In order to be able to study and compare findings about emotive communication from a unified point of view, this paper proposes a simplified framework of categories of emotive devices, including the devices of evaluation, proximity, specificity, evidentiality, volitionality and quantity. It also discusses concepts which need further clarification, such as 'involvement', 'emotive meaning' etc., and proposes some distinctions between potential perspectives, units and loci of emotive analysis.