Glossary

abstract noun

a noun used to refer to an abstract (non-touchable, non-physical) thing

active voice

a form of language use where the subject is the agent

ad hominem

a power technique where, instead of responding to the logic of the argument itself, a speaker attacks the person making the argument, focusing on personal qualities that have nothing to do with the argument

address forms

names or titles we use when we address other people, like 'mister', 'buddy', 'ma'am', or 'honey'. They can be respectful, neutral, or intimate.

addressee

who the speaker or writer is addressing or speaking to, part of the audience (which may include non-addressees)

adjective

a word that describes or modifies a noun, e.g. 'happy', 'big', or 'unbelievable'

adjective phrase

a phrase of one or more adjective, sometimes with a modifying adverb, functioning together as a complement

agreement

the alignment or correspondence of a subject and its verb, or of a pronoun and its antecedent, in person, number, case, and gender

antecedent

a referent that comes before its pronoun. More common than postcedents.

article

a determiner that specifies whether a noun is definite (specific) or indefinite (general)

attributive adjective

an adjective that comes directly before the noun that it modifies, as opposed to a predicative adjective

auxiliary verb

a helping verb that plays a grammatical function to a main verb. Auxiliaries in English are forms of 'be', 'have', 'do', and the modals.

base form

the plain, uninflected form of an adjective

bureaucratese

a linguistic register found in governmental and traditional institutions that is characterized by excessive jargon, euphemism, and weasel language, that is, language that obfuscates agency, authority, and responsibility

case

in grammar is a category of syntactic function, i.e. what role the word or phrase plays in the sentence. In general, subject case is for what does the action, and object case is for what receives the action.

censorship

the deliberate suppression, prohibition, or control of access to media, art, film, literature, news, etc. that is considered offensive, threatening, or unacceptable

central determiners

articles, demonstratives, and possessives

clause

an element of a sentence that has a subject and a predicate. Sentences can have one or more clauses.

closed class

a part of speech that cannot be added to: determiners, pronouns, prepositions, and conjunctions

cognitive framing

the use of a familiar perspective or narrative to make sense of and evaluate new information

collective noun

a noun that refers to a group but is in the singular

common noun

a noun that is not one-of-a-kind, i.e., not proper. In English they are only capitalized at the beginning of a sentence.

comparative form

the -er or more - form of an adjective used for comparison

competing metaphors

conceptual metaphors used by opposing sides of an issue or argument that may produce cognitive dissonance when juxtaposed

complement

a word or phrase that follows a verb and may be required by it, e.g. an object or a subject complement

complete sentence

a sentence of at least one clause that expresses a complete thought

complex sentence

a sentence comprised of a main clause and at least one dependent clause, connected by a subordinating conjunction

compound noun

a noun phrase comprised of two or more nouns

compound sentence

a sentence comprised of two or more independent clauses, connected by a coordinating conjunction

conceptual metaphor theory

the theory that metaphors are fundamental to how humans conceptualize the world and their existence in it

concrete noun

a noun used to refer to a concrete (touchable, physical) thing

confirmation bias

Confirmation bias is the tendency to search for, interpret, favor, and recall information in a way that confirms or supports one's prior beliefs or values: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Confirmation_bias

confusion

the result of excessive use of doublespeak, especially when opposite terminology is used deliberately; it can also result from gaslighting. It can ultimately lead to mistrust and insecurity about whether there is an actual truth.

connotation

an association or suggestion of a word or idea

consumer literacy

the skills and knowledge to consume goods and services wisely and safely, and to spend and save money free of exploitation

content word

a word that refers to something with a concrete or abstract meaning; content words are open class

context

where, when, with what, by whom, and to whom something is said, rather than just the what

coordinating conjunction

a word that connects two words, phrases, or independent clauses; they are: for, and, nor, but, or, yet, & so

corpus analysis

examination of a body or database of language use by means of analytical tools in order to identify patterns and trends not apparent through conventional analytic reading techniques

count noun

a noun that can be counted, be singular or plural, and modified with determiners like 'many' or 'few'

critical discourse analysis

critical examination of language use as texts or discourse (at levels higher than a sentence), often in consideration of social context

critical language awareness

critical understanding of the social, political, and ideological aspects of language, linguistic variation, and discourse

definite article

the determiner 'the', usually used to mean that the noun referent is known

demonstrative determiner

a determiner that specifies which one or ones out of a group according to proximity

demonstrative pronoun

this, that, these, & those. They can also be determiners.

demonstrative pronouns

are pronouns that point towards specific things and are marked for number (singular or plural) and proximity to the speaker (near or far). They include this, that, these, & those, and can also be demonstrative determiners.

denotation

the literal or actual meaning of a word

depth of metaphor

refers to whether a metaphor is obviously stated (shallow) or if it points to a deeper understanding (deep)

determiner

a word that specifies or determines which noun, e.g. 'the', 'a', 'whose', 'many', etc.

discourse

the public discussion including texts -- print and spoken -- that surround a particular topic

disinformation

Information that is purposefully false and meant to mislead or deceive, sometimes equated with propaganda. Recently it's been called "fake news".

diversion

discussing something else or changing the subject; doublespeak can be considered a form of diversion

dog whistle language

euphemistic doublespeak that covertly signals meaning only to receptive audiences

doublespeak

a language power technique involving the renaming of a concept that obscures its original negative meaning, allows for ambiguous interpretation, and may shift responsibility as to its cause.

dysphemism

the substitution of a disagreeable, offensive, or disparaging expression for an agreeable or inoffensive one, e.g. 'kick the bucket' for 'die'

echo chamber

an echo chamber is a situation in which beliefs are amplified or reinforced by communication and repetition inside a closed system and are insulated from rebuttal. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Echo_chamber_(media)

epithet

a term or phrase for someone or something that includes a descriptor and usually the name of the person or thing

euphemism

an agreeable or inoffensive expression substituted for one that may offend or suggest something unpleasant, e.g. 'pass away' for 'die'

exclusive we

the use of 'we' and equivalent first person plural pronouns to refer to the speaker and others, NOT including the addressee, i.e. 'I and others, but not you'

false dichotomy

a fallacious way of presenting choices that implies there are two, and only two, opposing options; also called false dilemma or either/or

familiar pronoun

a form of pronoun (usually 2P) that is used for informal interaction, implying equality. Until the 1800s in English, 'thou' was the familiar 2P pronoun form in contrast to the formal form 'you'. Other languages like Spanish, French, and German still have distinct familiar and formal 'you' pronouns.

feminine

in English, the term for the pronouns 'she, hers' and the determiner 'her'

figurative meaning

the symbolic or metaphorical sense of a word, as opposed to its literal or denotative sense

first person

First person (or '1P') means from the perspective of 'I'. 1P pronouns are I, me, mine, myself, we, us, ours, & ourselves.

formal pronoun

a form of pronoun (usually 2P) that is used for formal interaction, implying respect and distance. Until the 1800s in English, 'you' was the formal 2P pronoun form in contrast to the informal form 'thou'. Other languages like Spanish, French, and German still have distinct familiar and formal 'you' pronouns.

function word

a word or word part that plays a grammatical function; corresponds to closed class

gender

in English grammar refers to the sex of the human referent -- male (he, him, his), female (she, her, hers), or neutral (they, them, theirs).

gender-neutral pronouns

pronouns that can refer to humans without specifying their gender, e.g. English 'they' and proposed pronouns like 'hir', 'xe', and 'co'

generic you

the use of 'you' to mean 'one' or 'anyone'-- addressing not a specific individual but anyone

genre

a type of written or spoken text that is socially recognized to have particular purposes, audiences, and authors, e.g. academic essay, news article, social media post, sermon, poem

gerund

a VERB-ing form that acts as a noun

gradable adjective

an adjective that describes a quality that can be graded or in degrees, e.g. 'hot'. A gradable adjective can be modified with 'very'

grammatical feature

a feature of grammar such as parts of speech or syntactic functions

grammatical gender

a system where all nouns are assigned a gender, even when their referents are non-animal, lessening ambiguity and supporting coherence across discourse

head noun

the key noun of a noun phrase; all other words of the phrase can be removed, leaving this, and the phrase will still retain meaning

honorific

a title or address form like 'Dr.', 'Mrs.', or 'sir' that shows respect to the addressee or referent

hyperbole

a language power technique or figure of speech that exaggerates the facts of an event, idea, or person to garner an emotional response like fear, shock, concern, or amusement from the audience

ideologies

systems of ideas and ideals about how the world is and how it should be, e.g. liberalism, conservatism, socialism, capitalism, colonialism, etc.

imperative

the grammatical voice used to give commands in English. 2P uses just the plain verb (e.g. 'go!'), and 1P uses 'let's' (e.g. 'let's go!').

inclusive we

the use of 'we' and equivalent first person plural pronouns to refer to the speaker and others that may include the addressee (i.e., when 'we' means 'you and I')

incomplete sentence

a sentence-like string of words that does not have a required element, e.g. a subject or a predicate, even though it may be or imply a complete thought

indefinite article

the determiner 'a' or 'an', usually used to mean that the noun referent is new

indefinite determiner

determiners that can specify new referents, including the indefinite article but also other quantifiers

indefinite pronoun

a pronoun that specifies a quantity of a referent, or an unspecific referent. These include the SANE-BOT compounds.

inflection

a changed form of a verb (i.e. conjugation) or of a noun or adjective (i.e. declension) to show grammatical information

intensifier

an adverb that intensifies an adjective's power, e.g. really, very, extremely, or totally

interrogative pronoun

a question word functioning as a pronoun, e.g. who, what, which, whom, whose

intimate forms

address forms that show informality and intimacy between the speaker and the addressee, e.g. 'dear', 'honey', 'baby', 'bro', 'girl', etc.

intransitive verb

a verb that does not require an object

irregular

an exception to the rule or pattern

jargon

the specialized words and linguistic registers associated with an activity or group of experts that is difficult to understand for outsiders

language power technique

a technique of using language to persuade, convince or otherwise influence the listener, reader, or interlocutor (audience)

lexicogrammar

the vocabulary (lexicon) and the grammar of a language seen as interconnected and interdependent

linking verb

a verb like 'be', 'become', 'seem', 'appear', 'smell', 'taste', etc. that is followed by a subject complement

literal meaning

the most obvious, concrete, or actual sense of a word

logical fallacy

an argument or reasoning that can be proven wrong through logic; they often involve weasel language and other deceptive techniques

masculine

in English, the term for the pronouns 'he, him, his' and the determiner 'his'

mass noun

a noun that refers to a thing that when used in non-count refers to the substance and must be quantified, but when used in count refers to a singular serving, item, or piece

metaphor

a rhetorical device that enables us to connect two disparate words, concepts or things together such that some sort of transference of qualities or activity takes place from one to the other

metonymy

the use of the name of an attribute or part of a thing to mean the whole thing or something related to the concept, or vice-versa, e.g. 'Washington' for 'the US government', or 'hand' for 'applause'

misinformation

Information that is not true or partially untrue. Misinformation may be unintentional, unlike disinformation, which is purposeful.

modal verb

a helping verb that shows speaker stance towards a main verb. In English they are will, would, shall, should, can, could, may, might, and must.

modifier

in grammar, an optional word that modifies or alters the meaning of another word

multipliers

a multiplier number word like 'double' or 'three times' used as a determiner

name-calling

the pejorative or derogatory use of an epithet, that is, a descriptive name, to address or refer to someone

natural gender

a system where the biological, ascribed, or chosen gender of the referent implicates the grammar form used to refer to the referent

neuter

in English, the term for the singular pronouns 'it, its' and the determiner 'its'

neutral

in English, the term for pronouns used to refer to any gender, i.e., all except masculine and feminine pronouns

nickname

a short name used in place of a full name, usually to show affection or solidarity, but also to show power over the person being nicknamed

non-count noun

a noun that cannot be counted without a quantifier, is singular, and is modified with determiners like 'much' or 'little'

non-gradable

an adjective that describes a quality that cannot be graded or thought of in degrees, e.g. 'dead'.

noun

a person, place, thing, or concept

noun phrase

a noun, e.g. 'barbecue', often with other words around it, e.g. 'the best barbecue in the world', usually functioning as a subject or object

number

in grammar refers to the quality of being singular or plural (i.e. more than one)

object

the receiver of the action or doing, as opposed to the subject

object pronoun

me, you, him, her, it, us, them, who, whom -- any personal pronoun that can serve as an object

omission

not mentioning or answering something; euphemistic doublespeak can entail omission because it is by definition avoidance of another term

open class

a part of speech that can be added to: nouns, verbs, adjectives, and adverbs

originality of metaphor

refers to whether a metaphor is newly invented by a user or is conventionally understood

ornamental view of metaphors

the view that metaphors are extra, superfluous, or not fundamental

part of speech

a grammatical category assignable to every use of every word

participles

VERB-ing forms that act as verbs, as in progressive aspect and in participial phrases

partitives

determiners that specify a selection or part of the noun

passive voice

a form of language use where an object becomes the new subject and the original subject and its agency is deemphasized or omitted

person

in grammar refers to perspective of the speaker or writer: first person (e.g. I, we), second person (e.g. you), and third person (e.g. it, they)

personal pronoun

the pronouns I, you, he, she, it, we, they, me, him, her, us, them, marked for person, gender, number, and case

personal pronouns

a pronoun like 'I, them, yours' that is often marked for person (first, second, third), number (singular or plural), case (subject, object, possessive), and gender (masculine, feminine, neuter, neutral)

plain folks

a power or propaganda technique used to convince audiences that the speaker/subject is common or average, e.g., if a politician advertises themselves eating street food at a fair or taking public transportation

plural

two or more, as opposed to singular, which is one

politically correct language

a term used by cultural and political conservatives to label and dismiss new, euphemistic terms created by progressives to replace older terms considered racist, sexist, or otherwise discriminatory

possessive determiner

a possessive word acting as a determiner; it must agree in person, number, and gender with the noun

possessive pronoun

the pronouns mine, yours, his, hers, its, ours, theirs, & whose, marked for person, number, and gender. Not to be confused with possessive determiners my, your, his, her, its, our, their, & whose, although his, its, & whose are the same.

possessive pronouns

a pronoun that means 'something belonging to' in the possessive case, marked for person (first, second, third), number (singular or plural), and gender (masculine, feminine, neuter, neutral). In English they are 'mine, yours, his, hers, its, ours, theirs'; note that 'my, your, his, her, its, our, their' are technically possessive determiners, not pronouns, because they modify a noun.

post-determiners

determiners that, if in a string, come after the central determiner; numbers

post-positive adjective use

an adjective that follows its noun; rare in English

postcedent

a referent that comes after its pronoun

pre-determiner

a determiner that comes first in a string of them, usually referring to amounts

predicate

in a clause, the verb plus its complement

predicative adjective

an adjective that follows a linking verb and is part of a subject complement, describing the subject

prepositional complement

the object of a preposition, i.e., the head noun of the phrase that follows a preposition

prepositional phrase

a preposition plus a noun phrase as its complement or object. PPs can function as adverbials, modifying verbs or adjectives.

prescriptivism

the perspective that language should be used one way or another depending on the author's purpose, audience, etc.

pronoun

a word like 'we', 'hers', or 'someone' that represents and replaces a noun or noun phrase

propaganda

Information that deliberately promotes a particular perspective, regardless of its veracity.

proper noun

a noun of which there is only one; in English they are capitalized

quantifier

a word or phrase that specifies how many, how much, or what part of a noun is being referred to

quantifiers

determiners that specify how many or which

referent

the noun or noun phrase that a pronoun replaces, represents, or refers to

reflexive pronoun

the 'self' and 'selves' pronouns

reflexive pronouns

pronouns that include the -self or -selves suffix. They are marked for number (singular or plural), and can only be used as appositives and objects, not subjects.

register

a kind of language used in a particular situation for a particular purpose

relative pronoun

that, which, who, and whom when they are used as pronouns to relate two clauses

respect forms

address forms like honorifics and formal pronouns that show respect from (or distance between) the speaker to the addressee

scale of metaphor

the size of what a metaphor refers to -- from a single situation (small) to a larger, broader phenomenon (large)

scapegoating

blaming a person or group that cannot defend themself for a problem they did not actually cause

second person

Second person (or '2P') means from the perspective of 'you'. 2P pronouns are you, yours, yourself, & yourselves.

sentence

a string of words that contains at least one clause to express a complete thought

simple sentence

a sentence that equates to one clause

singular

one, as opposed to plural, which is two or more

singular they

the use of the pronouns they, them, and theirs to refer to a single individual, which allows not having to refer to the individual's gender identity

specific you

the use of 'you' to mean a specific addressee that the speaker/writer knows or implies they know

stereotyping

the human tendency to attribute a single or a few traits to an entire group of people. Stereotyping can be dangerously dehumanizing because it overlooks diversity and individual complexity.

storytelling

the linguistic means by which humans share ideas, humor, beliefs, and histories, and relate to one another

subject

the actor, doer, or primary noun or pronoun of a clause. In English it comes first.

subject complement

a word or phrase that comes after a linking verb (e.g. 'is') that describes, or is equatable, to the subject

subject pronoun

I, you, he, she, it, we, they, who -- any personal pronoun that can serve as a subject

subject-verb-object

the normal word order of English sentences

subordinating conjunction

a word that connects a dependent or subordinate clause to a main clause, e.g. although, after, before, because, if, once, since, until, unless, & when

superlative form

the "-est" or "(the) most -" form of an adjective used for superlatives

synonym

a word that has a similar meaning to another word, e.g. 'glad' for 'happy'

syntax

the arrangement or order of words in language

third person

Third person (or '3P') means from the perspective of 'he, she, it', or 'they'. 3P pronouns are he, him, his, himself, she, her, hers, herself, it, its, itself, they, them, themself, & themselves. 'Who', 'whom', and indefinite pronouns are also 3P.

transitive verb

a verb that requires or 'takes' an object

tribalism

the state of being organized into groups defined by common identities and loyalty to the tribe over all else

us versus them

a language power technique that relies on false dichotomy fallacy to build in-group solidarity and identity through contrast with outsiders

verb

a word that describes an action, state, or occurrence

verb phrase

a verb plus any required complement and modifier (e.g. an adverb). A predicate is a VP, but not all VPs are predicates.

weasel language

language that allows the speaker or writer to be vague, to generalize, and to hide or mask authority on purpose

License

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Critical Language Awareness: Language Power Techniques and English Grammar Copyright © 2023 by Jonathon Reinhardt, Anuj Gupta, Robert Poole, Dilara Avci is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License, except where otherwise noted.

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