dialect
dialect
/ˈdaɪəˌɫɛkt/
nounthe spoken form of a language specific to a certain region or people which is slightly different from the standard form in words and grammar
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Examples
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syntax
syntax
/ˈsɪnˌtæks/
noun(linguistics) the way in which words and phrases are arranged to form grammatical sentences in a language
Examples

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

inflection
inflection
/ˌɪnˈfɫɛkʃən/
noun(grammar) a change in the structure of a word, usually adding a suffix, according to its grammatical function
Examples

to conjugate
to conjugate
/ˈkɑndʒəˌɡeɪt/, /ˌkɑndʒəˈɡeɪt/
verb(grammar) to show how a verb changes depending on number, person, tense, etc.
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inversion
inversion
/ˌɪnˈvɝʒən/
nouna change in normal word order, especially putting a verb before its subject
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accusative
accusative
/əkˈjuzətɪv/
noun(in the grammar of some languages) the form of a noun, pronoun, or adjective that indicates a direct object of a verb or the object of some prepositions
Examples

vocative
vocative
/vˈoʊkətˌɪv/
noun(in some languages) the use of a noun, pronoun, or adjective when addressing a person or thing
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genitive
genitive
/dʒˈɛnɪtˌɪv/
adjective(grammar)(in some languages) relating to or being a grammatical case of a noun or pronoun that is used to indicate possession or close connection
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subjunctive
subjunctive
/sˈʌbdʒəŋktˌɪv/
noun(of verbs) a form or mood that represents possibility, doubt, or wishes
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ablative
ablative
/ˈæblətˌɪv/
noun(grammar) the form of a noun, pronoun, or adjective that indicates where something comes from or who or what something is done by
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locative
locative
/loʊkˈæɾɪv/
noun(in some languages) the form that a noun, pronoun, or adjective takes when it expresses the place or an idea
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predicative
predicative
/pɹɪdˈɪkətˌɪv/
adjective(grammar) describing an adjective or noun following a linking verb and completing the meaning of the copula
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nominative
nominative
/nˈɑːmɪnətˌɪv/
noun(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
Examples

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

indicative
indicative
/ˌɪnˈdɪkətɪv/
noun(grammar) the mood of a verb that states a fact
Examples

interrogative
interrogative
/ɪntˈɛɹəɡətˌɪv/
noun(grammar) a function word that is used to form a question
Examples

neuter
neuter
/ˈnutɝ/
noun(grammar) a gender of words that are neither masculine nor feminine
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affix
affix
/ˈæfɪks/, /əˈfɪks/
noun(grammar) a letter or group of letters added to the end or beginning of a word to change its meaning
Examples

alliteration
alliteration
/əˈɫɪtɝˌeɪʃən/
nounthe use of the same letter or sound at the beginning of the words in a verse or sentence, used as a literary device
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irony
irony
/ˈaɪɹəni/
nouna form of humor in which the words that someone says mean the opposite, producing an emphatic effect
Examples

allusion
allusion
/əˈɫuʒən/
nouna statement that implies or indirectly mentions something or someone else, especially as a literary device
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satire
satire
/ˈsæˌtaɪɝ/
nounhumor, irony, ridicule, or sarcasm used to expose or criticize the faults and shortcomings of a person, government, etc.
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euphemism
euphemism
/ˈjufəˌmɪzəm/
nouna word or expression that is used instead of a harsh or insulting one in order to be more tactful and polite
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analogy
analogy
/əˈnæɫədʒi/
noun(linguistics) a process by which a new word or inflection is formed according to existing rules and regulations
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coherent
coherent
/koʊˈhɪɹənt/
adjectivespeaking in a way that is sensible and intelligible
Examples

etymology
etymology
/ˌɛtəˈmɑɫədʒi/, /ˌɛtɪˈmɑɫədʒi/
nounthe study of the origins and historical developments of words and their meanings
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inarticulate
inarticulate
/ˌɪnɑɹˈtɪkjəɫət/
adjective(of people) unable to express oneself clearly or easily
Examples

tautology
tautology
/tɔːtˈɑːlədʒi/
nounsaying the same thing twice in different wordings, generally considered a fault in style
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pragmatics
pragmatics
/pɹæɡmˈæɾɪks/
noun(linguistics) a branch of linguistics that deals with the sentences and the contexts in which they are used
Examples

phonetics
phonetics
/fəˈnɛtɪks/
nounthe science and study of speech sounds and their production
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phoneme
phoneme
/ˈfoʊnim/
noun(phonetics) any of the set of smallest units in a phonetic system of a language that make one word different from another
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morpheme
morpheme
/mˈɔːɹfiːm/
noun(linguistics) the smallest meaningful unit of a language that does not necessarily stand alone and cannot be divided
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lexeme
lexeme
/lˈɛksiːm/
noun(linguistics) a basic linguistic unit that is meaningful and underlies a set of words which are related through inflection
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allophone
allophone
/ˈæɫəˌfoʊn/
noun(phonetics) any of the variants of the same phoneme in a language
Examples

ellipsis
ellipsis
/ɪlˈɪpsɪs/
noun(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
Examples

homonym
homonym
/ˈhɔmənɪm/
nouneach of two or more words with the same spelling or pronunciation that vary in meaning and origin
Examples

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

diphthong
diphthong
/ˈdɪfˌθɔŋ/
noun(phonetics) a gliding speech sound formed by the combination of two vowels in a single syllable
Examples
onomatopoeia
onomatopoeia
/ˌɑːnəmˌæɾəpˈoʊiə/
nounthe naming of a thing or action based on the sound that they refer to
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Examples
Say onomatopoeia and you'll be on your way to "sounding like an English literature professor.
