SLA n
an acronym for second language acquisition
slang n
casual, very informal speech, using expressive but informal words and
expressions (slang words/expressions).
For some people, slang is equivalent to colloquial speech but for others,
it means “undesirable speech”. Usually, “colloquial speech” refers to a
speech variety used in informal situations with colleagues, friends or
relatives, and “slang” is used for a very informal speech variety which
often serves as an “in-group” language for a particular set of people such as
teenagers, army recruits, pop groups, etc. Most slang is rather unstable as
its words and expressions can change quite rapidly, for example:
Beat it! Scram! Rack off! (for “leave”)
see also jargon
slang words n
also slang expressions
see slang
SLI n
an abbreviation for specific language impairment
SLO n
see learning outcome
small-group discussion n
see discussion method
small-group interaction n
(in teaching) the factors which explain the interactions occurring within
small groups. These include whether the interactions in the group are
verbal or non-verbal, the kind of taskinvolved, the roles of the group
members, the leadership and the cohesion of the group.
see also grouping
social capital n
a term that refers to the monetary and social-psychological value of
attributes that people have, which can be accumulated and expended. Just
as education is a form of social capital, so too are prestige languages and
language varieties. From this perspective, language learning can be seen as
requiring investment(as an alternative to the concept of motivation).
social capital