A Framework for Text Analysis

You might find it useful to use the following list as a means of dealing with text identification with students in order to demonstrate how they need to think about both internal and external factors.

Contextual Analysis Genre of Text What sort of text are you dealing with? What are the established characteristics of this genre that you already know about? Is this a typical example? In what sort of context is this kind of text normally produced? What constraints/ obligations/ rules does this impose upon the text? Where might this sort of text be found? What constraints does its context place upon it (a fashion magazine article may, for example, be surrounded by advertisements). What is the writer aiming to do here? What role is required of the reader/ writer/ speaker/ audience in this text? What cultural values are shared by text producer and audience in the production of writing in this text is this a variation on the normal relationship between producer/ recipient in texts of this genre? What shared understanding of this genre of spoken or written English are required to use or understand this genre effectively: ie, you have to understand the conventions of a Knock knock joke before you get it. There is rarely and Englishman and Irishman, a Scotsman and a Welshman in a pub because that sort of joke depends on threes.

Social Context

Purpose Reader/ Writer roles

Cultural values

Formal text features

Linguistic Analysis Diction and grammatical features What features are prominent and worthy of comment? This could also include features of figurative language, alliteration etc.

Dr Julian Pattison

Text patterns

Can you see any patterns in the text? If so, what is the reason for them? How is the text organised into units of meaning? What is the reason for this organisation? A casual conversation with overlaps, for example is organised thus for reasons of friendliness; a formal essay moves through a logical structure in order to persuade.

Text structure

Dr Julian Pattison