Pdf version mode field function audience and language levels

AS English Language: Language and Context It is almost always best to approach and then analyse any text by first exploring context. You begin analysing a text by first asking all sorts of questions about it:     

What is it?

What is it about?

Why was it produced?

Who produced it?

For whom was it produced?

These questions all relate to the circumstances of a text – what we call its context. These questions also relate to some important linguistic concepts: mode, field, function, audience.

You might want to remember these with the mnemonic device (memory device): Mo-fi Funk-A. Let’s explore Mo-fi Func-A in more depth:

MMFA: Mode, Field, Function, Audience MODE (text type): What is it?

The method of communication. We will be focusing on the three modes throughout the course: spoken, written, multimodal. This can also include the text type or genre, for example: advertisement, journalism etc FIELD (topic): What is it about?

‘Field’ may include the use of specialist or non-specialist language. Particular occupations, professions or areas of interest have their own specialised vocabulary, sometimes referred to as ‘jargon’.

FUNCTION: Why was it produced?

The intended purpose of the text. Depending on the function, social language or language to inform or persuade might be used AUDIENCE: Who produced it? For whom was it produced?

The intended recipients. This includes the relationship (or assumed relationship) between speaker/hearer or writer/reader – the addresser and addressee. This can include the standing between the participants and the stance adopted by the writer/speaker.

REGISTER All of this will influence the register of a text. Register can be defined as language used for a particular purpose in a particular social context and will vary according to the contextual factors (Mo-fi Funk-A) listed above.

Task One Read the following text. It was fond one morning just inside the doorway of a bed and breakfast bedroom:

Dear Madam, Many appologies for entering your room in the darkest hours I did not have my glasses on.

Mr Flynn

Consider the following questions based on mode, field, function and audience: 1. Mode: What is it? Give reasons for your answer.

2. Field: What is it about? Describe in one sentence what you imagine the incident to have been.

3. Function: Why? What do you think the purpose of the text was?

4. Audience: Who produced it? What can you deduce about the answer?

5. Audience: For whom was it produced? Who do you think this was?

Language Levels Once you have thought about the context of any text you need to turn your attention to the words used linked to context. Ask yourself: ‘how does the style of language reflect this particular situation?’

Language Levels:       

Discourse: Overall structure of the whole text Grammar and Syntax: Sentence structure: this means the structures created by combing words together: phrases, clauses, sentences Lexis: Choice of words Semantics: Meaning of words Morphology: Structure of words (a morpheme is the smallest part of a word recognised as having a meaning) Phonology: the sounds of language Graphology: visual marks on the page

Task Two We won’t always need to use every aspect of the language level for every text that we study.

However, let’s return to the letter and analyse it using the language levels:

1. Discourse: What does the choice of address (‘Dear Madam’) and sign off (‘Mr Flynn’) suggest?

2. Lexis: Why do you think the writer chose the verb ‘entering’ rather than ‘coming in’?

3. Morphology: Why do you think the writers uses the superlative adjective ‘darkest’ rather than ‘dark’?

4. Graphology: What do you notice about spelling and punctuation?

Does the handwriting tell you anything about the writer?

5. Grammar: Is the sentence structure standard? In other words, is it appropriate for formal written English?

Constructing Meaning Language analysis is not just a way of dissecting a text and labelling the parts. This is known as feature spotting and it is crucial you do not merely ‘feature spot’ in your work.

Language is essentially a means of communication, so the aim of language study should be to shed light on meanings and explain how they are conveyed.

Task Three: Look at Mr Flynn’s note again. How sincere do you rate the apology on a scale of 1–10. Justify your position with evidence from the text.

Two areas of language explore the ways meanings are constructed: semantics and pragmatics. 

Semantics: When you talk about the associations of the noun phrase ‘the darkest hours’, you are dealing with semantics – the relationship between words and meanings.



Pragmatics: When you try to work out what Mr Flynn really means by ‘many apologies,’ you are discussing pragmatics – the ways meanings are implied in a social context.

Formality We should also consider the degree of formality (formality/informality) of a text. People adjust the tone of their language to suit the situation they are in.

Consider the letter. Many people would think that Mr Flynn’s situation requires a high degree of formality, as a stranger is writing to apologise for being in a woman’s room late at night. Mr Flynn does make some effort to be formal, but the note remains casual in tone. Perhaps we need to know more about the social context in which the note was written.

When you identify language features, always explain why they are significant to the whole context. For example:

There is a mixture of formality and informality in Mr Flynn’s note. This is because an apology to a stranger usually involves a high degree of formality, but a handwritten note tends to be more informal.

Task Four Read the following text taken from the website, ‘What’s On Cornwall’.

Dinosaur Uproar 24 July — 2 September Get ready for madness, mayhem and happy chaos!

Last year we unleashed them... now they've multiplied and are set for a total takeover.

Dinosaur activities Trek through Creataceous caverns on an adventure to meet all manner of rampaging reptiles and other prehistoric creatures, from the mini to the mighty. The 2015 season features five times as many dinosaurs as last year, including a giant Australovenator that will be regularly rampaging across the Eden site.

Dive into a spectacular underwater scene, and marvel at the sight of a life-size dinosaur skeleton.

There's fun for all ages, including the little ones. Turn dinosaur hunter and use pickaxes to uncover a fossilised dinosaur skeleton in the ever-popular Dig Pit, or have a go at piecing together our giant Jurassic jigsaws.

More details of the event will be posted on this page soon...

Fill out the grid on the next page by completing the following:  Identify the mode, field, function and audience.  Analyse the use of language in this text using the language levels to help you.

Don’t worry if you are less familiar with many of the terms at this point! Use terms where you can, but your analysis is most important.  Comment on the degree of formality of the text Remember to link the language used to context. Don’t worry if you don’t fill in every space – some may be much more important than others for this text.

‘Dinosaur Uproar’ Mode What is it?

Field What is it about?

Function Why? Purpose?

Audience Who produced it?

For whom?

Register/degree of formality

Discourse (overall structure)

Grammar and Syntax

Morphology

Lexis and Semantics

Phonology and Graphology