Blog 3: Language Analysis Terms

Learning about language analysis has been interesting! I first learned how to formally analyze a text when I took AP English Language and Composition in my senior year of high school. However, this class takes everything to a whole new, more in-depth level. As we learn more and more, our vocabulary continues to grow. Currently, these are the language analysis terms that we have discussed, defined in my own words:

1.) Language = elements from a set that are combined and used to communicate with others and oneself

2.) Analysis = thoroughly picking something apart and exploring the different aspects to find a unified meaning

3.) Language Analysis = breaking down an example of language, such as an essay, to find greater meaning within it

4.) Categories = the sections that different works or information are classified in, based on features that they hold

5.) Features = the different aspects and elements of a piece, like the thesis in a paper

6.) Discourse= the various ways that language can be used that are determined by the context surrounding it, such as the audience, the writer, and the purpose

7.) Genre= a category of work that is specified by its unique elements that make it different from others

8.) Cultural Knowledge= aspects of a culture that a reader needs to know to correctly interpret a piece of reading, such as a slang phrase or popular belief held within a culture

9.) Lexis= the specific language used in a particular discourse, each discourse community has its own

10.) Discourse Community= a group of individuals that share the same rules for how to express ideas and have common goals as to what to do with those ideas