Historical pragmatics
Historical pragmatics is a subfield of linguistics that examines how the use and interpretation of language in context have evolved over time. It focuses on understanding how the meanings and functions of words, sentences, and discourse practices change in different historical periods, taking into account social, cultural, and situational contexts. Key aspects of historical pragmatics include: 1. **Contextual Meaning**: Investigating how the meaning of expressions can shift based on their usage in particular contexts during different historical periods.
Honorifics (linguistics)
Honorifics in linguistics refer to words or expressions that convey respect, politeness, or social status in communication. They can take various forms, including titles, pronouns, verb forms, and other lexical items. Honorifics serve to indicate the relationship between the speaker and the listener, as well as the relative status or social hierarchy between them.
Intercultural communication
Intercultural communication refers to the interaction and exchange of information between individuals or groups from different cultural backgrounds. It encompasses verbal and non-verbal communication and involves understanding how culture influences communication styles, behaviors, values, norms, and expectations. Key aspects of intercultural communication include: 1. **Cultural Awareness**: Understanding one’s own cultural beliefs and how they differ from those of others. This awareness helps individuals navigate conversations and interactions more effectively.
Interlocutor (linguistics)
In linguistics, an "interlocutor" refers to a participant in a conversation or dialogue. The term is often used to describe a person who is engaged in a communicative exchange with another speaker. Interlocutors can be in a one-on-one conversation or part of a larger group interaction. The role of an interlocutor is significant in several areas of linguistics, including discourse analysis, sociolinguistics, and conversation analysis.
Referring expression
A referring expression is a linguistic construct used to allow a speaker to refer to a particular entity, person, or object in a conversation or text. It provides the necessary information for the listener to identify the intended referent in the given context. Referring expressions can take various forms, including: 1. **Proper Nouns**: Specific names of individuals or places (e.g., "Alice," "Paris").
Relevance
Relevance generally refers to the degree to which something is related or applicable to a particular matter or context. In different fields, the definition can have specific nuances: 1. **In Information Retrieval**: Relevance is a measure of how well a piece of information (e.g., a document or web page) meets the needs or queries of a user. Search engines aim to deliver relevant results that align closely with the user's search intent.
Rising declarative
"Rising declarative" is a term used primarily in the context of linguistics, particularly in speech and intonation patterns. It refers to a specific pitch contour used when a speaker makes a declarative statement but ends the sentence with a rising intonation pattern, which is atypical for standard declarative sentences that typically end with falling intonation.
Phatic expression
Phatic expressions are conversational phrases used to establish social relationships rather than to convey information or express ideas. They are often characterized by their function of maintaining a social bond, engaging in small talk, or facilitating communication without the need for deep content. Common examples of phatic expressions include greetings like "How are you?" or "Nice weather we're having," as well as polite inquiries or remarks that serve to acknowledge someone's presence.
Politeness maxims
Politeness maxims are principles that guide the way people communicate in a manner that is socially acceptable and respectful. The concept of politeness maxims was notably developed by sociolinguist Geoffrey Leech in his book "Principles of Pragmatics" (1983), where he outlined a set of maxims that individuals generally follow in conversation to maintain politeness.
Politeness theory
Politeness Theory is a framework introduced by sociolinguists Penelope Brown and Stephen Levinson in their 1987 book "Politeness: Some Universals in Language Use." The theory seeks to explain how individuals manage social relationships and convey politeness in communication, particularly in face-to-face interactions. The key concepts of Politeness Theory include: 1. **Face**: This term refers to an individual's self-esteem or social identity that they wish to maintain in social interactions.
Presupposition
Presupposition is a concept in linguistics and philosophy of language that refers to the implicit assumptions or background beliefs that are taken for granted in a statement or utterance. When someone makes a statement, certain information is often presupposed, meaning that it is assumed to be true for the statement to make sense, even if it's not explicitly stated. For example, consider the sentence: "John stopped smoking." This statement presupposes that John used to smoke.
Prosiopesis
Prosiopesis, also known as prosopopeia or prosopopoeia, is a rhetorical device in which an abstract idea, an inanimate object, or even an imaginary entity is given human characteristics or the ability to speak. This technique is often used to create vivid imagery and engage the audience's emotions by personifying concepts that are otherwise intangible. For example, in literature, a poet might depict death as a character who speaks to the living.
Question under discussion
The "question under discussion" typically refers to the specific topic or issue that is being addressed, debated, or analyzed in a particular context, such as a conversation, academic paper, meeting, or other forms of discourse. It is the focal point of inquiry or the main subject that participants are examining or trying to resolve.
R-principle
The R-principle, or the Principle of R, is a concept from the field of physics, particularly in statistical mechanics and thermodynamics. It describes how systems evolve over time and the nature of equilibrium. In a broad sense, it often refers to the idea that systems tend to move towards states of maximum entropy or disorder. This highlights the tendency of isolated systems to reach equilibrium, where macroscopic properties become constant over time.
Radical empiricism
Radical empiricism is a philosophical perspective primarily associated with the American philosopher William James. It is a form of empiricism that emphasizes the importance of experience in forming knowledge and understanding reality, extending beyond traditional empiricism's focus on sensory experience. Key aspects of radical empiricism include: 1. **Primacy of Experience**: Radical empiricism posits that all knowledge begins with and is grounded in experience.
Rational reconstruction
Rational reconstruction is a method used in philosophy, particularly in the areas of social sciences and epistemology. It involves the process of taking a phenomenon, concept, or historical event and reconstructing it in a way that emphasizes its rationality, coherence, and systematic understanding. The aim is to determine the underlying principles, assumptions, or logical structures that inform a particular theory, practice, or set of beliefs.
Prodigy (online service)
Prodigy is an online service that provides a platform for collaborative annotation and data labeling, particularly focused on machine learning and artificial intelligence projects. It is designed to help users create high-quality training datasets for their models by enabling them to annotate text, images, audio, and other types of data efficiently. The service is often used by data scientists, machine learning engineers, and researchers to streamline the data preparation process.
Smarandache–Wellin number
A Smarandache-Wellin number is a special type of integer that is defined in relation to the properties of digits in its decimal representation.
Stance (linguistics)
In linguistics, "stance" refers to the position or attitude that a speaker takes in relation to the content of their utterance, the audience, or the broader context in which communication occurs. It encompasses the speaker’s evaluation, emotion, or commitment towards the proposition being expressed. Stance can be categorized into several types, including: 1. **Epistemic stance**: This relates to the degree of certainty or belief a speaker has regarding the information being conveyed.
Word
"Word" can refer to different things depending on the context. Here are a few common interpretations: 1. **Word (Text)**: In general usage, a word is the smallest unit of language that can stand alone and convey meaning. It consists of one or more sounds or letters and is used to form sentences. For example, "apple," "run," and "happy" are all words. 2. **Microsoft Word**: This is a widely-used word processing application developed by Microsoft.