Grab Bag for Word Nerds, Part Two: Tongues Untied: The Lingo of Linguistics

Linguistics is the science of language: how words and sentences are structured, how meaning is conveyed, and how our brains learn and understand it. Like any branch of science, linguistics has its own specialized words. This list contains essential terms for word nerds everywhere!
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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. accent
    distinctive manner of oral expression
    I was like, “What are you talking about? They’re speaking English. And you all just did an Irish play; were you worried about your audiences dealing with those accents?” Los Angeles Times (Oct 14, 2020)
    An accent can be the diacritical mark above or below a letter showing how it should be pronounced, the act of stressing a particular syllable in a word, or the characteristics of language spoken in a particular region, as in "They have a strong Boston accent."
  2. aphasia
    inability to use language because of a brain lesion
    Terence Graham Parry Jones, who passed on Tuesday night in his North London home at the age of 77, was struggling with primary progressive aphasia, a neurological disease that causes communications impairment. Salon (Jan 22, 2020)
  3. articulate
    express or state clearly
    Like the young man I met in Virginia, Ambrose’s son was “intelligent, articulate, well-read, and charismatic,” Ambrose said in a 2016 speech after receiving an advocacy award. Washington Post (Oct 12, 2020)
  4. bilingual
    using or knowing two languages
    The district says 98% of the children are Hispanic with most being bilingual. Fox News (Sep 25, 2020)
    Bilingual means "two tongues" in Latin.
  5. circumlocution
    an indirect way of expressing something
    Einstein further noted that Ehrenfest “always brought clarity and acuteness into any discussion. He fought against fuzziness and circumlocution, when necessary employing his sharp wit and even downright discourtesy.” Salon (Jul 1, 2019)
    Circumlocution means "to talk around" in Latin.
  6. cognition
    the psychological result of perception and reasoning
    Searching questions about everything from sleep to cognition shouldn’t be off limits. New York Times (Oct 4, 2020)
  7. comprehension
    an ability to understand the meaning of something
    Images provided a bridge to comprehension when words were little more than mysterious hieroglyphs. New York Times (Sep 27, 2020)
  8. diction
    the manner in which something is expressed in words
    Contestants are auditioned in a pastel-pink studio, with Little Mix offering advice on diction and stage presence before deciding who goes through to the next round. BBC (Sep 24, 2020)
  9. diphthong
    a sound that glides between two vowels in a single syllable
    He erodes consonants, turns simple vowels into unpredictable diphthongs, and takes each new sentence as an opportunity for rococo improvisation. The New Yorker (May 6, 2019)
    Diphthong is Greek for "having two sounds." The oi in coil is a good example.
  10. enunciate
    express or state clearly
    He tries to be upbeat and smiles broadly, mindful that he needs to speak a bit louder and enunciate clearly. Washington Post (Sep 23, 2020)
    Like articulate, above, if you enunciate well then every syllable of your speech is clearly understandable.
  11. fluent
    expressing yourself readily, clearly, effectively
    She regrets her disconnection, and that she is no longer fluent in her native tongue. Salon (Oct 12, 2020)
    If you're fluent in a language, it flows out smoothly, which makes sense because that's what it means in Latin.
  12. inflection
    the patterns of stress and intonation in a language
    A solo career followed but, while the London singer-songwriter’s first three albums contained garage inflections, the focus was on luxe pop. The Guardian (Jun 28, 2020)
    Inflection is similar to accent, above: places in a word or sentence that receive emphasis.
  13. intonation
    rise and fall of the voice pitch
    He's captured the look with the same, smartly buttoned shirt and even similar intonation. BBC (Aug 26, 2020)
    Intonation is similar to prosody, below: the changes in the pitch of spoken language. Some languages, particularly in Asia, are pitched, meaning that the same sound can have different meanings depending on its tone.
  14. phoneme
    a distinct speech sound in a particular language
    They often produce phonemes — units of sound — not found in any known language: complex vowels, consonants and clicks. New York Times (May 5, 2020)
  15. pronunciation
    the manner in which someone utters a word
    Yet I think what she achieves is more powerful than a dead-on impression and Taymor should be applauded for taking a chance on the Swedish actor with imperfect American pronunciation. Washington Times (Sep 29, 2020)
  16. prosody
    the patterns of stress and intonation in a language
    Nevertheless, there are differences between print and audio, notably prosody. New York Times (Dec 8, 2018)
    Prosodia is Greek for "variation in pitch of the speaking voice" and that's still what it means today.
Created on Tue Oct 13 12:07:49 EDT 2020 (updated Fri Oct 23 10:14:49 EDT 2020)

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