NSSCAS Khoekhoegowab First Language 8190 key terms

The Khoisan language of the Nama, Damara and Haiǁom peoples of Namibia, written with click letters and tone marks; the language in which this syllabus is assessed.

A speech sound produced by trapping air in the mouth and releasing it with a sharp sucking movement. Khoekhoegowab writes its basic clicks with the letters ǀ, ǁ, ǂ and ǃ.

The pitch level of a syllable. Khoekhoegowab uses high and low tone to separate words that would otherwise look alike, and marks them with acute and grave accents.

A short element on a Khoekhoegowab word that carries person (first, second, third), gender (masculine, feminine, common) and number (singular, dual, plural); it controls agreement across the sentence.

An ending such as -b (masculine singular) or -s (feminine singular) that places a Khoekhoegowab noun in a class and determines the endings of pronouns, adjectives and verbs agreeing with it.

Agreement between words in a sentence in features such as person, gender and number, for example a verb taking the ending required by its subject noun.

The central part of a word that carries its basic meaning and to which prefixes, suffixes and clitics can be attached.

An ending added to a stem to create a new word with a changed meaning or word class, such as forming a noun from a verb.

The agreed writing system of a language: its letters, click symbols, tone marks, word division and spelling conventions that writers must follow.

A word borrowed from another language and adjusted to Khoekhoegowab sounds and spelling, often from Afrikaans, English or German.

A descriptive word that conveys a sound, movement or manner vividly, common in Khoekhoegowab narrative and often tied to one particular verb.

Information in the words and sentences around an unfamiliar word that lets a reader work out its likely meaning from the passage.

A meaning the reader works out from evidence in the text combined with background knowledge, rather than reading it stated directly.

The central point that a paragraph or a whole text makes, which the remaining sentences support, explain or illustrate with detail.

A word that carries the same or a very similar meaning as another word in a given context, useful for paraphrasing and summary.

Wording used for effect rather than literal meaning, including simile, metaphor, personification and hyperbole, chosen to sharpen an image or argument.

A fixed expression whose overall meaning cannot be deduced from its separate words and which native speakers recognise as one unit.

A short traditional saying expressing a general truth or piece of advice, often quoted in Khoekhoegowab speech and writing to strengthen a point.

A word, phrase or pattern such as a pronoun, conjunction or repeated key term that links sentences and shows how ideas in a text connect.

A shortened version of a text that keeps its main points in the original order, uses the writer's own words and omits examples, repetition and detail.

A rewording of a short passage that keeps the full meaning but changes the vocabulary and sentence structure, usually without shortening.

Rewriting content from one format into another, such as turning a prose passage into a table, chart or set of notes, without adding new information.

The degree of formality and the kind of vocabulary a writer chooses for a particular audience, purpose and situation, such as formal, neutral or colloquial.

The category a piece of writing belongs to, such as report, letter, story, advertisement or speech, each with expected layout and conventions.

A composition task that specifies the audience, purpose and text type, and may supply content points that must all be worked into the answer.

A composition that takes a clear position on a debatable issue and defends it with reasoned points and evidence while answering likely objections.

A letter following set conventions - addresses, date, salutation, subject line and formal closing - sent to an official, a business or a person not close to the writer.

A formal public letter to a newspaper or magazine responding to an issue or earlier article, written to persuade readers and signed by the writer.

Written conversation between two or more speakers in which each new turn starts on a fresh line and is marked by a dash or the speaker's name.

The marking grid that lists the criteria used to judge a piece of writing, such as content, organisation and language, with the marks awarded for each.

The arranged sequence of events in a narrative, moving through exposition, complication, climax and resolution rather than simply following clock time.

The methods an author uses to build a character, including description, speech, actions, thoughts and the responses of other characters.

A central idea about life or human behaviour that a literary text explores throughout, such as loyalty, loss or courage, rather than a single stated moral.

The time and place in which a narrative unfolds, together with the social surroundings and atmosphere that shape the characters' choices.

The main character whose situation and decisions the narrative follows and with whom the reader is usually invited to sympathise.

The skill of following a spoken text such as a talk, interview or announcement and answering questions about its content, purpose and tone.

The way speakers in a conversation decide who speaks next, signalled by pauses, intonation and phrases that hold or hand over the floor.

A planned spoken talk on a set topic, built from an introduction, developed main points and a conclusion, delivered with audible voice and eye contact.

A structured exchange in which two sides argue for and against a motion under agreed rules, taking turns and answering the other side's points.