Linguistics Terms & Definitions
Term Definition
A system of communication using sounds, symbols, or gestures according to
Language grammatical rules.
Linguistics The scientific study of language, including its structure, use, and meaning.
Two words that differ by only one sound (phoneme), e.g., "bat" vs. "pat", used
Minimal Pairs to show that sounds are distinct phonemes.
A burst of air that follows the release of some consonants, like the /pʰ/ in “pin”
Aspiration vs. unaspirated /p/ in “spin”.
A secondary articulation where the back of the tongue approaches the soft
Velarization palate (velum), as in the “dark L” in “full”.
Air escapes through the nose during sound production, either inherently (as in
Nasalization /m/, /n/) or as a result of nearby nasal sounds.
Adding prefixes, suffixes, infixes, or circumfixes to a word to form a new word
Affixation or change its meaning (e.g., “un-” in “undo”).
A phonological rule that removes a sound in a specific context, e.g., dropping
Deletion Rule the /t/ in "friendship" [frɛnʃɪp].
The process of creating a new word by adding a derivational affix, e.g.,
Derivation “happy” → “unhappy”.
Forming a new word by combining two existing words, like “toothbrush” or
Compounding “laptop”.
Backformation Creating a new word by removing a perceived affix, e.g., “editor” → “edit”.
Combining parts of two words into one, like “brunch” (breakfast + lunch) or
Blending “smog” (smoke + fog).
Shortening a word or phrase, e.g., “etc.” for et cetera, or “approx.”
Abbreviation for approximately.
Proper Names or Words derived from people’s names or proper nouns, like “sandwich” (from
Eponyms the Earl of Sandwich).
Words formed from the first letters of a phrase, pronounced as words, e.g.,
Acronyms “NASA”, “UNESCO”.
Taking words from another language, like “piano” from Italian, or “algebra”
Borrowing from Arabic.
Morphology The study of word structure and the rules for word formation.
Term Definition
Phonology The study of how sounds function and are organized in a particular language.
The physical study of human speech sounds — their production, acoustic
Phonetics properties, and perception.
The smallest units of meaning in a language, e.g., “dogs” has two: “dog” + “-
Morphemes s”.
Variations of a phoneme that do not change meaning, e.g., the [p] and [pʰ] in
Allophones “spin” vs. “pin”.
The smallest unit of sound that can change meaning in a language, e.g., /p/ vs.
Phoneme /b/.
A sound becomes more like a nearby sound, e.g., “input” pronounced as [ɪnpʊt]
Assimilation → [ɪmpʊt].
A sound becomes less like another nearby sound, usually to make articulation
Dissimilation easier.
Linking sounds between words, common in French but also in phrases like “go
Liaison on” [goʊ‿wɑn].
The omission of a sound in speech, e.g., “friendship” as [frɛnʃɪp], dropping the
Elision /d/.
