Linguistic frameworks (A-level basics) · Year 13
At A level, language is analysed with a set of frameworks: each one is a lens that looks at a different level of a text, from its sounds to its whole structure. Using them gives your analysis precise terms and a clear order.
Key facts
- Lexis and semantics: the words chosen and their meanings: connotations, semantic fields, slang and jargon.
- Grammar: how words and sentences are built: word classes, tenses, modal verbs, and sentence functions (declarative, interrogative, imperative, exclamative).
- Phonology: the sounds of language: alliteration, rhyme, rhythm, accent and intonation.
- Pragmatics: meaning in context: what is implied rather than said, politeness, and how the same words can mean different things in different situations.
- Discourse: how a whole text or conversation is organised and held together. Graphology: how a text looks: fonts, layout, colour and images.