Analysing the data

The analytical questions and operations students will explore are likely to be variations on the following:

• How is language being used?
• Why is language being used in these ways?
• What is the effect of this language use?'
• What is my response to/evaluation of this language use?

These questions mean that you must:

• identify distinctive language uses
• describe these features linguistically
• explain the features
• comment on them

Once you have considered this you are now in a position to formulate your objectives. These are the specific aspects of the data you are going to analyse. It may be helpful to consider what levels of language and what features the analysis is going to focus on:

The Phonological Level: e.g. vowels, consonants, word prominence, tone, groups, etc.
The Graphological Level: e.g. use of typeface, use of layout features
The Lexical-Semantic Level: e.g. use of metaphors, semantic fields, Latinate vs Anglo-Saxon words
The Grammatical Level: e.g. use of sentence types, use of verb tenses, use of word classes
The Discourse Level: e.g. use of turn-taking/overlapping, address to the audience, structural devices e.g. question/answers, problem-solution

As you carry out your analysis it is important to bear in mind the following:

• you  should be demonstrating knowledge of relevant linguistic concepts
• you  should be using frameworks for analysis, describing language technically
• you  need to try to establish patterns in language: this will involve looking for repeated usages
• you  need to back up points with quotations from the data or figures where appropriate
• you  may choose to use tables and charts to show some findings
• you  should be giving examples and analysing and evaluating their significance