GLOSSARY TERMS Flashcards
VOICE
Voice, in a literary sense, is the distinct personality of a piece of writing. Voice can
be created through the use of syntax, punctuation, vocabulary choices, persona
and dialogue. Texts often contain ‘multiple voices’. These are the views, positions,
ideas and perspectives of individuals or groups. It is important to recognise the
various voices in a text, how they relate to one another, and how the creator of a
text uses these to shape audience response
Analyse
Consider in detail for the purpose of finding meaning or relationships, and
identifying patterns, similarities and differences
Aesthetic
sense of beauty or an appreciation of artistic expression
issues
Matters of personal or public concern that are in dispute; things which directly or
indirectly affect a person or members of a society and are considered to be
problems. Many issues are raised in texts and it is for the reader/audience to
identify these
Language features
The features of language that support meaning (for example, sentence structure,
noun group/phrase, vocabulary, punctuation, figurative language, framing,
camera angles). Choices in language features and text structures together define a
type of text and shape its meaning. These choices vary according to the purpose
of a text, its subject matter, audience, and mode or medium of production
Attitudes
An outlook or a specific feeling about something. Our values underlie our
attitudes. Attitudes can be expressed by what we say, do and wear.
audience
The group of readers, listeners or viewers that the writer, designer, filmmaker or
speaker is addressing. Audience includes students in the classroom, an individual,
the wider community, review writers, critics and the implied audience.
context
The environment in which a text is responded to or created. Context can include
the general social, historical and cultural conditions in which a text is responded
to and created (the context of culture) or the specific features of its immediate
environment (context of situation). The term is also used to refer to the wording
surrounding an unfamiliar word that a reader or listener uses to understand its
meaning.
Convention
An accepted practice that has developed over time and is generally used and
understood, for example, the use of specific structural aspects of texts such as in
report writing with sections for introduction, background, discussion and
recommendations. Conventions can be techniques, features or elements that
belong to a genre. In order to belong to a particular genre, a text should adhere
to, abide by or follow the conventions of that genre.
Figurative language
Word groups/phrases used in a way that differs from the expected or everyday
usage. They are used in a non-literal way for particular effect
(for example, simile – ‘white as a sheet’; metaphor – ‘all the world’s a stage’;
personification – ‘the wind grabbed at my clothes’).
issues
Matters of personal or public concern that are in dispute; things which directly or
indirectly affect a person or members of a society and are considered to be
problems. Many issues are raised in texts and it is for the reader/audience to
identify these
metalanguage
Language used to discuss language (for example, language used to discuss film or
literary study, such as mise-en-scène, symbolism, characterisation, or language
used to talk about grammatical terms, such as ‘sentence’, ‘clause’, ‘conjunction’)
mode
The various processes of communication: listening, speaking, reading/viewing and
writing/creating. Modes are also used to refer to the semiotic
(meaning-making) resources associated with these communicative processes,
such as sound, print, image and gesture.
Mood
The atmosphere or feeling in a particular text. For example, a text might create a
sombre, reflective, exhilarating or menacing mood or atmosphere depending on
the imagery or other language used.
Narrative point of view
The ways in which a narrator may be related to the story. For example, the
narrator might take the role of first or third person, omniscient or restricted in
knowledge of events, reliable or unreliable in interpreting what happens. Texts
can have multiple narrative points of view.
Stylistic choices
The selection of stylistic features to achieve a particular effect.
Stylistic features
The ways in which aspects of texts are arranged and how they affect meaning.
Examples of stylistic features are lexical choice, syntax, narrative point of view,
voice, structure, language patterns and language features, both written and
visual. Style can distinguish the work of individuals, for example, Winton’s stories,
Wright’s poems and Luhrmann’s films as well as the works of a particular period.
tone
Tone describes the way the ‘voice’ is delivered. For example, the tone of a voice
or the tone in a passage of writing could be friendly or angry or persuasive.
