English Language: Terminology

Framework

Lexis: Word choice. Meaning at word and phrase level.

Grammar: How the Language is built i.e. the structure and rules which underpin how we form sentences.

Phonology: How we organise the sounds of our language to produce certain effects including rythm, rhyme, intonation, stress and pauses etc.

Pragmatics: How we know what language means when it is used in a specific context, sometimes described as 'Reading between the lines'. 

Discourse: 1) How longer stretches of text are organised (cohesion- how it holds together e.g. use of discourse markers) 2) The way texts create identities for particular individuals, groups or institutions e.g. the discourse of Law, Politics and the media.

Graphology: How the designs of a text can contribute to meaning including use of fonts, graphics and colours etc.

Related concepts:

Register: How language varies in relation to audience, purpose and context e.g. a formal letter uses a different register to one written to a friend.

Mode: How language may vary according to the channel of communication (speech, writing and mixed modes) e.g. how you would write something down as a message would be different from how you would pass it on orally.

Idiolect: The unique way one person expresses themselves due to their personality, belief systems, social experience etc.

Sociolect: The way of expressing themselves that a social group have in common e.g. we could generalise the way teenagers speak, aristocrats speak and students speak etc.

Dialect: The variation in word choice and grammatical structure due to where someone lives e.g. "Cheers drive" is a Bristolian saying, as is the grammatical structure "where's she too?"