CAPE Communication Studies key terms

First-hand material produced at the time of an event or by a person directly involved, such as interviews, letters, diaries, raw statistics or original research reports, used as direct evidence in investigation.

Material that interprets, summarises or comments on primary evidence, such as textbooks, encyclopaedias, news analyses or review articles, useful for background but one step removed from the original event.

The extent to which a source or instrument consistently produces trustworthy information, judged by authorship, date, purpose, corroboration and bias, so a reader can depend on what it reports.

The degree to which information or a research instrument actually measures or represents what it claims to measure, so conclusions drawn from it are appropriate to the question asked.

A slant or imbalance in presentation that favours one side through selection, wording, omission or emphasis, causing the audience to receive a distorted picture of the issue.

Confirming a piece of information by checking it against at least one independent source, which strengthens confidence that the claim is accurate and not a single error or rumour.

An ordered list of all sources consulted in preparing a piece of work, usually including author, title, publisher and date, allowing readers to locate and verify the material used.

A short in-text acknowledgement identifying the source of a quotation, statistic or idea, giving enough detail to match it to the full entry in the reference list.

Presenting another person's words, ideas, data or creative work as one's own without acknowledgement, a serious academic offence that can be avoided by quoting and citing properly.

Restating a source's idea in one's own words and sentence structure while keeping the meaning accurate, normally shorter than the original and still requiring citation.

A condensed restatement of the main points of a longer text, stripping out examples and repetition while preserving the central argument in the writer's own words.

Rapid reading to grasp the general idea or gist of a text, often by scanning headings, first sentences and conclusions rather than reading every word in sequence.

Fast reading to locate one specific detail such as a date, name or figure, letting the eyes move quickly over the page without processing the surrounding text fully.

Recording key points from listening or reading in abbreviated, organised form, using headings, symbols and indentation so the material can be reviewed and used later.

A skeletal plan showing the hierarchy of main points, sub-points and supporting details, used to organise material logically before drafting an essay or speech.

A written set of questions administered to respondents to collect data, which must use clear, unbiased wording and a suitable sample to yield valid results.

A structured or semi-structured conversation in which an investigator asks questions to gather information or opinions, allowing follow-up probes that questionnaires cannot provide.

Selecting a subset of a population to represent the whole in research, where the method chosen affects how far findings can be generalised to the wider group.

A system of arbitrary symbols, sounds or signs shared by a group and governed by rules, enabling its users to communicate meaning and transmit culture across generations.

A regional or social variety of a language distinguished by vocabulary, pronunciation and grammar, yet usually mutually intelligible with other varieties of the same language.

A fully developed language that has grown from a pidgin and become the native tongue of a community, with a complete grammar and vocabulary of its own.

A simplified contact language with reduced grammar and vocabulary, developed between groups that share no common tongue, and normally not anyone's first language.

The prestige variety of English used in formal writing, education and official communication, defined by accepted grammar, spelling and usage rather than by accent.

The way a speaker pronounces a language, reflecting regional or social background, which differs from dialect in concerning sound alone rather than grammar and vocabulary.

The variety of language a speaker selects for a particular situation, shaped by audience, purpose and formality, ranging from casual conversation to formal academic writing.

Moving between two languages or language varieties within a conversation or utterance, often to signal group identity, intimacy, emphasis or a change in social setting.

The intended readers or listeners of a text or speech, whose age, knowledge, attitudes and expectations shape the content, vocabulary, tone and structure chosen.

The reason a communicator produces a text, such as to inform, persuade, entertain, instruct or argue, which determines the organisation, evidence and language selected.

A single sentence in an introduction that states the central claim or position of an essay, giving the reader a clear map of what the argument will prove.

The sentence, usually first in a paragraph, that announces the paragraph's controlling idea and links it to the overall argument of the piece.

A group of sentences developing one unified idea, typically opening with a topic sentence, supported by evidence and closed with a linking or concluding sentence.

The logical arrangement of ideas so that each part follows sensibly from the last and the whole text reads as a unified argument rather than a collection of fragments.

The surface linking of sentences through devices such as pronouns, conjunctions, repetition and synonyms, which signals how one statement connects to the next.

A word or phrase such as however, therefore or in addition that signals the relationship between ideas, guiding the reader through contrast, cause, sequence or emphasis.

The attitude a writer or speaker conveys towards the subject and audience, created by word choice, sentence length and imagery, and distinct from the mood it produces.

The writer's choice of words, ranging from formal to colloquial and concrete to abstract, which strongly affects clarity, tone and the impression the message makes.

The associations, feelings or implied meanings a word carries beyond its literal sense, which can shape audience response and must be weighed when choosing vocabulary.

Deliberately one-sided communication that manipulates emotion, fear or repetition to push a cause or damage an opponent, often sacrificing accuracy for persuasive effect.

A question posed for effect rather than to obtain an answer, used to engage an audience, emphasise a point or lead listeners toward a conclusion they are expected to accept.