Key Linguistic Concepts

Posted on Apr 25, 2025 in Pedagogy

Aspects of Language Analysis

1. Communicative Functions of Language

  • Representative or Referential: Information on events and concepts.
  • Emotive: Shows the feeling or emotion of the speaker.
  • Conative: Aims to change the reader’s attitude or activity.
  • Metalinguistic: Clarifies or defines the meaning of words or expressions.
  • Poetic: Focuses the reader’s attention on the form and sound of words, rather than content.
  • Phatic: Ensures the communication channel is open and the partner is present.

2. Text Types

  • Narrative: Story, joke, legend, etc.
  • Descriptive: Literary descriptions of people, environments, regulations, recipes, etc.
  • Argumentative: Defends a theory or personal opinion with convincing arguments. Examples: articles, critiques, philosophical essays, pamphlets, journalistic columns, judgments. Provides reasons to justify the thesis, which is usually explicit.
  • Expository: Explains and develops a theme or idea for the receiver to understand.

Argument Types

  • Data and Statistics
  • Argument from Authority
  • Quote: Directly names people.
  • Analogy and Examples
  • Life Experience
  • Generalizations or Evident Truths
  • Criterion of Wisdom: Proverbs, sayings, maxims, judgments.
  • Contrast of Ideas

Scope of Use

  • Literary
  • Academic
  • Administrative
  • Advertising
  • Journalistic

3. Language Varieties or Registers

Vulgar, colloquial or familiar, standard or normative, and formal.

Aspects for Analyzing Language Register

  1. The Topic
  2. Mode: Very casual, informal, formal, very formal.
  3. Channel: Written, spontaneous, prepared, very prepared.
  4. Aim or Purpose

4. Expression of Subjectivity Through Modalization

Modalization Procedures

  1. Sentence Types: Interrogative, Statement, Imperative, Optative or Wishful, Hesitant, Exclamatory.
  2. Evaluative Lexical Items: Evaluative adjectives, evaluative nouns.
  3. Derivations
  4. Rhetorical Figures
  5. Punctuation
  6. Register Changes

Aspects of Cohesion

A. Grammatical Cohesion Mechanisms

Deixis, anaphora, ellipsis, cataphora, impersonality, and connectors.

5. Connectors

  • Initiators: To start, first of all.
  • Ordering: Firstly, finally.
  • Transitional: Moreover, on another side of things.
  • Continuative: In this sense, besides, also.
  • Summarizing: In short, briefly, recapitulating.
  • Indicating Space or Time: Before, so far, while.
  • Conclusive: In conclusion, finally, to finish.
  • Adding (Addition): As well, including, also.
  • Testing or Counterarguments: But, instead, however.
  • Causal: Because, since.
  • Consecutive: Consequently, therefore.
  • Conditional: Provided, if, unless.
  • Spatial Relations: In front, at the front, at the bottom, below.
  • Temporal Relations: When, suddenly, once.
  • Point of View: In my opinion, I believe.
  • Expressions of Certainty: It is clear, there is no doubt, it is clear that.
  • Confirmation: In effect, of course.
  • Regarding/Concerning: Regarding, as regards.
  • Reformulation, Explanation, Clarification: That is, that is to say, or.
  • Illustration: For example, in particular.

B. Lexical-Semantic Cohesion Mechanisms

  • Repetition of words.
  • Synonyms/Antonyms, Hypernyms/Hyponyms, paraphrase.
  • Semantic Fields.
  • Replacement through resources: Metaphor, hyperbole, etc.