inherent in any person’s speech

a puff of air that follows the release of a consonant when there is a delay in the onset of voicing; symbolized by a superscript

a process by which a sound becomes more like a nearby sound in terms of some features

a set of rules designed to give instructions regarding the socially embedded notion of the “correct” or “proper way to speak or write

objective description of a speaker’s knowledge of a language (competence) based on their use of the language (performance)

pairs of words in the same or different languages that are similar in form and meaning but have different roots. That is, they appear to be,