Linguistics Vocabulary

The study of words, including the principles by which they are formed, and how they relate to one another within a language.

The study of how words and morphemes combine to form larger units such as phrases and sentences.

The coexistence of multiple languages (or distinct varieties of the same language) in one society or area.

Any language that occurs naturally in a human community by a process of use, repetition, and change without conscious planning or premeditation.

A language variety that marks speakers as members of ethnic groups who originally used another language or distinctive variety.

The specialized terminology, or technical language, associated with a particular field or area of activity.

A grammatically simplified means of communication that develops between two or more groups of people that do not have a language in common.

A vocabulary (words, phrases, and linguistic usages) of an informal register, common in everyday conversation but avoided in formal writing. May also refer to the language exclusively used by the members of particular in-groups in order to establish group identity, exclude outsiders, or both.

A situation in which two dialects or languages are used (in fairly strict compartmentalization) by a single language community.

An individual's unique use of language, encompassing speech, vocabulary, grammar, and pronunciation.

A language variety that has undergone substantial codification of its grammar, lexicon, writing system, or other features and stands out among other varieties in a community as the one with the highest status or prestige.

The branch of linguistics that studies how languages systematically organize their sounds or, for sign languages, their constituent parts of signs.

The set of rules for how a natural language is structured, as demonstrated by its speakers or writers.

A general term for speech or language that is considered nonstandard.

A language used by various groups to prevent outsiders from understanding their conversations.

A variety of a language that is a characteristic of a particular group of the language's speakers.

A group of people who share a set of linguistic norms and expectations regarding the use of language.

The art or craft of compiling, writing and editing dictionaries.

The ordinary, informal, spoken form of language, particularly when perceived as being of lower social status in contrast to standard language, which is more codified, institutional, literary, or formal.

A stable natural language that develops from the process of different languages simplifying and mixing into a new form, and then that form expanding and elaborating into a full-fledged language with native speakers, all within a fairly brief period.

A form of language (non-standard dialect, restricted register) or a set of lexical items used by a socioeconomic class, profession, age group, or other social group.

A way of pronouncing a language that is distinctive to a country, area, social class, or individual.

The study of linguistic meaning.

A branch of linguistics that studies how humans produce and perceive sounds or, in the case of sign languages, the equivalent aspects of sign.