Category 1
A sense of beauty or an appreciation of artistic expression.
Aesthetic
Aesthetic qualities in texts are those that engage the senses and elicit emotional and intellectual responses.
An outlook or a way of thinking or feeling about something.
Attitudes
Our values underlie our attitudes. Attitudes can be expressed by what we say, do and wear.
The group of readers, listeners or viewers that the writer, designer, filmmaker or speaker is addressing.
Audience
When we consider audience we might consider demographics such as age, ethnicity, gender, location, education level, interests etc.
The environment in which a text is created in or responded to.
Context
We can consider how texts are shaped by various types of contexts such as authorial, historical, cultural, social, political, personal or generic.
The techniques, features or elements that belong to a particular genre.
Convention
In order to belong to a particular genre, a text should adhere to, abide by or follow the conventions of that genre.
The ways in which information is organised in different types of texts.
Text Structures
Text structure will depend on the form and purpose of the text e,g. article, essay, poem, narrative etc. and each form will have its own set of associated structural features.
Particular interpretations of texts.
Readings
They might be dominant, resistant or alternative (including feminist, postcolonial, ecocritical, marxist or other forms of readings).
The word has an open meaning and can be interpreted as understandings, thoughts, notions, opinions, views or beliefs.
Ideas
We generally state themes as ideas when analysing literature or media.
Language techniques used in argument to persuade audiences.
Rhetorical Devices
They might appeal to logos, ethos or pathos. Examples include rhetorical questions, repetition, hyperbole, tricolon, facts/statistics and inclusive language.
An idea, concern or argument developed in a text usually centred around an aspect of human experience.
Theme
We generally discuss themes as ideas e.g. the theme of a text might be love and the idea conveyed could be how love involves sacrifice. Texts have multiple themes.
describes the way the ‘voice’ is delivered.
Tone
For example, the tone of a voice or the tone in a passage of writing could be friendly or angry or persuasive.
Various components of a text that contribute to its visual presentation and impact.
Visual Elements
They include things like composition, framing, representation of action or reaction, shot size, social distance and camera angles.
The channel or platform through which communication is transmitted (i.e. how messages are delivered to an audience).
Medium
For example, print media (books, newspapers), digital media (websites, blogs), audio media (audiobooks, podcasts) or audiovisual media (film, television).
The atmosphere or feeling in a particular text.
Mood
For example, a text might create a sombre, reflective, exhilarating or menacing mood. Mood can be conveyed through elements such as tone, word choice, syntax and imagery.
The distinct personality of a piece of writing created through syntax, punctuation, vocabulary choices, persona and dialogue.
Voice
Texts often contain ‘multiple voices’. These are the views, positions, ideas and perspectives of individuals or groups.
The way people, events, issues or subjects are presented in a text.
Representation
The term implies that texts are not mirrors of the real world; they are constructions of ‘reality’, partially shaped through the writer’s use of conventions and techniques.
The ways in which a narrator may be related to the story.
Narrative Point of View
For example, the narrator might take the role of first or third person, omniscient or limited (in knowledge of events), reliable or unreliable in interpreting what happens. Some texts have multiple narrative points of view.
The things that we hold as important, good, desirable or worthwhile.
Values
They guide or motivate our attitudes or actions. We can have individual values or group values (cultural values).
The shape and structure of a text.
Form
Literary texts, for example, include a broad range of forms such as novels, poetry, short stories, plays, fiction, multimodal texts, and non-fiction.
Things which directly or indirectly affect a person or members of a society and are considered to be problems.
Issues
These matters of personal or public concern are often in dispute. They might be social, economic, environmental etc.
A position from which things may be viewed or considered.
Perspective
It is more than an opinion; it is a viewpoint informed by one or more contexts. People may have different perspectives on events or issues due to their age, gender, social position, beliefs, values etc.
The categories into which texts are grouped.
Genre
It might include genre of form (e.g. poetry, prose, drama, non-fiction) or genre of subject matter (e.g. romance, mystery, science fiction etc).
The various processes of communication.
Mode
These modes include linguistic (written or spoken language), visual (images, symbols, colours), gestural (body language, gestures), spatial (layout, organisation), and auditory (sound, music).
The way a reader, viewer or audience reacts or responds to a text.
Response
This might include how they feel (emotional response), what they think or consider (intellectual response) or what they do (behavioural response).
Texts that combine two or more communication modes.
Multimodal
Multimodal texts can take various forms, such as picture books, digital media, films, advertisements, graphic novels, presentations and artworks.
Language used to discuss language.
Metalanguage
For example, language used to discuss film or literary study, such as mise-en-scène, symbolism, characterisation, or language used to talk about grammatical terms, such as sentence, clause or conjunction.
A text that combines elements of different genres, modes, or forms to create a unique and multifaceted text.
Hybrid Text
Examples of hybrid texts include websites, digital narratives, interactive e-books, multimedia poetry etc.
The features of language that support meaning.
Language Features
This might include sentence structure, word classes, vocabulary, punctuation, figurative language etc. It can also include visual language.
The process of analysing and making meaning from a text.
Interpretation
It involves critically examining the content, structure, language features, and stylistic choices of a text to uncover deeper layers of meaning, themes, and messages.
The ways in which aspects of texts are arranged and how they affect meaning.
Stylistic Features
Examples of stylistic features are lexical choice, syntax, narrative point of view, voice, structure, language patterns and language features, both written and visual.