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.

Lets 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 wont always need to use every aspect of the language level for every text that we study.
However, lets 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 Flynns note again. How sincere do you rate the apology on a scale of 110. 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 Flynns situation requires a high degree
of formality, as a stranger is writing to apologise for being in a womans 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

Flynns 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, Whats 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.
Dont 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. Dont worry if you dont 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