Levels of

Linguistic
Analysis
 Levels of Linguistic Analysis
1. Phonology
2. Graphology
3. Lexis
4. Syntax
5. Semantics
PHONOLOGY
 Phonology
 According to Khan and Jabeen (2015), this level of
stylistic analysis focuses on the study of a
language's sound system, or the formal rules of
pronunciation. This level concentrates on the role
that sound devices play in texts' stylistic
importance. Alliteration, assonance, consonance,
and phonaesthesia are examples of phonological
devices.
 Alabi (2008) claims that this level is the level of
combined sounds. In order to prove that two
sounds are similar or different, one must use
textual or linguistic evidence. However, as
language is not used in a vacuum, such a
deliberate use of sounds will also have
significance. As spoken language predominates,
this level is the richest and most significant
(Ogunsiji and Farinde, 2013).
Example:
“Their stanzas of stifling scandals
Cause the masses to curse” (Dasylva: “Songs of
Odamolougbe”
 Alliteration, deliberate selection of sounds,
repetition,
 Meaning: sinister, evil, corruption of Nigerian
politicians
GRAPHOLOGY
 Graphology
 This level is considered as the study of written
language usage patterns. According to Khan and Jabeen
(2015:128), this is equivalent to the study of a
language's established spelling rules and writing
system. According to Leech (1969:39), graphology,
which refers to the entire writing system, transcends
orthography. In a similar manner, it is referred to as a
level of linguistic analysis that concentrates on text
layout, word size or shape, and any other graphical or
orthographical element (Yeibo and Akerele 2014).
 The purpose of graphology in a text is to catch the
reader's attention. Graphology offers the reader a
solid impression by communicating the exact mind
of the writer. Punctuation marks like the comma,
full stop, colon, semi-colon, and quote marks, as
well as paragraphing, spacing, and the
foregrounding of certain structures, are examples
of graphological techniques. All these devices
have stylistic effects.
Example:
On the wrinkled face of the hills
i see my shortening shadow
as my sun creeps towards the west hills
gently, gently, gently
like afternoon’s flame l
o
Ushi’s “Hill Song” w
e
r
i
n
g
To ash in the evening
LEXIS
 Lexis
 Lexis simply refers to language's words. It has to
do with a specific language's whole words and
phrases. This level is described by Ogunsiji &
Farinde (2013) as word choice. Our choice of
words is however unique.  This is because of the
possibility that different influences like heredity,
training, and even experience could condition
them.
 A lexical study of style involves the identification
of the components/features of a word in a
sentence. In an advertisement, it can be used to
create a stylistic impact. The study of how
individual words and idioms tend to pattern in
various linguistic contexts on the meaning level in
terms of stylistics is what Khan and Jabeen
(2015:128) refer to as the lexical level of stylistics
analysis.
Example:
I looked upon the rotting sea
And there the dead men lay
I looked upon the rotting deck
And there the dead men lay (Coleridge, “Rime of the
Ancient Mariner”)
SYNTAX
 Syntax
 This level of analysis involves both syntax and
morphology. "The purpose is to evaluate the
internal structure of sentences in a language and
the way they work in sequences, clauses, phrases,
words, nouns, verbs, etc. Need to be distinguished
and placed through an analysis to find the
foregrounding and the derivation," state Khan and
Jabeen (2015:128)
 Thestudy of syntax is the pattern of word
combinations that result in phrases, clauses, and
sentences (Jolayemi 2008). Here, the syntactic
functions of distinct components of speech will be
explored. The investigation will focus on the
syntactic functions of nouns (as subjects, objects,
appositives, tenses, etc.); adverbs (as modifiers,
determinants, and so on)..
Example:
“Home he went”
“home” occurs in the beginning of the sentence to
foreground it.

“Something there is that doesn’t love a wall” Robert

Frost, “Mending Wall”
SEMANTICS
 Semantics
 Simply put, this level is focused on word and
sentence meaning. Depending on the speaker's or
writer's intention, words may be used to produce
denotative, connotative, collocative, affective,
thematic, or stylistic meanings at the semantic level.
We can identify the context of a text, its genre, its
communicative purposes, its author, and other details
by noticing certain distinctive word choices. It's
common to refer to this level as "stylistic meaning."
Example:
The writer has penned down his ideas with extreme
brevity.

I see squeaking Cleopatra boy my greatness….

(Shakespeare)
 THE END.
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