Metalanguage of Analysis

Analysis of a visual text

Camera Angle The position of the camera in relation to the subject (creates
perspective indicates connections and power)
Body language and gaze Facial expressions, gestures, stance or position – can convey
the attitude, feelings or personality of the individual shown.
Take note of the direction of the subject’s eyes, as this can
indicate connections, power or lack of
Composition What is included is deliberately placed (also applies to what
is omitted). Consider all inclusions and omissions e.g.
surroundings, object, clothing – think about framing,
foreground, background, juxtaposition
Colour, Hue and Tone In black and white images examine the use of contrast, light
and darkness. In a colour image, colours are used to signify
feelings/cultural connotations and evoke a response. E.g.
Red = passion, anger, hell, vitality, Blue = peace, harmony or
coldness.
Contrast The arrangement of opposite elements (light and dark, large
and small, rough and smooth) to create interest, excitement
or drama, highlight particular qualities
Framing The same camera shots and angles relevant to film..
Juxtaposition Placing something next to something else deliberately for
effect
Omissions What has been deliberately left out?
Orientation, Point of view Relates to framing and angle: is the responder positioned
above the image (looking down), below or at eye level?
Rule of thirds A way of reading an image by dividing an image into thirds
from the top and sides and looking at the placement of
people and/or objects.
Shot choice Close ups, extreme close ups, medium shots, long shots etc.
Used to create context, intimacy, connection, power etc.
Symbolism The use of an image to represent one or more (often
complex) ideas.
Vectors (leading lines) The line that our eyes take when looking at a visual.
Composers deliberately direct our reading path through the
vectors through composition e.g. If all of the subjects are tall,
long and upright our eyes follow straight vectors / leading
lines that lead to the top of the frame. This could make the
subject seem powerful or inflexible.
 Metalanguage of Analysis

Analysis of prose

Allegory Story with a double meaning: on primary (on the surface)

and one secondary – often political or moral.
Alliteration Repetition of consonants at the start of words or in a
sentence or phrase.
Cliché An over-used, common expression.
Consonance Repetition of consonants throughout a sentence or phrase.
Contrast Paradox, antithesis, oxymoron, juxtaposition, contrast in
description etc.
Didactic Any text that instructs the reader or is obviously delivering a
moral message.
Disjunction A conjunction (e.g. ‘but’ or ‘yet’) that dramatically interrupts
rhythm of sentence.
Ellipsis A dramatic pause (…) creates tension or suggests words can’t
be spoken.
Emotive language Words that stir the readers’ emotions.
Euphemism Mild expression used to replace a harsh one.
Exclamation Exclamatory sentence ending in “!” to convey high emotion.
Form Purpose and features of a text influence its construction and
will suggest its structure.
Figurative language and sound Metaphor, metonymy, hyperbole, simile, personification,
devices assonance, alliteration, consonance, onomatopoeia etc.
These devices have a powerful impact as they work on our
senses o strengthen the subject matter of the text.
Fractured/truncated sentences Incomplete sentence used to increase tension or urgency, or
reflect the way people speak to each other.
Gaps and silences What is not said, whose voice isn’t heard and whose voice
dominates?
Humour Incongruity, parody, satire, exaggeration, irony, puns etc.
used to lighten the overall tone.
Icons A single person, object or image that represents complex
idea and feelings.
Imagery Vivid pictures created by words. Reader visualises
character/setting clearly.
Imperative Voice Forceful use of the verb at the start of sentence or phrase.
Intertextuality A text makes a reference to other texts, may be explicit,
implied or inferred
Irony Gap between what is said and what is meant
Juxtaposition Layering images/scenes to have a dramatic impact.
Level of usage of language Slang, colloquial, informal or formal
Linear Sequential – in chronological order
Metaphor Comparison of 2 objects where one becomes/ is another –
adds further layers of meaning about object being
compared.
Modality The force the words are delivered at. High modality =
forceful. Low modality = gentle
Non-linear Non-sequential narrative, events do not occur in
chronological order.
Onomatopoeia A word that echoes the sound it represents. Reader hears
 Metalanguage of Analysis

what is happening.
Parody Conscious imitation for a satiric purpose.
Person First, second or third person. First person refers to the
speaker himself or a group that includes the speaker (i.e. I,
me, we and us).
Second person refers to the speaker’s audience (i.e. you).
Third person refers to everybody else (e.g. he, him, she, her,
it, they, them), including all other nouns (e.g. James,
Swedish, fish, mice).
Personification Human characteristic given to a non-human object.
Inanimate objects take on a life.
Perspective A particular way of looking at individuals, issues, events,
texts, facts etc.
Repetition Of words or syntax (order of words) for emphasis or
persuasion.
Representation How a composer conveys meaning through textual features.
Satire Composition which ridicules in a scornful and humorous way.
Setting Location of a story – internal and external.
Sibilance Repetition of ‘s’ – can sounds melodious and sweet or cold
and icy
Simile Comparison of 2 objects using ‘like’ or ‘as’.
Symbolism When an object represents one or more (often complex)
ideas.
Syntax – sentence structure Short, simple sentences or truncated sentences create
tension, haste or urgency; compound or complex sentences
are slower, often feature in formal texts.
Tense Present, past, future (events are predicted
Theme Message or moral of a story – makes us ponder bigger issues
in life.
Tone The way composer or character feels – conveyed by word
choice.
Word choice or Diction Emotive, forceful, factual, descriptive, blunt, graphic,
disturbing, informative etc. E.g. use of forceful verbs ‘insist’
and ‘demand’ can be very persuasive

Non-fiction analysis
 Metalanguage of Analysis

Audience Is the intended audience of this piece general or specific?

What source is it from, and does that indicate the audience?
Theme and Intention What statement about the human condition is made? What
is the writer’s purpose for a particular audience?
Methods of development Argument or persuasion, narration, description, cause and
effect, comparison and contrast, process analysis, analogy,
definition, example or classification.
Tone Which adjectives which describe the tone of voice of the
article? Angry, critical, reassuring etc.
Emotion / appeals to pathos What do you feel as you read? How has the text created the
emotion? Has the author manipulated your response?
Writing style The specific ways in which the writer has developed the text
consider both diction (word choice) and syntax (sentence
structure).
Identify which techniques the writer has used, provide an
example and explain why it is an effective choice.
The following list of words with descriptions or explanations
may help you name the overall style of the essay:
1. Colloquial conversational, informal
2. Humorous for enjoyment through exaggeration or
irony
3. Formal no slang, usually written rather than spoken
4. Aggressive forceful, vigorous
5. Terse or concise lacking in description
6. Epigrammatic short, witty
7. Ironical satirical
8. Poetic figurative, rhythmic, imagery
9. Earnest sincere
Diction Make sure you identify type of diction otherwise it’s not a
useful term. As you consider each of the following
descriptions of word usage, determine which choices the
author has made, provide examples, and explain why the
choices are effective. Refer back to the description of style in
your explanations, that is, how specific choices develop a
style or tone.
1. Monosyllabic words simple; polysyllabic words
complex. Does the length of the words affect the
style and develop the idea or purpose?
2. Connotation words with an implied or suggested
meaning; is connotation used for any specific
purpose?
3. Are the majority of words concrete and specific, or
are they abstract and general? What effect is
created?
4. Euphony refers to the pleasant sound of words;
cacophony describes harsh sounding words. How
does the sound of the words used develop the idea?
5. Are any words deliberately repeated, and for what
purpose?
6. Are the devices of figurative language or imagery
use? To what effect?
 Metalanguage of Analysis

Syntax Consider each of the following descriptions of sentence

structure, determine which choices the author has made,
provide examples, and explain why the choices are effective.
You might also want to refer back to the description of style
in your explanations, i.e. how specific choices develop a style
or tone.
1. Are the sentences short and simple, or are they long
and complex? Is there a mixture of long and short?
What effect is achieved?
2. Loose sentences can be brought to a close before the
actual ending, usually like a comma, like this one.
Periodic sentences make sense only when the end of
the sentence is reached. Which are most often used,
and for what effect?
3. In a balanced sentence, the phrases or clauses
balance each other by virtue of their likeness or
structure, meaning length. Parallelism refers to a
grammatical or structural similarity between
sentences or parts of a sentence. It’s easy to confuse
the two, so note some examples. What is the effect
of balanced sentences? What is the effect of
parallelism?
4. A declarative sentence makes a statement; an
imperative sentence gives a command; an
interrogative sentence asks a question; an
exclamatory sentence makes an exclamation. How
are these types of sentences used?
5. Examine the way sentences start. Do they all start
with the subject and predicate, or does the passage
contain sentences that start with phrases, clauses,
adjectives, adverbs, gerunds, participles, or
infinitives? How is sentence variety achieved?
6. Juxtaposition a poetic and rhetorical device in which
normally unassociated ideas, words or phrases are
placed next to one another for effect. Is this device
of contrast used, and for what effect?
7. Rhetorical Question a question which expects no
answer, because the answer is implied in the
question. Has the author used a rhetorical question?
What is the effect of the question?
Organisation/Structure The board structure or pattern of development the author
has used. Provide examples, and explain their effectiveness.]
1. Introduction and conclusion. Are they effective for
audience and purpose? How are they related?
2. Logical order of development. How have the events
or points been ordered? Are they chronological, that
is, in order in which they happened? Are they
ordered by importance, and where is the most
important idea?
3. Transitional devices how is fluency achieved? How
 Metalanguage of Analysis

are the ideas in paragraphs related?

Perspective 1. Who is writing? What attitudes/values are

apparent?
2. What can you determine or infer about the context
or background of the writer? How does this context
affect their perspective and the view you are
persecuted with.
3. What agenda do they have? Are they reliable?