English Continuum – English Glossary L - Z
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English Continuum – English Glossary
The purpose of this glossary is to give a shared language to discuss indicators of progress and teaching strategies in the English continuum. A more extensive glossary can be found at the VCAA site (http://vels.vcaa.vic.edu.au/essential/discipline/english/glossary.html)
L
Language Experience Approach
Language experience utilises the two major resources children possess - their language and their experience of language.
letter clusters
A letter cluster pattern is a string of letters that constitutes a part of a word.
letter sound mappings, relationships
See graphophonics.
linguistic structure
Linguistic structure is a shared feature or property from a language perspective, Examples include: all the words that could operate as verbs in a sentence, all the 1-syllable words that have the –op rime unit, for example, hop, stop, cop, strop.
literal comprehension
Literal comprehension occurs when the reader understands information that is explicitly stated within the text.
M
mass noun
A mass noun (also uncountable noun or non-count noun) is a type of common noun that cannot be modified by a number without specifying a unit of measurement. Example ‘rice’ is a mass noun; you cannot say “three rice.”
metacognitive
Referring to conscious behaviour in which learners plan, monitor, evaluate and revise their progress in the course of the learning process.
metaphor
A metaphor is a comparison that shows how two things that are not alike in most ways are similar in one important way. It is based on a non-literal meaning. For example, when a person understands an idea, a metaphor might be ‘she saw the light’; when a person is angry, ‘she was hot under the collar’. Metaphors are usually culturally specific.
modal verbs
Modal verbs are a set of verbs such as can, may, might, will, which are used to express different degrees of certainty.
morphology
Morphology is the study of the internal structure of words. It focuses on patterns of word formation, including prefixes, roots and suffixes. For example, the common rule for forming English plurals is the addition of the final –s; cat –cats.
morphographic knowledge
Morphographic knowledge involves understanding that particular letter clusters carry meaning, for example, that ‘ed’ added to a verb means a past action, ‘s’ added to a noun means more than one and when added to a verb means a present action, ‘un' in front of an adjective means 'not', ‘micro’ means small. It also includes knowing the meaning of written root or stem words such as ‘hop’ or ‘mat’. Each of these is a morphographic pattern or feature.
multimodal formats
A multimodal format refers to the presentation of information in two or more formats or modes at once, for example, visual and auditory information about a particular event.
multi-syllabic words
A multi-syllabic word comprises more than one syllable. Example: syl-la-ble.
N
naming letters
Naming letters refers to the recall of the name or the sound that identifies a letter (or grapheme).
narratives
A narrative is a genre or text type which tells a story or gives an account of real or imaginary events. It includes an orientation, a complication, a climax and a resolution.
nominalisation
Nominalisation refers to the process of turning a verb into a noun form. Example, Consideration of this issue is vital instead of You should consider this issue.
O
onomatopoeia
Onomatopoeic words are words that when pronounced sound similar to the actual sounds they describe. Example: clickety-clack, sizzle, buzz
onset
Onsets and rimes are parts of monosyllabic words in spoken language. These units are smaller than syllables but may be larger than phonemes. An onset is the initial consonant sound of a syllable (the onset of bag is b- ; of swim is sw-). Rime refers to the word endings. Example: –un in the words gun, run, sun .
oral language knowledge
Oral language patterns are the conventional ways in which speakers arrange words to communicate meaning when they speak.
oral language, structures
Oral language patterns are the conventional ways in which speakers arrange words to communicate meaning when they speak.
orthography
Orthography refers to the study of correct spelling according to established usage; the method of representing a language or the sounds of language by written symbols. It is concerned with letters and their sequences in words.
P
paraphrase
Paraphrasing is the process of expressing an idea "in one's own words".
passive voice
The passive voice is used to show that the subject is ‘acted on’ by the agent or by something unknown. This can emphasise the person or thing being acted upon or to draw attention away from the agent. Example: The report was destroyed. (The emphasis is on the report, rather than who did it.)
personification
Personification is a form of metaphor in which animals, ideas, things, etc., are represented as having human qualities. Eg The trees sighed in the wind.
persuasive texts
Persuasive texts are intended to convince readers to accept particular perspectives or points of view.
phonemic knowledge
A phoneme is a single sound; the smallest unit of speech that distinguishes an utterance. Example: ‘pot’ and ‘hot’ are distinguished by the initial phoneme. Phonemic knowledge is what we know about individual speech sounds. Phonemic recoding refers to changing each letter into a sound.
phonics
Phonics refers to links between patterns of sounds (phonemes) and patterns of letters (graphemes).
phonogram (or word family)
A phonogram is a letter-sound combination that includes more than one grapheme or phoneme. Examples of common phonograms are ole (in hole, mole, role) and ake (as in make, bake, lake).
phonological knowledge
Phonological awareness is an awareness of the different sound units in oral language . Example: syllables, onsets and rimes.
Phonological knowledge is what we know about the sound properties (phonology) of our language .
phonology
Phonology is the aspects of language related to the distinctive features of the representation and reception of sounds of language.
Phonological awareness is recognition of the different sound units in oral language. Example: syllables, onsets and rimes.
Phonological knowledge is what we know about the sound properties (phonology) of our language.
.
phrasing
A phrase /phrasing is a grouping of words to create meaning.
pitch
Pitch refers to the ‘height’ (high pitch) or depth (low pitch) of the voice during speech. Listeners can distinguish high, medium and low pitch. When speaking the pitch of the voice can be varied to change the intended meaning.
plot
The plot of a narrative refers to the way in which the events in the narrative are linked by the author. A narrative may record the events without linking them causally. The plot indicates connections or links between the events, for example, causal links. A narrative is a record of what happened. The plot of a narrative shows how the events are linked in human terms. It is the plot that is likely to have a greater influence on readers.
predictable features
Predictable features in text relate to the features that readers might expect in a text based on their existing knowledge.
prefix
A prefix is a word part added to the beginning of a root or base word to create a new meaning. For Example: regain, incomplete.
preposition
A preposition links nouns, pronouns and phrases to other words in a sentence. Example:
- The cat is on the table.
- The cat is beneath the table.
- The cat is leaning against the table.
pronoun
A pronoun is used as a substitute for a noun or a noun phrase. Example:
- He was downstairs
- Did you see that?
- It's lovely weather.
psycholinguistic knowledge
Psycholinguistics relates to the cognitive process used to make it possible to create grammatical and meaningful sentences from vocabulary. It also relates to the process that makes it possible to understand utterances, words and text (spoken or written).
punctuation
Punctuation refers to a set of marks used in writing to clarify meaning, separate parts of words, words and sentences. Example: a comma (,) can be used to mark a pause; and the exclamation mark (!) to mark surprise.
R
receptive vocabulary
Receptive vocabulary refers to the words the child understands the meaning of. The child may not be able to articulate that meaning in oral language, but can demonstrate comprehension of the meaning of the word through behaviour.
regular verb
A regular verb is one that follows the pattern of taking –ed for the past simple and past participle.
relative clauses
A clause that modifies a noun in a sentence, or a noun phrase, is a relative clause. Example: the light, which is downstairs, is broken.
relative pronoun
Relative pronouns are those that relate groups of words to nouns or other pronouns. Example: that or which.
rime units
The rime unit of a syllable or word is made up of the vowel sound and any other consonants. Eg, for the word that the rime is at.
S
segment words into sounds
Segmentation is the process of breaking words into smaller sound units.
self management of reading experience
The process involved when readers:
- Frame questions or purposes for reading a text, planning how they will read;
- Monitor reading, initiate corrective action, decide when to re-read, self correct, how they use what they know, monitor how their reading is progressing, take remedial actions if necessary and having read;
- Review and self question to see whether reading goals achieved, review or consolidate what they have read; and
- Organize the information gained from reading to fit out purposes for reading.
semantic context of the word
The semantic context of the word refers to its meaning. When words are in sentences, the meaning of the sentence as a whole influences how the word is interpreted. A similar effect is observed for words in paragraphs and longer texts. This is illustrated in the meaning of ‘run’ in the following sentences;
- The run was tiring.
- The stocking had a run in it.
- We have run out of wine.
semantic knowledge
refers to the study of meaning in language and changes of meaning. It is used to refer to the meanings of individual words, sentences and longer texts.
semantic mapping
is used to motivate and involve students in thinking, reading and writing. It enhances vocabulary development by helping students link new information with previous experience.
setting
The setting of a narrative is where and when the narrative takes place.
short-term retention strategies
Short-term retention strategies are used to aid short-term memory. These strategies include visualising, repeating information and performing the actions described.
simile
A simile is a figure of speech in which two basically different things are compared using ‘like’ or ‘as.’ Example: My love is like a red, red rose. It is as cold as ice.
simple sentence
A simple sentence contains a subject and a verb, and it expresses a complete thought. Example: Some children like to play sport.
skimming and scanning
Skimming and scanning are reading strategies that readers use either to isolate specific information in a written text or to collect information to infer its topic. Scanning refers to selecting information to answer a specific question. Skimming refers to selecting a set of words that are believed to indicate the overall topic or theme of the text.
Socio-cultural bias
Sociocultural bias refers to the perspectives or prejudices that influence a person’s thinking, comprehension and decision making and are learnt from the social and cultural groups to which the person belongs.
Socio-cultural
values refer to the attitudes and dispositions that influence a person’s thinking, comprehension and perception that are learnt from the social and cultural groups to which the person belongs.
Socio-cultural context
Every cultural and social situation is underpinned by particular ‘norms’ or values. These are the accepted ways of interpreting information, thinking and behaving. A sociocultural context is a situation that is defined by these norms.
sociocultural values
Sociocultural values refer to the attitudes and dispositions that influence a person’s thinking, comprehension and perception that are learnt from the social and cultural groups to which the person belongs.
stereotypes
A stereotype is a popularly held belief about a type of person or a group of people which does not take into account individual differences.
story language
To use story language is to express ideas as if you were telling a story, using the common conventions of story telling.
strategy (reading)
In this context, a strategy is an action used by a reader to link written text with what the reader knows.
suffix
A suffix is a word part that is added to the end of a root word to modify its meaning or change it into a different word class. Example: happiness. The suffix ness changes the word happy from an adjective into a noun.
synonym
A synonym is a word having nearly the same meaning as another. Example: fast and quick
syntactic knowledge
refers to knowledge of the grammatical structure of language, the order of words within meaningful sentences.
syntax
A knowledge of the rules for forming sentences
T
text consolidation strategies
Text consolidation strategies describe the actions a reader uses to form an overall understanding of a text.
Each text has particular features that makes it like other texts in the type and different from those in other types, for example, fictional texts differ from informational or factual texts on the same topic.
text, text organisation
A text is a piece of spoken, written or visual communication that constitutes a coherent unit (able to stand on its own, or be identified and isolated for purposes of analysis). It could be a speech, poem, poster, play, film, conversation in the sign language of the deaf, or any other language.
textual features, types
Texts differ in both the purposes for which they are produced and how they are structured. Four common types are fictional or narrative texts (for example, novel, short story, imaginative, feature film, fairy tale, picture story book, chapter books), informational or factual texts (for example, instruction, explanation, recipe, procedure), verse (for example, poetry, song) and persuasive text (for example, advertisement) autobiography, drama, oral history.
Each text type has particular features that makes it like other texts in the type and different from those in other types, for example, fictional texts differ from informational or factual texts on the same topic. Many texts have more than one text type.
tone
Tone is a quality in the voice which expresses the speaker’s feelings or thoughts, often towards the person being addressed. For example, I tried to use a sympathetic tone of voice.
trigraphs
A trigraph is a group of three letters that are associated with a sound, for example, ‘eau’ in ‘plateau.
V
verb tense agreement
Verb tense agreement refers to the appropriate use of verb tense to show the time relation between the tense in the main clause and the tense in the subordinate clause in a complex sentence.
visualising
Visualising is a term given to the process by which readers construct and use mental images while reading the text. This is done during reading to aid in understanding. Readers imagine what the ideas in the text would ‘look like’, usually in ‘time and place’ contexts.
vowel digraphs
Vowel digraphs are a combination of two or three vowels that together are associated with one sound, for example, ‘ai’ or ‘ou’.
voice
Voice shows the relationship between the verb and the noun phrases. There are two voices in English – active and passive. Refer to these in the glossary for more information.
W
word meaning patterns
Word meaning patterns refer to the structural and associative patterns that students recognise and that allow them to make meaning of words. For example, students may recognise morphographic patterns, such as, the effect of adding –ion makes that word the state of doing that thing. Students may also recognise meaning patterns based on synonyms and associations, such as the synonyms horse and foal.