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<ul><li>abstrait [abstract] — Describing a meaning that is neither concrete nor precise</li><li>accent prosodique (accentuation prosodique, accent tonique) [prosodic accent] — The accentuation of particular syllables using prosodic features such as pitch, length, and amplitude</li><li>accent syntaxique [syntactic accent] — The assigning of prosodic accent to syllables based on syntactic principles</li><li>acte de langage [speech act] — Something a speaker does using language</li><li>acte illocutoire [illocutionary act] — A speech act related to the communicative intent of the speaker</li><li>acte indirect de langage [indirect speech act] — An utterance that appears to be one speech act on its surface but which through implicature accomplishes another</li><li>acte locutoire [locutionary act] — A speech act related to producing language, irrespective of communicative intent</li><li>acte performatif [performative speech act] — A speech act that produces an institutional change by its very utterance under certain conditions</li><li>acte perlocutoire [perlocutionary act] — A speech act related to the communicative effect on the addressee</li><li>adjectif [adjective] — A word that modifies and agrees with a noun or pronoun</li><li>adverbe [adverb] — A word that modifies a word other than a noun or pronoun, without changing its form for agreement</li><li>affriquée [affricate] — A consonant formed by transitioning from a stop into a fricative</li><li>allomorphe [allomorph] — A variant form of a morpheme that appears in certain contexts</li><li>allophone [allophone] — A variant form of a phoneme that appears in certain contexts</li><li>alphabet phonétique international (API) [International Phonetic Alphabet] — A system of written symbols for representing the sound segments produced in the world's languages</li><li>alvéo-dental [alveo-dental] — Describing a consonant produced by bringing the tongue tip towards the teeth and/or alveolar ridge</li><li>ambiguïté structurale [structural ambiguity] — The property of a sentence that can have multiple readings due to multiple possible syntactic configurations</li><li>antérieur [front] — A vowel articulated with the tongue's highest point situated towards the front of the mouth</li><li>antériorité [backness/frontness] — How forward or backward the tongue is situated in the mouth during a vowel's articulation</li><li>antonyme gradable [gradable antonym] — Opposites that can be more or less extreme by degrees</li><li>antonyme non-gradable [non-gradable antonym] — Binary opposites that cannot differ by degrees</li><li>antonymie [antonymy] — A lexical relation between words that have opposite meanings</li><li>aperture [openness] — How high the tongue is situated in the mouth during a vowel's articulation</li><li>aperture vélaire [velar opening] — Whether the velum is open, allowing air to pass through the nasal cavity</li><li>appareil articulatoire [articulatory apparatus] — The portion of the human body used to produce language, including lungs, vocal folds, mouth, and nasal cavity</li><li>apprentissage [acquisition] — A prototype effect where prototypes are learned earlier in childhood than other category members</li><li>approximante consonne spirante [approximant] — A consonant formed by modifying airflow without significantly restricting it</li><li>arbre syntaxique [syntax tree] — A diagram showing hierarchical relationships of constituents in a sentence</li><li>arrondi [rounded] — A sound that is produced with lip rounding</li><li>assimilation [assimilation] — The influence of neighboring segments that produces an allophone of the target segment, such as devoicing of a normally voiced consonant when it appears before an unvoiced consonant.</li><li>asymétrique [asymmetrical] — Describing lexical relationships that are opposite in either direction (such as hyponym vs hyperonym)</li><li>attaque [onset] — The consonant or consonant cluster at the beginning of a syllable</li><li>attaque ramifiée [branching onset] — A consonant cluster at the beginning of a syllable</li><li>atténuation [hedging] — A prototype effect where hedges ("sort of", "somewhat", etc.) apply to peripheral category members but not to prototypes</li><li>bilabial [bilabial] — Describing a consonant produced by bringing the lips together</li><li>branche à droite [right-branching] — A phrase structure where the complement follows the head</li><li>branche à gauche [left-branching] — A phrase structure where the complement precedes the head</li><li>catégorie grammaticale (partie du discours) [grammatical category, part of speech] — A category of word such as verb, noun, adjective, etc.</li><li>cavité buccale [oral cavity] — The inside of the mouth from throat to lips</li><li>central [mid] — A vowel articulated with the tongue's highest point situated in the middle of the mouth</li><li>changement sémantique (glissement sémantique) [semantic change / shift] — Change in the meaning of a word over time</li><li>clitique [clitic] — A morpheme that is partially independent. The classic examples in French are the unstressed object pronouns (me, te, le, nous, etc.) and especially single-syllable words with schwa (je, me, ne, etc.)</li><li>coda [coda] — The consonant or consonant cluster at the end of a syllable</li><li>coda ramifié [branching coda] — A consonant cluster at the end of a syllable</li><li>cohyponyme [cohyponym] — A word designating another subcategory within the same broader category</li><li>coméronyme [comeronym] — A word designating another part within the same broader whole</li><li>commutation [commutation] — A constituency test where a potential constituent is inflected to determine its category</li><li>complément circonstanciel (modificateur, adjoint) [adjunct] — An optional phrase that attaches to a verb to express time, manner, place, etc.</li><li>complément (comp.) [complement] — Part of a phrase that completes the head (such as the direct object of a verb)</li><li>complément d'objet direct (COD) [direct object] — A noun phrase complement of a verb</li><li>complément d'objet indirect (COI) [indirect object] — A prepositional phrase complement of a verb</li><li>concept [concept] — The meaning that is paired with a form in a linguistic sign.</li><li>concept cible [target concept] — The concept that is expressed using figurative language</li><li>concept source [source concept] — The concept that is used figuratively to express some other concept</li><li>concret [concrete] — Describing a meaning that is tangible, accessible to the senses</li><li>conditions de vérité [truth conditions] — The state of affairs that must exist in order for a sentence to be true. To understand a sentence is in some sense to know its truth conditions.</li><li>conditions nécessaires et suffisantes [necessary and sufficient conditions] — A definition aiming to describe all the qualities that group members of a category and exclude non-members</li><li>conjonction [conjunction] — A functional word that combines parts of a sentence together</li><li>conjonction de coordination [coordinating conjunction] — A conjunction that joins two phrases of equal status, such as two noun phrases</li><li>conjonction de subordination [subordinating conjunction] — A conjunction that joins a main clause and a subordinate clause in a complex sentence</li><li>connotation [connotation] — The part of meaning involving associations to peripheral concepts or attitudes</li><li>consonne [consonant] — A sound segment involving some restriction of the oral cavity</li><li>consonne battue [tap, flap] — A consonant formed by briefly touching the articulator to the place of articulation</li><li>consonne de liaison [liaison consonant] — A normally unpronounced final consonant that is realized to provide an onset for a following word that starts with a vowel</li><li>constituant [constituent] — A part of a sentence with enough syntactic unity and independence that it can be moved or manipulated in various ways. The words contained under a single node of a syntax tree.</li><li>constituant comme réponse [fragment answer] — A constituency test where a potential constituent is given as the answer to a question</li><li>construction [construction] — A structural pattern associated with a particular meaning, such as the passive construction</li><li>contigu [contiguous] — Describing concepts that appear in the same context such that they can metonymically represent one another</li><li>contraire [converse] — A lexical relation between words that refer to each side of a relationship or transaction. If one applies, the other necessarily exists in the other direction.</li><li>coordination [coordination] — A constituency test where a potential constituent is coordinated with a similar phrase using a conjunction</li><li>copule [copula] — A verb meaning "be", expressing equality between parts of the sentence</li><li>courbe mélodique [pitch contour] — The rising and falling pitch of an utterance</li><li>débit de parole [speech rate] — The speed of speech (in syllables per second)</li><li>dénotation [reference] — The part of meaning that designates something in the world</li><li>dental [dental] — Describing articulation produced with the teeth</li><li>dents [teeth] — A site of consonant articulation</li><li>dérivation [derivation] — The morphological process of attaching a morpheme that changes a word's meaning or category</li><li>description [description] — Observing and documenting linguistic practices without judgment</li><li>déterminant [determiner] — A functional word that specifies the grammatical properties of a noun</li><li>deuxième formant (F2) [second formant] — The second-lowest-frequency formant, whose frequency varies strongly between front and back vowels</li><li>dévoisé (sourd) [unvoiced] — A sound produced without vocal fold vibration</li><li>diphtongue [diphthong] — A vowel sound formed by moving from one vowel to another</li><li>durée [length] — The length (in milliseconds) of a vowel or syllable</li><li>écarté (non arrondi) [unrounded] — A sound that is produced without lip rounding</li><li>élision — Dropping of the schwa vowel in a clitic so it attaches phonologically to the following word that starts with a vowel</li><li>enchaînement — Reassignment of a syllable's coda to the onset of the following syllable</li><li>ensemble [set] — A bounded group of entities that are designated by some linguistic expression</li><li>espace vocalique [vowel space] — The area within the mouth in which the tongue can be situated to articulate different vowels</li><li>explicature [explicature] — Intended meanings that are expressed literally but must be applied to the context</li><li>face [face] — The individual desire for respect and autonomy that interlocutors must negotiate through politeness strategies</li><li>fermé [close / high] — A vowel articulated with the tongue in a maximally high position</li><li>filtre [filter] — The parts of the articulatory apparatus that modify a sound wave after it has been produced</li><li>flexion [inflection] — The morphological process of attaching a morpheme for grammatical agreement without changing a word's meaning or category</li><li>fonctionnel [functional] — Describing a word that serves a grammatical purpose rather than referring to something in the world</li><li>formant vocalique [vowel formant] — A component frequency of a complex sound wave that is stronger than most other frequencies</li><li>forme [form] — The structure that is paired with a meaning in a linguistic sign. Can be phonological, written, syntactic...</li><li>forme des lèvres [lip shape] — Whether the lips are rounded or not during a vowel's articulation</li><li>fosses nasales (cavité nasale) [nasal cavity] — Area of possible airflow between the throat and the nostrils</li><li>fréquence [frequency] — The rate of a sound wave, associated with pitch</li><li>fréquence fondamentale (F0) [fundamental frequency] — The basic frequency of a complex sound wave that determines its pitch (note that F0 is not considered a formant)</li><li>fricative [fricative] — A consonant formed by strongly restricting airflow to create turbulence</li><li>glide (semi-voyelle, semi-consonne) [glide] — A type of approximant formed by transitioning from one vowel position into that of the main vowel. Distinguished from diphthongs, which are complex vowels, because glides act as consonants within the syllable</li><li>grammaire [grammar] — A system of meaningful and contextual contrasts in a language</li><li>grammatical [grammatical] — The quality of a sentence that is acceptable according to a speaker's grammatical intuitions</li><li>grammaticalisation [grammaticalization] — A process whereby a lexical morpheme becomes a functional morpheme</li><li>grammaticalité [grammaticality] — The acceptability of a sentence according to a speaker's grammatical intuitions</li><li>hauteur de la voix (ton) [pitch] — The fundamental frequency of speech, especially as a prosodic feature</li><li>holonyme [holonym] — A word designating a whole that contains a part designated by another word</li><li>homographe [homograph] — A word sharing its written form with another</li><li>homonyme [homonym] — A word sharing its pronunciation and its written form with another</li><li>homophone [homophone] — A word sharing its pronunciation with another</li><li>hyperonyme [hyperonym] — A word designating a broader category that includes other words</li><li>hyponyme [hyponym] — A word designating a subcategory of another word</li><li>implicature [implicature] — Intended meanings that are deduced logically but not expressed literally</li><li>incompatible [incompatible] — A lexical relation between words that designate separate members of a category that do not overlap, such as days of the week</li><li>intensité (amplitude) [amplitude] — The loudness of speech as a prosodic feature</li><li>intersection [intersection] — The overlap between two sets corresponding to the reference of a complex expression</li><li>intonation [intonation] — The pitch of an utterance</li><li>labial [labial] — A sound articulated with the lips</li><li>labio-dental [labio-dental] — Describing a consonant produced by bringing the lower lips and the top teeth together</li><li>langage [Language] — The special human communicative ability</li><li>langue [tongue] — The primary organ for filtering and articulation of speech sounds</li><li>langue [language] — A particular variety such as English or French</li><li>lèvres [lips] — Organ at the end of the articulatory apparatus</li><li>lexical [lexical] — Describing a word that refers to something in the world rather than serving a grammatical purpose</li><li>lexique [lexicon] — The set of linguistic signs (words, morphemes, constructions) in a language or in human memory</li><li>liaison — Realization of a normally unpronounced final consonant to provide an onset for a following word that starts with a vowel</li><li>liaison défendue [forbidden liaison] — A context in which liaison is prescriptively forbidden</li><li>liaison facultative [optional liaison] — A context in which liaison is prescriptively allowed but not required</li><li>liaison obligatoire [required liaison] — A context in which liaison is prescriptively required</li><li>lieu d'articulation [place of articulation] — The area in which closure is made when producing a consonant</li><li>lingual [lingual] — Describing articulation produced with the tongue</li><li>linguistique [linguistics] — The scientific study of language</li><li>loi de position — A tendency in most French dialects for close-mid vowels to be used in open syllables and open-mid vowels to be used in closed syllables</li><li>loi des trois consonnes — A tendency in most French dialects to avoid dropping schwa when a triple consonant cluster would result</li><li>luette (uvule) [uvula] — Organ at the back of the oral cavity that is a site for some sound articulation</li><li>maxime de manière [maxim of manner] — The assumption that interlocutors will share information in an appropriate way</li><li>maxime de qualité [maxim of quality] — The assumption that interlocutors will be truthful</li><li>maxime de quantité [maxim of quantity] — The assumption that interlocutors will express an appropriate amount of information</li><li>maxime de relation [maxim of relation] — The assumption that interlocutors will share information that is pertinent</li><li>méronyme [meronym] — A word designating a part of a whole designated by another word</li><li>métaphore [metaphor] — A figurative conceptual mechanism in which a target concept is expressed in terms of a source concept with which it is perceived to share some similarity</li><li>métonymie [metonymy] — A figurative conceptual mechanism in which a target concept is expressed in terms of a source concept with which it is contiguous</li><li>mi-fermé [close-mid] — A vowel articulated with the tongue in a fairly high position</li><li>mi-ouvert [open-mid] — A vowel articulated with the tongue in a fairly low position</li><li>mode d'articulation [manner of articulation] — The degree of closure when producing a consonant (stop, fricative, approximant, etc.)</li><li>modèle idéalisé [idealized model] — A simplified concept against which a category is defined, producing prototype effects</li><li>mondes possibles [possible worlds] — Infinite possible states of affairs, allowing reference to apply to expressions that have no referent in the real world</li><li>monosémie [monosemy] — The property of words having only one meaning</li><li>morphème [morpheme] — The smallest meaningful linguistic unit. Can be a word or part of a word.</li><li>morphème dépendant [dependent morpheme] — A morpheme that must attach to another to form a word (includes prefixes and suffixes)</li><li>morphème indépendant [independent morpheme] — A morpheme that can stand on its own as a word</li><li>morphologie [morphology] — The study of word structure</li><li>nasale [nasal consonant] — A consonant formed by blocking airflow through the mouth but allowing it through the nasal cavity</li><li>nom commun [common noun] — A lowercase noun that refers to a category</li><li>nom propre [proper noun] — An uppercase noun that refers to an individual person, place, etc.</li><li>nom substantif [noun] — A word with number and gender that refers to a thing, person, idea, etc.</li><li>norme (langue standard) [standard] — The prestige dialect of a language that is seen as educated and "correct"</li><li>noyau [nucleus] — The sonorous segment representing the main part of a syllable (usually a vowel)</li><li>occlusive (plosive) [stop] — A consonant formed by completely blocking airflow before releasing it</li><li>onde sonore [sound wave] — Regular or irregular fluctuations in air pressure that are interpreted as sound</li><li>ordre d'énumération [listing order] — A prototype effect where prototypes are named first in a category member listing task</li><li>ouvert [open] — A vowel articulated with the tongue in a maximally low position</li><li>paire minimale [minimal pair] — Two words that differ only in a single sound, demonstrating that this sound is a contrastive phoneme in the language</li><li>palais [palate] — The roof of the mouth, a site of sound articulation</li><li>palatal [palatal] — Describing articulation produced at the middle of the palate</li><li>passage de l'air [airflow] — Whether air flows through the nasal cavity during a vowel's articulation</li><li>pertinence [relevance] — The principle that interlocutors are expected to communicate relevant ideas in a maximally effective way</li><li>phonème [phoneme] — A sound segment that is meaningfully distinguished from other sounds in a language</li><li>phonétique [phonetics] — The study of sound production and acoustics</li><li>phonologie [phonology] — The study of sound distribution</li><li>phonotaxe [phonotactics] — Phonological restrictions on consonant clusters in particular syllable or morpheme positions in a language</li><li>phrase circonstancielle [circumstantial clause, adjunct clause] — An optional clause that adds information to a sentence regarding time, place, manner, etc.</li><li>phrase clivée [cleft sentence] — A constituency test where a potential constituent is moved to the beginning of the sentence</li><li>phrase complétive [complement clause] — A clause that serves as the complement in a phrase</li><li>phrase participiale [participial clause] — A clause introduced by a participle such as "faisant"</li><li>phrase (Ph) [sentence, clause] — A part of a sentence (or an entire sentence) with at least one subject and predicate</li><li>phrase phonologique (phrase accentuelle) [phonological phrase] — A part of an utterance that is grouped prosodically (such as being separated from other parts by a pause)</li><li>phrase relative [relative clause] — A clause introduced by a relative pronoun such as "dont"</li><li>phrase subordonnée [subordinate clause] — A clause introduced by a subordinating conjunction such as "afin que"</li><li>phrases coordonnées [coordinate clauses] — Clauses that are joined by a coordinating conjunction such as "et"</li><li>plis vocaux [vocal folds] — Tissue in the larynx that vibrates to produce the voice</li><li>pointe [tip] — The very front part of the tongue</li><li>politesse négative [negative politeness] — Strategies directed toward negative face, the individual desire for autonomy</li><li>politesse positive [positive politeness] — Strategies directed toward positive face, the individual desire for respect</li><li>polysémie [polysemy] — The property of words having multiple meanings</li><li>postérieur [back] — A vowel articulated with the tongue's highest point situated towards the back of the mouth</li><li>pragmatique [pragmatics] — The study of how linguistic meaning is interpreted in a communicative context</li><li>précis [precise] — Describing a meaning that is specific in that it does not group many other categories together</li><li>prédicat [predicate] — The part of the sentence that refers to the action (the verb and its complements)</li><li>pré-fermé (relâché) [lax] — A vowel articulated with the tongue in a nearly maximally high position</li><li>premier formant (F1) [first formant] — The lowest-frequency formant, whose frequency varies strongly between high and low vowels</li><li>préposition [preposition] — A semi-functional word referring to a spatial, temporal, causal, or logical relationship between two things or parts of a sentence</li><li>prescription [prescription] — Promoting certain ways of speaking or writing as better than others</li><li>principe de la non-synonymie [principle of no synonymy] — A hypothesis that no two words in a language will ever be exactly synonymous</li><li>pronom [pronoun] — A functional word that replaces a noun</li><li>prosodie [prosody] — The patterns of stress and intonation in a language</li><li>prototype [prototype] — The central member of a category that defines and exemplifies its qualities</li><li>radical [root] — The core morphological form of a verb to which endings are attached in conjugation</li><li>rapidité de jugement [judgment speed] — A prototype effect where prototypes are judged more rapidly as being category members</li><li>récursivité [recursion] — The property of language that allows infinite meanings to be expressed within nested phrases</li><li>région alvéo-dentale [alveolar ridge] — Part of the mouth where the teeth meet the beginning of the palate</li><li>région palato-alvéolaire [alveo-palatal region] — Part of the mouth at the front of the palate</li><li>région vélaire [velar region] — Part of the mouth at the back of the palate</li><li>sandhi [sandhi] — Any phenomenon acting on syllables at morpheme boundaries, such as liaison</li><li>schématique [schematic] — Not specific. A property of constructions and patterns that apply broadly to many different sentences and words.</li><li>schwa (e caduc, e muet) [schwa] — An unstressed vowel that is dropped in certain phonological contexts</li><li>segment [segment] — A single phonological unit, a sound</li><li>sémantique [semantics] — The study of linguistic meaning</li><li>sens [sense] — The part of meaning involving the qualities that are evoked by an expression </li><li>signe linguistique [linguistic sign] — The pairing of any form and its associated meaning. Morphemes are the smallest linguistic signs. Expressions, sentences, constructions, and even entire texts are also linguistic signs.</li><li>sonorité [sonority] — The degree of airflow during the articulation of a sound</li><li>source [source] — The part of the articulatory apparatus that produces a sound wave (usually the vocal folds)</li><li>spécifieur (spéc.) [specifier] — Part of a phrase that modifies the head-complement sequence (such as the determiner in a noun phrase)</li><li>substitution de catégorie [category substitution] — A constituency test where a potential constituent is replaced by another word of the same category</li><li>substitution pronominale [pro-form substitution] — A constituency test where a potential constituent is replaced by a pro-form (a pronoun or other functional word)</li><li>sujet [subject] — The part of a clause that determines the conjugation of the verb and usually performs the action</li><li>sujet impersonnel [dummy subject] — A subject that satisfies a syntactic requirement but has no semantic value, such as the subject of "pleuvoir"</li><li>suprasegmental [suprasegmental] — Prosodic features that operate "above" the level of sound segments, such as pitch</li><li>syllabe [syllable] — A phonological unit consisting of a vowel and potentially the consonants that surround it</li><li>syllabe fermée [closed syllable] — A syllable with a coda</li><li>syllabe ouverte [open syllable] — A syllable without a coda</li><li>symétrique [symmetrical] — Describing lexical relationships that are the same in both directions (such as cohyponyms)</li><li>synonyme [synonym] — A word having the same (or nearly the same) meaning or reference as another</li><li>syntagme [phrase] — A syntactic constituent that has been assigned a category (noun phrase, verb phrase, etc.)</li><li>syntagme adjectival (SAdj) [adjective phrase] — A phrase headed by an adjective</li><li>syntagme adverbial (SAdv) [adverb phrase] — A phrase headed by an adverb</li><li>syntagme nominal (SN) [noun phrase] — A phrase headed by a noun</li><li>syntagme prépositionnel (SP) [prepositional phrase] — A phrase headed by a preposition</li><li>syntagme verbal (SV) [verb phrase] — A phrase headed by a verb</li><li>syntaxe [syntax] — The study of sentence structure</li><li>tête [head] — The main word of a phrase that determines its category</li><li>timbre de la voix [voice quality] — The type of voicing produced by the vocal folds, including modal (regular), creaky (vocal fry), breathy, whisper, falsetto, etc.</li><li>trillée (vibrante, roulée) [trill] — A consonant formed by repeatedly and rapidly touching the articulator to the place of articulation</li><li>troisième formant (F3) [third formant] — The third-lowest-frequency formant, the highest formant with major relevance for vowel quality</li><li>turbulent [turbulent] — A quality of airflow that is allowed to pass with significant interference, as with the articulation of a fricative consonant</li><li>uvulaire [uvular] — Describing articulation produced with the uvula</li><li>valence [valency] — The property of a word that determines what kinds of complements and specifiers it can or must have</li><li>valence sémantique [semantic valency] — A word's requirements for complements and specifiers that are evoked semantically (but don't necessarily appear grammatically)</li><li>valence syntaxique [syntactic valency] — A word's requirements for complements and specifiers that must appear grammatically (but aren't necessarily evoked semantically)</li><li>valeur de vérité [truth value] — Whether a sentence is true or false given a state of affairs</li><li>variation [variation] — Differences in how people use language across dialects, social categories, and contexts</li><li>vélaire [velar] — Describing articulation produced at the back of the palate</li><li>verbe [verb] — A word that conjugates and refers to an action or state</li><li>verbe intransitif [intransitive verb] — A verb without an object</li><li>verbe transitif [transitive verb] — A verb that requires an object</li><li>voile du palais (palais mou) [velum] — Tissue at the back of the mouth that raises and lowers to close off or allow air to pass through the nasal cavity</li><li>voisé (sonore) [voiced] — A sound produced with vocal fold vibration</li><li>voix [voice] — The sound produced by the vocal folds</li><li>voyelle [vowel] — A voiced sound segment with no restriction of the oral cavity</li><li>voyelle nasale [nasal vowel] — A vowel articulated with the velum open so air can pass through the nasal cavity</li><li>voyelle orale [oral vowel] — A vowel articulated with the velum closed so no air passes through the nasal cavity</li></ul>