a level 5

Modality

Refers to the attitude a speaker or writer takes to the idea being
expressed (e.g. certainty, possibility, obligation, ability). Usually conveyed by the use of the appropriate grammatical mood

Anaphoric Reference

where a word refers back to an earlier part of a text for its meaning (e.g. in the following text, the capitalized words refer anaphorically to "David": I recognised David immediately, even though I had not seen HIM, MY OLDEST FRIEND, in years.)

Asynchronous communication

where the medium of communication causes a delay between utterance and response (e.g. letter, email, online forum)

Computer-mediated discourse

the specialist form of language between online users

Deixis

language whose meaning is determined in part by contextual factors, such as who is using it,
when, where and to whom (e.g. "this", "that", "now", "you", "tomorrow").

Discourse Markers

words or phrases which mark boundaries between one topic and another, where a writer or
speaker wishes to change the subject

Aspect

a form of the verb which explains its relation to time, particularly indicating whether an action is
completed (e.g. the perfect - "had walked") or incomplete (e.g. as in the progressive - "was walking" or perfect progressive - "had been walking")

Metalanguage

language which is used to describe or comment on language (e.g. "This translates as..." or "I
meant to say...")

Slogan

a short, direct and memorable phrase, frequently used in advertising

Structure

the way in which a text is ordered and organized

Style

the distinctive overall effect produced by interactions between form, structure, and language

Third person narrative

where the narrator of a story is not directly related to the events being narrated, and typically
uses third-person pronouns (e.g. "he", "she", "they") to refer to the characters involved

Tone

the emotion or attitudes associated with a spoken or written utterance

Topic Sentence

a sentence which contains the essence of the entire paragraph. It is usually at the beginning of

the paragraph and signposts the pattern of information and ideas which follow

Topic shift

the point at which speakers move from one topic to another in conversation

Transactional

writing or speech which aims to complete a transaction and produce a particular outcome (e.g. a letter claiming a refund; giving spoken directions to a destination)

Typography

the visual aspect of written language, including the size, colour and type of font used

Accent

the characteristic pronunciation associated with a geographical area or social group

Descriptivism

the view that no use of language is incorrect and that variations in language should be acknowledged and recorded rather than corrected

Prescriptivism

the view that language should have a strict set of rules that must be obeyed in speech and

writing