The concepts behind the conversation
Terms: C
Explore 933 linguistic terms, with definitions, examples, and connections to the bigger picture.
Cardinal Numeral
A cardinal numeral is a numeral of the class whose members are: considered basic in form used in counting used in expressing how many objects are referred …
Case
Case is a grammatical category determined by the syntactic or semantic function of a noun or pronoun .
Cataphora
Cataphora is the coreference of one expression with another expression which follows it. The following expression provides the information necessary for …
Causal Relation
A causal relation is an interpropositional relation in which the situation expressed by some proposition(s) is communicated as bringing about: the …
Causative
A causative may be indicated by a: verbal affix component of meaning in the verb special construction
Causative Case
Causative case is a case which expresses that the referent of the noun it marks is the cause of the situation expressed by the clause .
Causer As A Semantic Role
Causer is the semantic role of the referent which instigates an event rather than actually doing it.
Center-Periphery Schema
A center–periphery schema is an image schema involving: a physical or metaphorical core and edge degrees of distance from the core
Centrifugal
A centrifugal is an expression of place deixis that has a component of meaning indicating movement away from a deictic center .
Centripetal
A centripetal is an expression of place deixis which has a component of meaning indicating movement toward a deictic center .
Cessative Aspect
Cessative aspect is aspect that expresses the cessation of an event or state.
Chain Of Illocutionary Commitments
A chain of illocutionary commitments is a set of illocutionary acts which are ordered by the relationship of commitment between acts.
Circular Definition
A circular definition is a description of the meaning of a lexeme that is constructed using one or more synonymous lexemes that are all defined in terms of …
Circumfix
A circumfix is an affix made up of two separate parts which surround and attach to a root or stem. The morphological process whereby this is achieved is …
Circumfixation
Circumfixation is a morphological process whereby an affix made up of two separate parts surrounds and attaches to a root or stem.
Classifier
A classifier is a word or affix that expresses the classification of a noun.
Clausal Implicature
A clausal implicature is a quantity implicature which is inferred by an addressee concerning the truth of a proposition expressed in a particular …
Clause
A clause is a grammatical unit that: includes, at minimum, a predicate and an explicit or implied subject expresses a proposition.
Clause Chain
A clause chain is a group of clauses in which: one clause, typically the final clause, is distinguished from the other clauses, typically medial clauses, …
Cleft Sentence
A cleft sentence is a complex sentence in which a simple sentence is expressed using a main clause and a subordinate clause. In English the prototypical …
Clitic (Grammar)
A clitic is a morpheme that has syntactic characteristics of a word , but shows evidence of being phonologically bound to another word.
Close Future Tense
Close future tense is a tense that refers to a time shortly after the moment of utterance .
Closed Class
A closed class is a grammatical class of words with limited membership. These words have primarily grammatical meaning.
Coding Time
Coding time is the time of an utterance, or the writing of a message.
Collateral Information
Collateral information expresses a nonevent, something that did not or has not yet happened.
Collective Noun
A collective noun is a noun that refers to a group of entities that may be considered either as individuals or as one larger entity.
Collocate
Collocates are lexemes that co-occur with each other in natural texts.
Comitative Case
Comitative case is a case expressing accompaniment. It carries the meaning "with" or "accompanied by."
Command
Here are two senses for command : A command is an illocutionary act that has the directive illocutionary point of getting another to do or not to do …
Comment
A comment is the portion of a sentence that provides information about the topic.
Commissive Illocutionary Point
A commissive illocutionary point is the illocutionary point of a speaker committing to bring about the state of affairs described in the propositional …
Commissive Modality
Commissive modality is a deontic modality that connotes the speaker's expressed commitment, as a promise or threat, to bring about the proposition …
Commitment Between Illocutionary Acts
Commitment between illocutionary acts is a condition in which the speaker's commitment to one illocutionary act necessarily means the commitment to some …
Common Noun
A common noun is a noun that signifies a nonspecific member of a group.
Complement
Traditionally, a complement is a constituent of a clause, such as a noun phrase or adjective phrase, that is used to predicate a description of the subject …
Complement Clause
A complement clause is a notional sentence or predication that is an argument of a predicate.
Complementary Distribution
Complementary distribution is the mutually exclusive relationship between two phonetically similar segments. It exists when one segment occurs in an …
Complementizer
A complementizer is a conjunction which marks a complement clause.
Complex Illocutionary Act
A complex illocutionary act is an illocutionary act that: has a negated illocutionary force is performed conditionally, or is conjoined with another …
Complex Sentence
A complex sentence is a sentence which includes: at least one main clause, and at least one subordinate clause.
Compound
A compound is a word containing a stem that is made up of more than one root.
Compound Discourse
A compound discourse is a discourse that contains sections belonging to two or more kinds of discourse.
Compound Predicate
A compound predicate is a predicate containing two or more coordinate or paratactic verbs or verb phrases.
Compound Sentence
A compound sentence is a sentence composed of two or more coordinate clauses.
Compulsion Schema
A compulsion schema is a force schema that involves an external force physically or metaphorically pushing, or tending to push, an object.
Conceptual Extendedness
Conceptual extendedness is a semantic relationship between senses of a lexeme as currently recognized by speakers of a language. The progressive derivation …
Concession Relation
A concession relation is a relation of unexpectedness between propositions. Some proposition(s) in the relation are expressed as unexpected (the …
Concrete Noun
A concrete noun is a noun that refers to what is viewed as a material entity.
Conditional Relation
A conditional relation is a logical relation in which the illocutionary act employing one of a pair of propositions is expressed or implied to be true or …
Conjunction
A conjunction is a word that: syntactically links words or larger constituents, and expresses a semantic relationship between them. A conjunction is …
Conjunctive Adverb
A conjunctive adverb is an adverb that functions like a conjunction by expressing the relationship between independent sentences.
Conjunctive Illocutionary Act
A conjunctive illocutionary act is a complex illocutionary act that consists of the performance of two or more illocutionary acts in one utterance.
Conjunctive Verb
A conjunctive verb is a verb form which is used specifically in a conjoined clause.
Connective
Here are two senses of connective : A connective, in its most common usage, is an expression having a function similar to that of a conjunction. A …
Consonant
A consonant is a sound made by a partial or complete closure of the vocal tract.
Consonant Modification
A consonant modification is an addition or alteration to the basic way that a consonant is articulated.
Constituent
A constituent is one of two or more grammatical units that enter syntactically or morphologically into a construction at any level.
Construction
A construction is an ordered arrangement of grammatical units forming a larger unit.
Container Metaphor
A containment metaphor is an ontological metaphor in which some concept is represented as: having an inside and outside, and capable of holding something …
Containment Schema
A containment schema is an image schema that involves a physical or metaphorical boundary enclosed area or volume, or excluded area or volume.
Context Of An Expression
The context of an expression or a text is the social situation in which something is said. It includes any information relevant to understanding the …
Continuant
A continuant is a sound produced with an incomplete closure of the vocal tract.
Continuer
A continuer is a move that returns speakership to another participant. It shows that the speaker: recognizes that the other participant is forming a …
Continuous Aspect
Continuous aspect is an imperfective aspect that expresses an ongoing, but not habitual, occurrence of the state or event expressed by the verb .
Contoid
A contoid is a sound made with enough closure of the oral cavity to produce audible friction in the mouth. It has the potential to be analyzed phonemically …
Contraction Relation
A contraction relation is an interpropositional relation in which information previously expressed is partially restated.
Contrast In Analogous Environments
Contrast in analogous environments is the difference between two phonetically similar segments that occur in two separate words and have similar adjacent …
Contrast In Identical Environments
Contrast in identical environments is the difference between two phonetically similar segments that occur in two separate words and have identical adjacent …
Contrast Relation
A contrast relation is an interpropositional relation which expresses that a difference between one proposition and another is relevant.
Contrastive Analysis
Contrastive analysis is an inductive investigative approach based on the distinctive elements in a language.
Conventional Implicature
Conventional implicature is an implicature that is: part of a lexical item’s or expression’s agreed meaning, rather than derived from principles of …
Conventional Metaphor
A conventional metaphor is a metaphor that is commonly used in everyday language in a culture to give structure to some portion of that culture’s …
Conventional Metonymy
A conventional metonymy is a metonymy that is commonly used in everyday language in a culture to give structure to some portion of that culture’s …
Conversation Analysis
Conversation analysis is an approach to the study of natural conversation, especially with a view to determining the following: Participants’ methods of …
Conversational Implicature
Conversational implicature is a nonconventional implicature based on an addressee’s assumption that the speaker is following the conversational maxims or …
Conversational Maxim
A conversational maxim is any of four rules which were proposed by Grice 1975 , stating that a speaker is assumed to make a contribution that: is …
Cooperative Principle
The cooperative principle is a principle of conversation that was proposed by Grice 1975 , stating that participants expect that each will make a …
Coordinate Clause
A coordinate clause is a clause belonging to a series of two or more clauses which: are not syntactically dependent one on another are joined by means of a …
Coordinating Conjunction
A coordinating conjunction is a conjunction that links constituents without syntactically subordinating one to the other.
Copula
A copula is an intransitivity verb which links a subject: to a noun phrase adjective, or other constituent which expresses the predicate.
Core Argument
A core argument of a verb is a subject , direct object , or indirect object .
Coreference
Coreference is the reference in one expression to the same referent in another expression.
Correction Relation
A correction relation is an antithesis relation in which the speaker's expression of positive regard reinforces, redefines, or corrects one or the other of …
Correlative Conjunction
A correlative conjunction is either of a pair of coordinating conjunctions used in ordered fashion. Typically, one is used immediately before each member …
Count Noun
A count noun is a noun whose possible referents are thought of as separate entities. It thus has the ability: to take a plural form to occur with …
Counteragent As A Semantic Role
A counteragent is the semantic role of a force or resistance against which an action is carried out.
Counterfactual Conditional Relation
A counterfactual conditional relation is a conditional relation in which the form of expression of the antecedent and consequent marks them as imagined, …
Counterforce Schema
A counterforce schema is a force schema that involves the active meeting of physically or metaphorically opposing forces.
Cycle Schema
A cycle schema is an image schema which involves repetitious events and event series. Its structure includes the following: A starting point A progression …
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