MARKED AND UNMARKED TERMS
MARKED AND UNMARKED TERMS [Originating in the work of the Russian linguist Nikolay Trubetzkoy (1890–1938) in relation to pairs of phonemes]. Terms in LINGUISTICS which designate a contrasting pair, one possessing a special ‘mark’, the other neutral: in play/played, play is unmarked and neutral, and played has the mark -ed. Similarly, host is unmarked, but hostess is morphologically marked for femaleness. The mark is not necessarily visible or audible: in the pair horse/mare, horse is the more general, unmarked term, while mare is marked for femaleness. In the pair cow/bull, cow is unmarked, while bull is marked for maleness. The terms are sometimes extended to wider, typological characteristics of languages, and also to social situations, to distinguish between normal (unmarked) behaviour and a less common variant.
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Mark , mark1 / märk/ • n. 1. a small area on a surface having a different color from its surroundings, typically one caused by accident or damage: the blow… Flute Mark , Skip to main content
flute mark Groove Mark , Skip to main content
groove mark Painter, Eleanor (1890–1947) , pair / pe(ə)r/ • n. a set of two things used together or regarded as a unit: a pair of gloves. ∎ an article or object consisting of two joined or cor… Service Mark , SERVICE MARK
Atrademarkthat is used in connection with services.
Businesses use service marks to identify their services and distinguish them from ot… Trademark , Distinctive symbols of authenticity through which the products of particular manufacturers or the salable commodities of particular merchants can be…
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MARKED AND UNMARKED TERMS