Language Analysis Techniques

Alliteration
Repetition of a consonant
Eg: Rapid Rise

Anecdote
Short Account or Story
Eg. Personal Anecdote

Appeal to Authority

Uses the opinion of an expert to prove a point
Eg. Doctors, Scientists

Appeal to Common Sense

Practical Everyday knowledge that is accepted as obvious and therefore true
Eg. 'Its pure common sense'

Appeal to Family Values

Suggests that family life provides the essential values for an healthy and stable society

Appeal to Fear and Insecurity

Suggests that peoples safety, security and freedom are at risk
Presents a worst case scenario

Appeal to the Hip-Pocket Nerve

Threatens our financial wellbeing because we fear or believe that we are being overcharged or ripped off

Appeal to Tradition and Customs

Appeals to a sense of security based on the belief that rituals and traditions are valuable and should be preserved

Appeal to Loyalty and Patriotism

Assumes a commitment to our group, a love of our country

Appeal to Sense of Justice

Plays upon our belief that we all have the right to be treated fairly and we should strive for just outcomes

Attack

Belittle or denigrate an individual or group

Praise

Presents a person or group in a positive light

Exaggeration, Overstatement, Hyperbole

Presents an extreme view of an situation for dramatic impact
May not be completely literal

Generalisation

A sweeping statement that suggests what is true for some is true for all

Graphs and Diagrams

Facts and Figures presented in a visual medium

Inclusive Language

Uses 'we', 'our','us' to include the readers in the same group as the writer

Irony

A feature that allows the writer to say one thing when they really mean the other

Clichés

Overused phrases that a wide range of readers can quickly grasp and understand

Colourful Language

Creates a strong image through unusual and striking words

Connotations and Loaded Words

Meanings associated to words or implied by words that are not necessarily the dictionary meanings

Emotive Language

Deliberate use of strong words and phrases to arouse the readers feelings and so manipulate them to agree

Evidence and Statistics

The use of facts and figures to provide rational proof as the basis for a substantiated point of view

Metaphor and Simile

Compare two different things, suggesting a similarity between them.
A simile uses 'as if' or 'like'

Pun

A play on words that suggests a double meaning

Reason and Logic

Used to develop a sound indisputable argument

Repetition

Using the same word of phrase and idea to add emphasis

Rhetorical Question

A question with an implied but unstated answer