AS-Level English Language: Comprehensive Notes

Introduction to AS-Level English Language

  • CGP (Coordination Group Publications) is known for producing an integral part of revision courses widely used in schools.
  • Strong reputation: 90% of schools use CGP books for effective exam preparation.
  • Covers specifications for major exam boards: AQA, Edexcel, OCR, and WJEC.

Comprehensive Revision Resources

  • Thorough notes on essential topics, exam strategies, and practice questions.
  • Warm-up and exam-style questions for each topic.
  • Intention to balance education with entertainment to engage learners.

Language Frameworks Overview

Basics of Analyzing Language
  • The following components are crucial for analyzing spoken and written language:
    1. Genre: Type of discourse (e.g. advertisement, speech).
    2. Register: Appropriate language use per audience/situation (e.g. formal or informal).
    3. Audience: Impact of the listener/reader's context (formal vs. informal address).
    4. Subject: Core focus shown by lexical choices (specific vocabulary).
    5. Purpose: Goals of the speaker/writer (e.g. to persuade, instruct).
    6. Mode: Written (text, articles) vs spoken (conversations, speeches).
Detailed Linguistic Frameworks
  • Lexis: Vocabulary; a lexical field shares same semantic focus (e.g. health-related words).
  • Semantics: Meaning; words can possess both explicit and implicit meanings.
  • Grammar: Rules structuring sentences; includes syntax and morphology.
  • Phonology: Sound system of language; how sounds contribute to “meaning.”
  • Pragmatics: Contextual aspects of language; social conventions steer meaning in use.
  • Graphology: Study of written text layout; considers font, color, and images.

Discourse Structure and Cohesion

  • In written discourse, structure matters: open, develop, and conclude clearly.
  • Cohesion: Connects ideas within a text & between texts, vital in structured arguments:
    1. Reference: Use pronouns to refer back (anaphoric) or forward (cataphoric).
    2. Conjunctions: Words linking clauses provide flow.
    3. Lexical Cohesion: Similar words create a field-specific link.
    4. Collocations: Predictable pairs of words, like “fast asleep.”
    5. Graphological Cohesion: Consistent layout aids in text reader-friendliness.