Metavocabulary

Metavocabulary refers to the vocabulary used to discuss words and language itself. The term combines meta- with vocabulary, indicating discourse about vocabulary rather than the vocabulary itself. In linguistics and related fields, metavocabulary consists of terms and expressions that analysts use when describing, organizing, or classifying lexical items. This includes technical terms such as lexeme, morpheme, polysemy, synonymy, antonymy, collocation, corpus, register, etymology, gloss, lemma, and lemma forms, as well as discourse-level descriptors like “the concept of a word,” “lexical item,” or “semantic field.” It is distinct from the vocabulary of a specific language or its lexicon and from the semantic content of words; metavocabulary is the language used to talk about that content.

Usage: In linguistics and lexicography, metavocabulary helps articulate analyses, definitions, and descriptions of how a language’s vocabulary operates. It is essential for compiling dictionaries, annotating corpora, and teaching metalinguistic awareness. It overlaps with metalinguistics and metalanguage; some scholars treat metavocabulary as a practical subset of metalanguage focused on lexical items rather than general language.

Limitations: The term is not universally standardized, and its scope varies by field. Researchers may prefer terms like metalanguage or terminology of lexicography when describing related ideas.

See also: metalanguage, metalinguistics, lexicography, semantics, lexicon, terminology.