verb phrase^2 n
in traditional grammar, the auxiliary and main verbs in a sentence that
function together as in have been studying Englishin “I have been studying
English for 10 years”.
vernacular n,adj
aterm used of a language or language variety:
awhen it is contrasted with a classical language, such as Latin, e.g.:
Church services in the Roman Catholic church used to be conducted in
Latin, but now they are in the vernacular. (e.g. in English, Italian, Swahili,
etc.)
bwhen it is contrasted with an internationally used language such as
English, e.g.:
If you want to teach English in that country, it will be useful to know the
vernacular.
c in bilingualand multilingualcountries, when it is spoken by some or
most of the population but when it is not the official or the national
language of a country, e.g.:
In addition to schools that teach in the national language, there are also
vernacular schools.
see also black english, diglossia, domain
vertical construction n
in conversational interaction, the co-construction of meaning over a
number of turns. Both speakers are said to create propositions that are
distributed across a number of different turns in the conversation. This is
contrasted with horizontal constructions, that is, the expression of several
propositions within a single turn. The ability to use horizontal construc-
tions is thought to represent a developmental stage in the development of
a learner’s grammar.
VESL n
see vocational english
videoconferencing n
software that allows Internet correspondents to see each other in multiple
windows on screen.
video teleconferencing n
the linking of students and teachers in different locations via satellite and
television, to provide interaction between native speakers of language and
students learning the language as well as cultural exchange.
video teleconferencing