Word Glossary
There are currently 11 names in this directory beginning with the letter H.
haplology
This term refers to a phonological process by which a syllable is deleted when it is adjacent to a similar sounding syllable.
ex: 'probably' is pronounced as 'probly'
head
In syntax, the 'head' is the word around which a syntactic phrase is built.
ex: 'N' is head of an NP such as 'puppies' as in 'all the cute puppies'. 'V' is the head of a VP such as 'shop' as in 'had been shopping'..
head; of a compound word
The head is the element in a compound word that indicates the lexical category and meaning of the compound. In English it is considered to be the rightmost word. Ex: A flashlight is a type of light. 'Light' is a noun, thus 'flashlight' is a noun.
heteronyms
Heteronyms are two or more words that are spelled the same but pronounced differently and have different meanings. Ex: 'dove' /dʌv/ (a bird) and 'dove' /dov/ (past tense of 'to dive')
heuristics
This term refers to strategies using easily available information to construct experimental or trial-by-error methods for problem solving; mental shortcuts using simple logic, common sense, intuitive judgment, etc.
hippocampus
The hippocampus is a significant, discrete structure in the limbic system of the brain. It is composed of elongated ridges on the floor of each lateral ventricle under the cerebral cortex. It is known to be responsible for aspects of spatial awareness, emotion, and the consolidation of short-term into long-term memory.
holophrastic stage
This is the stage in L1 acquisition in which a single word is used to communicate an entire thought. For example, a young child seated in a highchair uses the word 'down' to communicate that s/he would like someone to life her/him out of the highchair onto the floor since the child is ready to move on to the next activity.
homonyms (see homophones)
Homonyms are a type of homophone in which 2 or more words are pronounced the same but are spelled differently and have different, unrelated meanings. Ex: there, their, and they're.
homophone
Homophones are 2 or more words that sound 'phone' the same 'homo', regardless of spelling or meaning.
Examples include homonyms: passed vs. past and polysemous pairs: crane 'a bird with a long neck' vs. crane 'a large peice of equipment with a long necklike component'.
hypernym
A hypernym is a word for which exists a subset of words related to it (hyponyms). Ex: Color is a hypernym to which the subset of types such as red, blue, yellow belong.