Using the Text Analysis Tool COLDV

This class requires a lot of text analysis. When you analyze a text, you are determining what sets that text apart from other texts you have read/written. In what ways is it similar or different? The COLDV acronym will give you a framework to conduct your analysis. When you are choosing features to discuss in your analysis or features to replicate, choose ones that stand out for the reader – things that the author uses consistently.

Content

Start with the obvious. What content is included in the text? Think about what information the author has decided to include in the text and how it relates to the topic, purpose, and audience. These are the:

• Appropriate topics and relevant details. Think about why a specific topic is appropriate or relevant based on the purpose and the audience. As you think about these, it might be helpful to think about what the author does not discuss in the text. What is fully explained and what isn’t fully explained?

Now think a little bit deeper. Here are some possibilities to discuss:

• Assumptions behind the author’s statements. What does the author believe the audience believes, thinks, or feels about the issues, topics, and details he/she is discussing?
• Disciplinary knowledge. This is generally knowledge gained through study or work in a particular field. Think about whether the text has information that is relevant to a particular major or job. This is often knowledge that a person outside of the field might not have and would not understood by members of the general public.
• Insider knowledge. This is generally knowledge that is shared by a relatively small number of people and that is not known by others, often because it is secret.
• Community knowledge. Is there information that is known within a specific information community that may not be known by others? These communities are often based around hobbies, interests, and lifestyle issues.
• Participants: who is quoted/paraphrased? Whose points of views are expressed? Why are these people chosen? If the text is about a controversial issue, are both sides addressed?

Organization

Features related to how the writer chooses to organize the information in the text. Writers generally use more than one method of organization. This can be about the text as a whole (macro-organization) or a particular section of the text (micro-organization — just one paragraph or a chunk of paragraphs). Some common organization techniques are:

Problem-solution                                                                  General – particular

Description                                                                            Narrative

Instruction                                                                             Explanation

Definition                                                                               Classification

Compare-contrast                                                                 Cause-effect

Exemplification

Also think about the order in which the author organizes information. If it is a persuasive piece, is the main claim at the beginning or the end? If it is a resume, why would one person list their education first and another put their work experience first?

Language

Features relating to the language the author uses in the writing. Again, these should be things that are very evident in the text.

• Vocabulary: What kind of vocabulary is particular to this text? Be specific about what is special about the type of vocabulary chosen.
• Specific grammar features, such as passive voice, use of conditionals (“if” clauses)
• Verb choice: use of modals for hedging, imperative (command voice)
• Sentence structure: Say what is special about the sentence structure. Maybe the author uses mainly short sentences or long ones. Maybe the author uses short sentences to emphasize points. Maybe the author uses lots of noun phrases or prepositional phrases, or deliberately writes long, stringy, ungrammatical sentences for effect.
• Jargon: Words and expressions used in a particular profession or by a particular group of people, which are difficult for other people to understand. This word is often used to show disapproval.
• Figurative language, such as metaphor and simile
• Tone: Does the text sound academic, professional, polite, apologetic, friendly, etc.?

Design

Features related to the way the text is laid out on the page. These are physical characteristics of the writing’s format, such as:

Headings                                                                                    Official logos, seals

Use of images, charts, or graphs                                              Bullet points

Spacing of the text                                                                    Use of color

Different sized fonts                                                                  Different types of font

Highlighting particular phrases by using techniques such as bold, underline, or italics

For the analysis, try to think beyond just the goal of making the text eye-catching. Think about why someone would put a logo on a text, or why they might have chosen a particular color or set of colors, for example.

Values

Think about what is important to both the reader and writer. This needs to be specific and can fall under general categories that may overlap:

• Shared life experience: What experiences relating to the topic have both the reader and writer had? If the topic is vaccines, the shared life experiences might be “being a parent” or “having had one of the diseases as a child.” The feature is whatever the particular shared life experience is.
• Shared cultural values: These are values that stem from the reader and writer coming from the same or similar cultures. These are often related to religion or societal issues. A shared cultural value in the United States is “freedom of speech.” Again, state the specific cultural value.
• Shared disciplinary values: These are values that are shared because the reader and writer have a background in the same discipline. What things are important to people from the discipline that are evident in the text? In your analysis, you will want to state the specific disciplinary value.

Work Cited

Adapted from Johns, A. M. (1997). Text, role, and context : developing academic literacies. Cambridge University Press.