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Language levels and methods of analysis

6 dot points across 6 inquiry questions. Click any dot point for a focused answer with worked past exam questions where available.

How is a whole text organised so that it holds together and flows?

Discourse: text structure, cohesion and coherence, discourse markers, turn-taking and adjacency pairs in spoken interaction, and genre conventions.
A focused answer to the AQA A-Level English Language discourse level, covering text structure, cohesion and coherence, discourse markers, turn-taking and adjacency pairs in spoken interaction, and how whole-text organisation shapes meaning.
11 min answer →

How are words built and arranged into phrases, clauses and sentences to make meaning?

Grammar and morphology: word structure, inflection and derivation, phrases and clauses, sentence types and functions, and how syntactic choices shape meaning.
A focused answer to the AQA A-Level English Language grammar and morphology level, covering morphemes, inflection and derivation, phrases, clauses, sentence types and functions, and how syntax creates meaning and effect.
11 min answer →

How do the visual and layout choices of a text shape how we read it?

Graphology: layout, typography, images, colour, font and other visual features, and how the visual presentation of a text creates meaning and effect.
A focused answer to the AQA A-Level English Language graphology level, covering layout, typography, font, colour, images and other visual features, and how the visual presentation of a text creates meaning, guides reading and serves audience and purpose.
10 min answer →

How do the words a text chooses and the meanings they carry shape its message?

Lexis and semantics: vocabulary choice, word classes, semantic fields, connotation and denotation, figurative language and how word meaning creates effects.
A focused answer to the AQA A-Level English Language lexis and semantics level, covering vocabulary choice, semantic fields, denotation and connotation, figurative language and how lexical choices create meaning and effect.
11 min answer →

How do we describe the sounds of speech and the way they are organised and delivered?

Phonetics, phonology and prosodics: how speech sounds are produced and patterned, and how stress, rhythm, intonation and pace carry meaning in spoken language.
A focused answer to the AQA A-Level English Language phonetics, phonology and prosodics level, covering speech sounds, phonemes, the use of the IPA, and prosodic features such as stress, intonation and pace in spoken texts.
10 min answer →

How do speakers and writers mean more than they literally say?

Pragmatics: implicature, the cooperative principle and Grice's maxims, politeness theory, deixis, speech acts and how context shapes meaning.
A focused answer to the AQA A-Level English Language pragmatics level, covering implicature, Grice's cooperative principle and maxims, speech acts, deixis, politeness theory and how context produces meaning beyond the literal words.
11 min answer →