Terms and Definitions

Unit 1: Literacy
Description- a statement, picture in words, or account that describes;
descriptive representation.
Dialogue- conversation between two or more persons.
Genre- a type of writing that has key features, styles, and presentations
Literacy - knowledge of a specific action or field
Literacy Narrative- A writing genre that explores the writers experiences with reading
and writing.
Literacy Sponsor- People whose actions play an important role in a persons literacy.
Medium- an intervening substance, as air, through which a force acts or an effect is
produced.
Narrative- a story or account of events, experiences, or the like, whether true or
fictitious.
Narrator- a person who gives an account or tells the story of events, experiences, etc.
Rhetoric- the art or science of all specialized literary uses of language in prose or verse,
including the figures of speech.
Rhetorical Situation- the particular circumstance of a given instance of communication
or discourse (the context in which speakers and writers create rhetorical discourse)
(Writing about Writing textbook)
Unit 2: Ethnography/Discourse Communities
Construct- to build or form by putting together parts; frame; devise
Conventions- a rule, method, or practice established by usage; custom: the convention of
showing north at the top of a map.
Discourse- communication of thought by words; talk; conversation: earnest and
intelligent discourse.
Discourse Community- (according to Swales): is made up of individuals who share a
broadly agreed upon set of common public goals and has mechanisms of
intercommunication among its members, uses its participatory mechanisms primarily to
provide information and feedback, has and uses one or more genres that help the
group achieve its shared goals, has acquired some specific lexis, and has a reasonable
ratio of novices and experts (Writing about Writing textbook)
Filtering - to remove by the action of a filter.
Genre- a class or category of artistic endeavor having a particular form, content,
technique, or the like: the genre of epic poetry; the genre of symphonic music.
Language- a body of words and the systems for their use common to a people who are of
the same community or nation, the same geographical area, or the same cultural tradition
Lexis- the vocabulary of a language, as distinct from its grammar; the total stock of
words and idiomatic combinations of them in a language; lexicon.
Primary Source- those materials that you will analyze for your paper, including
advertisements, photographs, films, artwork, audio files, historical documents, and
websites. Primary sources can also include testimonies by those with firsthand knowledge
or direct quotations you will analyze. Whatever is under the lens of your analysis
constitutes a primary source
Rhetorical Situation- The context in which writing or other communication takes place,
including purpose, audience, genre, and strategies.
Secondary Source- the additional materials that help you analyze your primary sources
by providing a perspective on those primary materials; these include scholarly articles,
popular commentaries, background materials (in print, video, or interview format), and
survey data reinforcing your analysis. Whatever sources you can use as a lens to look at
or understand the subject of your analysis constitutes a secondary source.
Speech Community - a community with shared membership and a shared language.
Unit 3: Rhetorical Situations/Remediation/Audio Essay
Audience- the group of spectators at a public event; listeners or viewers collectively, as
in attendance at a theater or concert:
Audio essay- An essay spoken and recorded
Context- the parts of a written or spoken statement that precede or follow a specific
word or passage, usually influencing its meaning or effect:
Exigence- an urgent demand; pressing requirement
Intro- an introduction.
Outro- An ending including the credits
Rhetor- a master or teacher of rhetoric.
Rhetorical situation- the particular circumstance of a given instance of communication
or discourse (the context in which speakers and writers create rhetorical discourse)
(Writing about Writing textbook)
Sound effects- any sound, other than music or speech, artificially reproduced to create an
effect in a dramatic presentation, as the sound of a storm or a creaking door.

Voice- the condition or effectiveness of the voice for speaking
Unit 4: Research
Article- a contribution written for publication in a journal, magazine, or newspaper. A
source of contemporary information.
Argument- a discussion involving differing points of view; debate:
Call Number- A series of numbers and letters which identifies a particular book or item
in the librarys collection. Items are arranged on the book shelves by call numbers.
Database- a collection of information, usualy stored in an electronic format that can be
searched on a computer.
Framing- to conceive or imagine, as an idea.
ILL: Interlibrary Loan- a service that allows you to borrow materials from other libraries
through your own library.
Issue- A single numbered or dated publication that is formed when journal, magazine, or
newspaper articles are compiled for publication.
Journal- a publication, issued on a regular basis, which contains scholarly research
published as articles, papers, research reports, or technical reports.
Paraphrase- a restatement of a text or passage giving the meaning in another form, as for
clearness; rewording.
Quote- to repeat (a passage, phrase, etc.) from a book, speech, or the like, as by way of
authority, illustration, etc.
Stacks- The area where library collections are shelved.
Summarize- to make a summary of; state or express in a concise form.



Dictionary.com Unabridged. Random House, Inc. 01 May. 2014. Web.