Glossary of Linguistic Terms

morphology The study of the inner structure of words including infl ections and affi xes.
morphosyntax Interaction between morphology and syntax: e.g., function of infl ections on the sentence level; grammaticalization.
multiple negation Use of two or more negative elements in one sentence to denote negation: e.g., I cannot go no further (Shakespere); I didn’t say nothing (colloquialism). It came to be considered non-standard in the prescriptive grammar of the eighteenth century.
nasal A speech sound produced by letting much of the air go through the nose. All of the three PDE nasals are consonants: /n, m, ŋ/. See further “Note on Phonetic Symbols and Orthography.” neuter See gender. nominative See case.
number A grammatical category for counting. PDE has two numbers: singular and plural. The distinction is usually made by the infl ectional ending –s: e.g., one book, two books. OE had an additional number, dual, for the personal pronouns wit (‘we two’) and git (‘you two’). object (O) See clause element.
OE = Old English. See periodization.
Old English (OE) See periodization.
onomasiology The study of words approached from the topical viewpoint. Concerned with questions like “what is the name of this thing or concept?”
onset One or more consonants placed before the vowel of a syllable: e.g., p- in pen; st- in star.
orthoepy The study of correct pronunciation mostly in conformity with established speech patterns.
orthography Practice of writing, esp. in a conventional system of spelling. ModE orthography became established mostly by 1650, due to the rapidly growing print culture. OE orthography was developed in the monastic reform during the late tenth century.
palatalization Sound change involving consonants adjacent to [y/j] or a front vowel:
e.g., OE [g] became [y/j] in geard (‘yard’); ModE [z] has become [zˇ/] in occasion; in PDE [t] in the collocation without you may be pronounced as [cˇ/].