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English Literature and Language A2 Key Words
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- 1AbsurdistWriting which presents us with the idea that life has no intrinsic meaning, and that it is in fact pointless
- 2AccentA form of pronunciation associated with a particular district
- 3Adjacency PairsA pair of utterances from different speakers where the second speaker is controlled by the first speakers utterance. This occurs in a question-answer format, for example, or when one person greets another
- 4Agenda-settingThis refers to the person who takes the initiative and chooses the topic being talked about
- 5AlienationA theatrical technique developed by the dramatist Bertolt Brecht where a commonly held belief is challenged and the audience is made to reconsider its validity
- 6AlignmentThis is indicated by repetition of a speaker's phrase
- 7AlliterationThe use of the same consonant at the beginning of words close together, for emphasis
- 8AntithesisConstructions in which words are opposed, or contrasted, but balanaced
- 9AptronymA term used for stock characters whose name embody their characteristics
- 10ArgotSpecial vocabulary used by a particular group and often not understood by outsiders
- 11AssonanceThe repetition of similar vowel sounds, especially with words on stressed syllables
- 12BatheticAnti-climatic speech or situation. It occurs when there is a change from a serious mood to a more trivial or down-to-earth mood. This often leads to humour. Bathos is the noun
- 13Blank VerseUnrhymed verse, usually with 10 syllables to a line, with alternate unstressed and stressed beats
- 14Body LanguageGestures such as nodding or waving, or facial expressions. Body language can be used to indicate turn-taking in discourse: an inclination of the head or movement of the hand, or a direct gaze
- 15CaesuraAnother word for a pause of break within a line of a verse. Caesura's can occur at the beginning (initial), middle (medial) or end of a line (terminal). Creating a sense of balance, they can be effective in initial and medial positions by drawing attention to a significant word
- 16CatharsisThe outpouring of emotions and the relief of tension that the audience feels at the climatic moment of the play
- 17CharacterisationHow and author uses dialogue, actions and behaviour to develop a character's personality
- 18ChoricTaking on the role of a 'chorus', and commenting and reflecting on the action
- 19ChronologicalFollowing a strict time sequence
- 20ClausesConstructions that consist minimally of a subject and a verb
- 21ClichedA pejorative term for an over-used phrase that has lost all freshness
- 22ClimaxAn ascending series of events or ideas which intensify, or a moment of decision
- 23ColloquialA semi-technical term for the everyday, or vernacular, form of language which is informal and may include slang words
- 24ComediesPlays which may include scenes of sadness and loss, but are predominantly cheerful, ending in harmony, often symbolised by marriage
- 25Complex SentencesSentences which contain more than once clause, linked by subordinating conjuctions
- 26ConnotationsAssociated ideas suggested or implied by the words
- 27ConstructSomething carefully shaped and created rather than naturally occuring
- 28ContemporaryFrom the same historical time
- 29ConvergenceWhen a speaker wants to show orientation with another speaker they may need to change their normal speech, perhaps by adopting a more formal higher prestige form (upward convergence) or by adopting an informal register (downward convergence). The opposite is divergence, where the speaker wants to isolate themselves from another speaker to ensure differentiation
- 30DemoticEveryday, ordinary language. The term 'prosaic' is also used to refer to commonplace
- 31DenouementThis is when the tangles of the plot are unraveled and all is revealed and resolved
- 32DialectA variety of language where the regional or social background of the speaker can be identified from non-standard variations in the vocabulary and grammar
- 33Dramatic EffectsEffects created by the writer to evoke and emotional or intellectual response
- 34Dramatic IronyThis is where the character is blind to circumstances of which the audience is all too well aware, creating poignancy as the plot unfurls
- 35DualismIn philosophy, this is the view that the world comprises two opposing entities such as mind and matter; in psychology this is the view that the mind and body function separately; in theology this is the view that the world is ruled by the opposed forces of good and evil, and the concept that humans have two basic natures - the physical and the spiritual
- 36DystopiasPictures of an unpleasant, harsh world (the opposite of utopia)
- 37ElisionThe omission of a sound or syllable, usually marked by an apostrophe, e.g. 'she'd', 'didn't'
- 38EllipsesThe omission of part of a sentence for economy and emphasis
- 39EndorsementWhere a speaker wishes to endorse another speaker's view or statement to indicate solidarity by reinforcement, though it might also be used to bid for a turn such as 'yes, you're right there, I feel there is also'
- 40EnjambementThe continuation of a phrase or unit of meaning from one line to the next without a break in the poem
- 41ExistentialistWriting which follows the philosophical concept that denies there is meaning the life other than what we create for ourselves
- 42Face-Threatening ActsBrown and Levison use the terms 'positive face' and 'negative face'. We have positive face needs which means we want to be liked and valued. Our negative face is a defensive one, we do not want to be imposed on or told what to do. Face-threatening refers to when our face needs our flouted, and in drama such flouting creates tension
- 43FallaciousDeceptive, misleading, illogical, wrong
- 44Field-specificThis refers to a particular semantic field, such as language linked with war, or with flowers, or with horse racing; words that are connected in meaning or range in reference
- 45Filled PausesVocal Hesitations, e.g. 'erm'
- 46ForegroundedA term used when a writer or speaker brings a topic to the foreground, i.e. emphasizes it
- 47Free Indirect SpeechA narrative method in which the actual words of a character are not reproduced, but the reported words reflect the tone of voice of the speaker
- 48FricativeA severe sound created by breath forcing out the consonant 'f', in this example
- 49GatekeeperA person with the power to control the discourse, governing the turn-taking or the ritual
- 50GenreFrom the French word for 'kind' or 'class'. The audience will have expectations of particular genres
- 51Gothic LiteratureA genre which combines aspects of horror, mystery and romance
- 52Greek Tragic ModelPut simply this includes the notion of a noble hero with a character flaw which leads to his/her downfall
- 53HedgeThis refers to using a softening phrase to weaken the impact of an utterance
- 54HomophonesDistinct words that are spelled differently but sound the same e.g. 'break' and 'brake'
- 55HubrisA Greek term meaning arrogance and pride. In classical tragedy, a protagonist will defy the laws of the Gods (a flaw of a character known as hamartia), leading to an inevitable downfall. Hubris is the common example of hamartia in tragedy
- 56HyperboleExaggeration used deliberately for emphasis
- 57Iambic PentameterThis is the commonest blank verse meter. An iamb is a metrical foot of two syllables, short then long, first unstressed then stressed. Five of these create a pentameter
- 58IdiolectAn individual's particular way of speaking
- 59IdiomaticSpeech typical of people or place. The origin of the word is the Greek idios meaning 'one's own, peculiar, strange'. Idioms break the rules semantically, e.g. 'jump the gun'. This cannot be understood literally, but it is a colourful idiomatic phrase
- 60IdiosyncraticParticular to one individual, often with the implication of quirkiness or eccentricity
- 61ImageryThis refers to figurative language. An image or picture can be created by imagery, but it can also be created by a plainer speaking
- 62IncrementumThe action or process of gradually increasing. It usually refers to lists which build up to a climax
- 63Interactional FeaturesFeatures of spoken discourse which are commonly seen when people interact, such as someone being dominant
- 64Intrusive CommentaryThe author interrupts the story to comment on, for example, the social background or related philosophical ideas
- 65IronicHaving meaning or significance different from that which at first appears
- 66IronyLanguage that conveys a meaning often the opposite of what words might literally suggest
- 67LampooningSatirically attacking and ridiculing a person, political party, writer, etc. Often light hearted in tone
- 68Latinate ExpressionsWords which have Latin origins and are often polysyllabic
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- A-Levels (A2) English Literature and Language Fichas sobre English Literature and Language A2 Key Words, creado por Luke Davies el 17/03/2014.
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- Luke Davies
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