extralinguistic adj
describes those features in communication which are not directly a part of
verbal language but which either contribute in conveying a message, e.g.
hand movements, facial expressions, etc., or have an influence on language
use, e.g. signalling a speaker’s age, sex, or social class.
see also paralinguistics, sign language
extraposition n
the movement of an element from its normal place to the end or near to the
end of a sentence.
For example, the subject of some sentences can be moved to the end of the
sentence:
a Trying to get ticketswas difficult.
b It was difficult trying to get tickets.
In sentence b It is called the anticipatory subject, and trying to get tickets is
called the postponed subject.
“Heavy” constituents are more likely to be placed near the end of a sentence
than “light” ones. Compare He picked the book upwith He picked up the
first book he saw.
extrinsic motivation n
see motivation
extrovert (also extravert) nextroversion (also extraversion) n
a person whose conscious interests and energies are more often directed
outwards towards other people and events than towards the person them-
self and their own inner experience. Such a personality type is contrasted
with an introvert, a person who tends to avoid social contact with others
and is often preoccupied with his or her inner feelings, thoughts and
experiences. Psychologists no longer believe that these are two distinct
personality types, since many people show aspects of both. Extroversion
and introversion have been discussed as personalityfactors in second
language learning, though the contribution of either factor to learning is
not clear.
eye span n
see reading span
eye trackingn
a technique using special equipment to observe and record a subject’s eye
movements as they perform a task such as reading.
eye tracking