My first series of posts is focused on exploring the tools or 'language methods' you will need to effectively analyse the English language in A level exams. Once you can identify the features and have the tools to describe them analysing any piece of text becomes easy!
It helps to envisage the frameworks of language as 'tools' in a toolbox when analysing a piece of text the tools are there to help you clearly and efficiently describe features in the text to the examiner. These are also commonly called language frameworks. The technical term is metalanguage defined as a set of tools to describe how language operates.
In some texts you will need to use all of these tools or in others only a few. A good tip is to use the tools selectively picking out features that are only relevant to the purpose, audience and format of the text and the message you are trying to convey, don't just use them for the sake of it! In some texts there may be more to say under some frameworks than others, DO NOT PANIC, there is more than likely a reason for this.
Tools-
Lexis
Semantics (These can be categorised as one framework or two separate frameworks however I prefer to keep them separate)
Grammar
Syntax
Phonetics
Phonology
Pragmatics
Graphology
Discourse structure
When I first learned these frameworks I was somewhat confused by the technical names, however they are not as complicated as they sound!
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