A-Level English Language: Text Analysis

• This question involves comparing or contrasting two texts related to topics like Global English, language and power, or language and gender within the A-level English Language course.

Marking Areas

• AO1: Apply language analysis methods, use terminology, write coherently.
• AO3: Analyze how context and language create meaning.
• AO4: Explore interconnections between texts using linguistic concepts.

AO1 (10 Marks)

• Use linguistic methods to identify semantic patterns, sentence and clause types, cohesion, and text structure.
• Guide the reader effectively.

AO3 (15 Marks)

• Evaluate how language is used for representation.
• Assess persuasiveness, audience positioning, self-representation of writers.
• Analyze sentence and clause types and their impact on meaning.

AO4 (15 Marks)

• Evaluate connections across contexts.
• Compare two texts, noting representational and meaning differences.
• Evaluate genre, purpose, and audience effects.

Discourses Used by Writers

• Decay Discourse: English is worsening and losing its "proper" form.
• Pollution Discourse: English is polluted (changed negatively) by certain groups, often blaming youths.
• Disease Discourse: Language changes are seen as infectious.
• Nature Discourse: Language naturally adapts and evolves.
• Conflict and Invasion Discourse: Resist changes to English from other cultures or groups.
• Correctness Discourse: Only the standard form of English is correct.

Prescriptivism vs. Descriptivism

• Prescriptivism: Language rules should be followed to prevent change, which is seen as bad by extremist prescriptivists (declinists).
• Descriptivism: language is observed to figure out how it works without controlling it.
• Extremist descriptivists promote language change (evolutionists).
• David Crystal: grammar does not make judgments about their standing in society.

Attitude Continuum

• Declinist: Language is deteriorating in standard and proficiency.
• Prescriptivist Sticklerist: Adheres to language rules.
• Benign Prescriptivist: Rules should ideally be followed but isn't overly negative about language change.
• Descriptivist: Non-judgmental about language changes.
• Evolutionist: Accepts and encourages language change.

Essay Response Structure

• Summarize each writer's perspective, representation of language form, self-representation, and audience positioning.
• Analyze meanings conveyed in the title and opening of each source.
• Thoroughly analyze meanings and representations, aligning with the attitude continuum, starting each paragraph with a topic sentence.
• Thorough analysis continuing from the previous paragraph.

Possible Areas to Cover

• Representation of language topic.
• Representation of language users (if relevant).
• Self-representation of the writer and/or voices on the language topic.
• Positioning of the reader on the language topic.

AO1 Terminology

• PAFT: Purpose, Audience, Format, Tone.
• Context: Background information, setting, other people.
• Context of reception: How a text is read and factors influencing interpretation.
• Context of production: How a text is produced and factors influencing its writing. Both reception and production contexts are equally important.
• Actual reader: Any reader who engages with the text.
• Implied reader: The reader the producer expects to follow their point of view.
• Implied writer: A constructed image of the writer a reader has in mind.
• Reader positioning: Shaping a reader's viewpoint or perspective.
• Ephemeral text: Temporary and not intended to be kept for long.
• Semantic field: Words with similar meanings or related ideas.
• Pejoration: When a word's connotations become negative over time.
• Euphemism: A polite expression replaces an offensive one.
• Dysphemism: Using harsh expressions for neutral ones.
• Temporal prepositional phrase: Indicates time.
• Spatial prepositional phrase: Indicates location.
• Proper noun: Specifies something, always capitalized.
• Concrete noun: Detectable by the five senses.
• Abstract noun: Ideas or qualities undetectable by the five senses.
• Premodifier (adjective): Adds words before nouns to add more meaning
• Postmodifier (adjective): Modifies a noun by adding a word after it
• Comparative (adjective): Compares with "er" or "more."
• Superlative (adjective): Best of all, using "est."
• Intensifier: Absolutely, completely, extremely, highly, rather, really, so, too, totally, utterly, very
• Definite article: "the"
• Indefinite article: "a"
• Primary auxiliary: to be, to have, to do.
• Modal auxiliary: suggest mood/politeness.
• Adverbs: Express place, time, or manner.
• Active voice: Subject performs the action.
• Passive voice: The object and action are the main.
• Sentence: Simple, Compound, Complex
• Declarative: A statement.
• Interrogative: A question.
• Imperative: A command.
• Exclamatory: shows something is exclaimed