Vocabulaire Essentiel pour le GRE - La Langue

the spoken form of a language specific to a certain region or people which is slightly different from the standard form in words and grammar

dialecte

(linguistics) the way in which words and phrases are arranged to form grammatical sentences in a language

syntaxe

(in the grammar of some languages) a group of nouns, pronouns, or adjectives changing in the same way to indicate case, number, and gender

déclinaison

(grammar) a change in the structure of a word, usually adding a suffix, according to its grammatical function

flexion

(grammar) to show how a verb changes depending on number, person, tense, etc.

conjuguer

a change in normal word order, especially putting a verb before its subject

inversion

(grammar) a particular form of a pronoun, adjective, or noun that acts as the direct object of a verb or preposition, used in some languages such as Greek or Latin

accusatif

(in the grammar of some languages) the form of a noun, pronoun, or adjective that is used when addressing a particular person or thing

vocatif

relating to a grammatical case that is used to indicate possession, origin, or a close association

génitif

‌(of verbs) a form or mood that represents possibility, doubt, or wishes

subjonctif

(grammar) a specific form of a pronoun, adjective, or noun that is used to show by what means or by whom an action is done or to indicate the source of the action, found in some languages such as Latin or Sanskrit

ablatif

(grammar) a specific form of a pronoun, adjective, or noun that shows the place of an action or where a person or thing is

locatif

(grammar) describing an adjective or noun following a linking verb and completing the meaning of the copula

prédicatif

(in the grammar of some languages) the form of a noun, adjective, or pronoun when it takes the role of a verbnouns serving as the grammatical subject of a verb

nominatif

(grammar)(of a noun or adjective) joined directly to a noun and modifying it, without a linking verb

attributif

(grammar) the mood of a verb that states a fact

indicatif

(grammar) a function word that is used to form a question

interrogatif

(grammar) a gender of words that are neither masculine nor feminine

neutre

(grammar) a letter or group of letters added to the end or beginning of a word to change its meaning

affix

the use of the same letter or sound at the beginning of the words in a verse or sentence, used as a literary device

allitération

a form of humor in which the words that someone says mean the opposite, producing an emphatic effect

ironie

a statement that implies or indirectly mentions something or someone else, especially as a literary device

allusion

humor, irony, ridicule, or sarcasm used to expose or criticize the faults and shortcomings of a person, government, etc.

satire

a word or expression that is used instead of a harsh or insulting one in order to be more tactful and polite

euphémisme

(linguistics) a process by which a new word or inflection is formed according to existing rules and regulations

analogie

speaking in a way that is sensible and intelligible

cohérent

the study of the origins and historical developments of words and their meanings

étymologie

(of people) unable to express oneself clearly or easily

incapable de s'exprimer

the redundant repetition of an idea using different words in a sentence or phrase

tautologie

(linguistics) a branch of linguistics that deals with the sentences and the contexts in which they are used

pragmatique

the science and study of speech sounds and their production

phonétique

the smallest unit of sound in a language that can distinguish meaning, often represented by a specific symbol in phonetic notation

phonème

(linguistics) the smallest meaningful unit of a language that does not necessarily stand alone and cannot be divided

morphème

(linguistics) a basic linguistic unit that is meaningful and underlies a set of words which are related through inflection

lexème

a variant pronunciation of a phoneme, which can occur due to phonetic differences in specific contexts or environments within a language

allophone

(grammar) the act of omitting a word or words from a sentence, when the meaning is complete and the omission is understood from the context

ellipse

each of two or more words with the same spelling or pronunciation that vary in meaning and origin

homonyme

(grammar) one of two or more words with the same pronunciation that differ in meaning, spelling or origin

homophone

(phonetics) a gliding speech sound formed by the combination of two vowels in a single syllable

diphtongue

a word that mimics the sound it represents

onomatopée