NSSCAS Rukwangali First Language 8194 flashcards

32 cards. Read the term and the definition here. The deck at the top of this page is optional.

Falling intonation

A pitch pattern that drops at the end of statements and wh-questions; it signals completion and certainty, helping listeners follow the speaker's meaning.

Rising intonation

A pitch pattern that rises at the end of yes/no questions or to show uncertainty; in tone languages, pitch also distinguishes individual word meanings.

Fluency

The ability to speak at a steady pace with few unnatural pauses, using appropriate fillers and self-correction while keeping the message clear and coherent.

Turn-taking

The interactive system of claiming, holding, and yielding the floor in conversation or discussion, using pauses, gestures, and phrases such as 'may I add'.

Listening for gist

Understanding the main idea or purpose of a spoken text without catching every detail, using context, repeated keywords, and the speaker's overall message.

Listening for detail

Catching specific facts such as names, numbers, dates, and directions in speech; it requires focused attention and quick, accurate note-taking.

Skimming

Reading quickly for main ideas by examining titles, headings, first sentences, and conclusions; it is used to preview a text before detailed reading.

Scanning

Searching a text rapidly for a specific word, number, or fact without reading every sentence in order, often using finger or eye movement.

Inference

A conclusion drawn from clues in a text plus logical reasoning rather than direct statement; it must be supported by textual evidence and consistent with the whole passage.

Summary

A brief restatement of a text's main points in your own words, omitting examples and repetition while preserving the original meaning and respecting any word limit.

Fact versus opinion

A fact can be verified by evidence; an opinion expresses judgement or feeling and is often marked by evaluative adjectives, modal verbs, or phrases like 'I think'.

Writer's tone

The attitude a writer conveys through word choice, sentence structure, and imagery, such as critical, ironic, sympathetic, humorous, or neutral.

Cohesion

The linking of sentences and paragraphs through pronouns, conjunctions, and repeated or related words so that a text reads as a connected whole.

Noun class concord

The requirement that verbs, adjectives, possessives, and pronouns carry prefixes that agree with the noun's class, for example person class mu-/va-.

Subject concord

The prefix on a verb that agrees with the subject's noun class and person, marking who or what performs the action.

Object concord

An optional prefix inside the verb that agrees with the object's noun class, showing which thing or person is affected by the action.

Verb extension

A suffix added to a verb root that changes its meaning, producing forms such as causative, applicative, passive, reciprocal, or reversive.

Reduplication

Repeating a root or stem to express frequency, intensity, diminution, or repetition; it is common in Bantu verbs, adjectives, and adverbs.

Ideophone

A vivid, often invariable word that describes sound, colour, manner, or movement, adding sensory detail and drama to narrative and speech.

Locative classes

Noun classes 16, 17, and 18, marked by pa-, ku-, and mu-, which express location such as 'at', 'to or from', and 'in'.

Register

The level of formality chosen for an audience and purpose; formal writing avoids contractions, slang, and emojis, while informal writing may allow them.

Transactional writing

Practical texts such as letters, emails, notices, reports, and speeches that perform a real-world function for a specified audience and purpose.

Formal letter layout

The standard order of sender address, date, recipient address, salutation, subject line, body paragraphs, closing, and signature in a formal letter.

Topic sentence

The sentence, usually first in a paragraph, that states the paragraph's main idea; the remaining sentences support it with evidence or explanation.

Editing

Checking a draft for noun class concord, tense consistency, spelling, punctuation, and sentence boundaries before producing the final version.

Report structure

A report typically contains a title, introduction, findings under headings, conclusion, and recommendations, and is written in an objective, factual tone.

Climax

The point of greatest tension in a narrative where the main conflict comes to a head and the outcome is decided.

Dramatic irony

A situation in drama where the audience knows something that a character does not, creating tension, suspense, or humour.

Soliloquy

A speech in which a character, usually alone on stage, reveals inner thoughts to the audience rather than to other characters.

Imagery

Descriptive language that appeals to the senses, created through metaphor, simile, and sensory adjectives to build mood and meaning.

Theme

The central idea or message about life explored in a text, expressed as an abstract statement and supported by characters, events, and language.

Narrative voice

The perspective from which a story is told, including first- or third-person, omniscient or limited, which affects reliability and the reader's sympathy.