English Language Frameworks

English Language Frameworks

1. Lexis

   • Lexis means the vocabulary of a language.
   • When you're analysing spoken and written language you'll notice words that share a similar topic or focus.
     • E.g: in an advert for mobile phones you'd find words such as SMS, text-messaging, and battery life. Words that are linked together in this way are known as a lexical field.

2. Semantics

   • Semantics is the study of how meaning is created through words and phrases.
     • Sometimes this meaning is explicit, but sometimes it's implicit.
       • A word will have a literal meaning but it can also be associated with other meanings.
   • E.g: the words red refers to a colour, but it can also be associated with danger.

3. Grammar

   • Grammar is the system of rules that governs how words and sentences are constucted.
     • There are 3 parts to this...
       • !) A system that groups words into classes according to their function (e.g: nouns or verbs).
       • 2) A system of rules about how these types of words function in relation to each other (syntax).
       • 3) The individual units that make up while words (morphology)

4. Phonology

   • Phonology is the study of sounds in English.
     • E.g: how they are pronounced and how they're combined to make words.
   • This framework includes Non-Verbal Aspects of Speech (NVAS) or prosody.
     • Features of spoken language, such as pace, stress, rhythm and intonation.

5. Pragmatics

   • Pragmatics is sometimes called language in use.
     • It's about how social conventions, context, personality and relationships influence the choices people make about their language.
   • E.g: how you address other people shows levels of formality and social conventions.

6. Graphology

   • Graphology is that study of the appearance of writing and the effect this has on a text.
   • When you discuss a text's graphology you describe and analyse features like the typeface, the positioning of text on a page and the relationships between tact and images.

7. Discourse

   • Discourse is an extended piece of spoken or written language, made up of more than one utterance (in spoken language) or more than one sentence (in written language).