Communication Studies Jargon

noun a person skilled in imitating the voice, mannerisms, or movements of others

verb to imitate or copy someone or something, typically in order to entertain or ridicule

• The robot was programmed to mimic human movements with great precision.
• She can mimic anyone's accent perfectly, it's quite impressive.
• He's always trying to mimic the way his favorite rapper talks.
• Her art piece was designed to mimic the chaos of urban life.

noun a word or phrase to which a pronoun or other word refers

• In linguistics, a referent is the specific entity that a word or phrase refers to.
• When I say 'that book', the referent is the book on the table.
• Yo, check out the referent over there, she's so stylish.
• The artist used abstract shapes as referents for emotions in her painting.

noun the branch of linguistics and logic concerned with meaning

adjective relating to meaning in language or logic

• The study of semantics is crucial in understanding the meaning of language.
• We're diving into the world of semantics to figure out what this text really means.
• I don't get the semantics of this conversation, can you break it down for me?
• The semantics of her actions spoke louder than words, revealing her true intentions.

noun a blend of the words 'non' and 'conversation', used to describe a meaningless or unproductive conversation

• The meeting was filled with nonversation as the team failed to address any important issues.
• I can't stand having a nonversation with him, it's such a waste of time.
• Let's not have a nonversation about this, I already know what you're going to say.
• Their relationship felt like a constant nonversation, with neither of them truly listening to the other.