Starter: what is the function of each of
the red words in this advertisement?
For now, don’t worry
about technical
terminology – can you
tell me what the
words are doing in
the sentences?
Introduction to Lexis
The lexis of the language is its vocabulary. With over a million words in
English, “what kind of vocabulary is being used in this text” could be a
bit of a daunting question. What we need, in order to carry out rapid
stylistic analysis, is a system of lexical classification to draw on. There
are many such systems – each with different strengths and limitations as
an account of the English lexicon. The important thing at AS is to be
aware of some of the lexical categories.
The first way to categorise words is by
their function in a sentence. This is
known as their word class.
This should be familiar
from GCSE and you
will need to be
comfortable using this
terminology!
• Which are the nouns in the advertisement we looked at earlier?
• Which are the adjectives?
• Which are the verbs?
Looking at open word classes.
• Nouns name things or concepts.
• Adjectives modify (i.e. accompany and slightly refine the meaning of)
nouns.
• Verbs show a state of being, action or event.
• Adverbs act in a similar way to adjectives, and can modify verbs,
adjectives, or other adverbs.
• He ran quickly. (modifies the verb ‘ran’)
• It was a very slow game. (modifies the adjective ‘slow’)
• They were incredibly well organised. (modifies the adverb ‘well’)
• These words classes are open word classes – they are generally open to
new members. For instance, ‘Google’ has, in many languages, become a
verb, i.e. ‘to google’, ‘I googled it’, ‘Er hat es gegoogelt’.
The first way to categorise words is by
their function in a sentence. This is
known as their word class.
This should be familiar
from GCSE and you
will need to be
comfortable using this
terminology!
• Which are the pronouns in the advertisement we looked at earlier?
• Which are the determiners?
• Which are the prepositions?
• Which are the conjunctions?
Looking at closed word classes.
• Pronouns substitute nouns, often referring back or forwards to them (e.g.
it, he, she, you, that, who)
• Determiners add detail or clarity to nouns (e.g. the, my, some). Numbers
count as determiners.
• Prepositions provide connections between words, often showing a sense of
place or time (e.g. in, on, between, during)
• Conjunctions provide connections between larger structures such as
phrases, clauses and other sentences. You’ll cover this in more detail when
you look at grammar and syntax.
• These words classes are closed or grammatical word classes – they are
generally smaller and tend not to have many new members added.
Subclasses
This should be familiar
from GCSE and you
will need to be
comfortable using this
terminology!
• Each of the eight major word classes include subclasses. Looking at
these in further detail can be extremely helpful in analysing how and
why language is used to shape meanings and ideas.
• Looking at the chart of word classes and the advertisement on the
next slide, identify which word classes are used and what significance
they have in terms of the text as a whole.
• Consider what type of text (genre, register, mode) as part of your
analysis.
Bowers & Wilkins have been
established as masters of sound
engineering for almost 50 years. We
are now able to bring that same
expertise to the world of headphones;
the same precision, the same care, the
same extraordinary range and depth
of detail is now available from an
ultra-light, highly portable set of
headphones superbly designed to fit
into your life.
The ‘Longman Dictionary
of Contemporary English’
defines lexis in this way.
The English
lexicon
Words used only
or mainly in one
region
What do you think of the
classification as a way of
explaining the composition
of the English lexicon?
• Is it comprehensive?
• Are the categories
mutually exclusive?
• Have any categories been
left out?
• Are the sub-categories
under the right headings?
• How would you improve
it?
Words which
show a particular
attitude
Words used in a
particular context
British English
Formal lexis
D
Biblical lexis
Trademarks
American English
Informal lexis
Legal lexis
Written lexis
Australian English
Humorous lexis
Taboo lexis
Medical lexis
Technical lexis
Literary lexis
Everyday lexis
Archaic lexis
Impolite lexis
Old-fashioned
lexis
Other ways of
classifying lexis
Spoken lexis
Dude, we totally know what you're thinking. That you'll have to
wake up early. That we'll make you run all day with heavy stuff on
your back. That you have to be drug-free, know how to read, and
rank the U.S. as one of your top five favorite countries. Wrong,
wrong, and wrong! And whatever else you're thinking? Wrong!
The Army is actually a whole lot of fun. Picture this: You get up—
ten, eleven, whatever's good for you. Then we have brunch.
Pancakes, waffles, French toast, some grease if the night before was
a rough one. Sugar cereals. Then, at 1200 hours—just kidding!
nobody here uses that number thing anymore—around noonish we
hit the Xbox for a few hours of Halo and all-you-can-eat Cool Ranch
Doritos. It's combat training without breaking a sweat. After a
quick nap, we pack in some more training by watching a JeanClaude Van Damme movie marathon. Then a dinner of chipped beef
on toast, dehydrated mashed pota- Again, totally joking! We're
having Taco Bell every night, all night, washed down by some of the
best that Milwaukee has to offer.
Extract from spoof U.S. Army recruitment pamphlet, by Joel Stein, in the New Yorker
http://www.newyorker.com/shouts/content/articles/050822sh_shouts
Putting
this into
practice.
Using both your
understanding of word
classes and the lexical
categories used by the
Longman Dictionary, explore
the lexis used in this spoof
army recruitment pamphlet,
which was published in the
New Yorker.
Consider how they lexical
choices help the reader
achieve their purpose.
Putting
this into
practice.
Using both your
understanding of word
classes and the lexical
categories used by the
Longman Dictionary, explore
the lexis used in this Labour
election campaign
advertisement.
Consider how they lexical
choices help the reader
achieve their purpose.
Putting
this into
practice.
Using both your
understanding of word
classes and the lexical
categories used by the
Longman Dictionary, explore
the lexis used in this TfL
warning advertisement.
Consider how they lexical
choices help the reader
achieve their purpose.
How confident are you feeling about referring
to lexis?
Homework
• Find another text – it could be an advertisement, a website, a
greetings card, an advert, a food package. Annotate it and write a
short analysis (200-250 words) on the lexis used and how it helps the
writer achieve their purpose.
• Please hand-write your analysis and provide a copy of the text –
photograph, print-out etc.
• Due Tuesday 14th Sept.