Breaking Down Language Analysis

Focus is your starting point - you need to identify what type of text you're dealing with and who it's aimed at. Is it a newspaper article targeting older readers, or maybe social media content for younger audiences? Different text types like novels, leaflets, or letters each have their own characteristics.

Audience matters massively because it shapes everything else about the text. You can often work out the intended audience by looking at the language choices - formal vocabulary suggests a professional audience, whilst slang might indicate younger readers.

The purpose is what the text is actually trying to do. Most texts aim to entertain, inform, persuade, instruct, or argue a point. Once you've identified this, everything else starts to make sense.

Quick Tip: Always start by asking "Who is this for?" and "What's it trying to achieve?" - these questions unlock everything else about the text.