Appraisal Analysis

Appraisal analysis is the systematic study of evaluative language — how speakers and writers express feelings, make judgements, value things, take a stance toward other voices, and turn the volume of their evaluations up or down. Developed by James Martin and Peter White within the interpersonal metafunction of systemic functional linguistics, the appraisal framework codes evaluative meaning along three systems: ATTITUDE (the kinds of feeling expressed), ENGAGEMENT (how the text positions itself among alternative voices and viewpoints), and GRADUATION (how evaluations are intensified or softened, sharpened or blurred). The method makes the often-invisible work of evaluation explicit, showing how texts construe stance and build alignment with their readers.