Genre analysis: English in academic and research settings / John M. Swales
01 Jan 1991-Vol. 1991, Iss: 1991, pp 1-99
About: The article was published on 1991-01-01 and is currently open access. It has received 5640 citations till now.
Citations
More filters
TL;DR: English as a lingua franca (ELF) has been little described as a language form as discussed by the authors, despite the growing recognition of the widespread use of English, it is surprising that English as a lexicon has attracted little attention.
Abstract: political power of the United States, but the origins have ceased to be the prime motivation for the continued spread of the language. Most of its use today is by nonnative speakers (NNSs), and the number of people speaking it as a foreign or second language has surpassed the number of its native speakers (NSs) (about 80% of speakers of English are estimated to be bilingual users; see Crystal, 1997). As a consequence, voices in the English teaching profession and among scholars in the field (see, e.g., Kachru, 1996; Knapp, 2002; McArthur, 2001; Rampton, 1990; Seidlhofer, 2000; Widdowson, 1994) have questioned the NS's status as the most relevant model for teaching English and have called for the development of models for international speakers that are more appropriate to the changed role of English. In view of the growing recognition of the widespread use of English, it is surprising that English as a lingua franca (ELF) has been little described as a language form. Native or established world varieties of English (corresponding to the inner and outer circles of Kachru, 1985, but excluding the expanding circle) have attracted scholarly attention
261 citations
01 Jan 2000
TL;DR: This book deals with one form of CALL, what the authors call network-based language teaching (NBLT), language teaching that involves the use of computers connected to one another in either local or global networks.
Abstract: Since the early 1960s, language teachers have witnessed dramatic changes in the ways that languages are taught. The focus of instruction has broadened from the teaching of discrete grammatical structures to the fostering of communicative ability. Creative self-expression has come to be valued over recitation of memorized dialogues. Negotiation of meaning has come to take precedence over structural drill practice. Comprehension has taken on new importance, and providing comprehensible input has become a common pedagogical imperative. Culture has received renewed interest and emphasis, even if many teachers remain unsure how best to teach it. Language textbooks have begun to distinguish spoken and written language forms, and commonly incorporate authentic texts (such as advertisements and realia) alongside literary texts. It is in the context of these multifarious changes that one of the most significant areas of innovation in language education computer-assisted language learning (CALL) has come of age. Nowadays, audiotape-based language labs are gradually being replaced by language media centers, where language learners can use multimedia CD-ROMs and laser discs, access foreign language documents on the World Wide Web, and communicate with their teachers, fellow classmates, and native speakers by electronic mail. If language teaching has become more exciting, it has also become considerably more complex. This book deals with one form of CALL, what we call network-based language teaching (NBLT). NBLT is language teaching that involves the use of computers connected to one another in either local or global networks.
261 citations
TL;DR: The authors analyzed the U.K. Operating and Financial Review (OFR) as a genre of accounting narrative, employing word frequencies to identify genre rules and evidence of rhetorical ploys within the genre and of differences in word frequencies, suggesting the existence of subgenres, related to the exigencies of the rhetorical situation.
Abstract: The study reported on in this article analyzes the U.K. Operating and Financial Review(OFR) as a genre of accounting narrative, employing word frequencies to identify genre rules. Evidence is found of rhetorical ploys within the genre and of differences in word frequencies, suggesting the existence of subgenres, related to the exigencies of the rhetorical situation. The genre employs language biased toward the positive (the “Pollyanna effect”), despite authoritative guidance that the OFR should be expressed in neutral terms. Evidence of subgenres includes differential propensity to employ positive language and differences in the rhetorical ploys adopted in connection with marketing strategy, corporate recovery, selfreference, comparative analysis, and gearing (leverage). The study also demonstrates the value of a corpus linguistics approach in analyzing accounting narratives.
261 citations
TL;DR: A set of new methods for intercultural rhetoric research that is context-sensitive and, in many instances, goes beyond mere text analysis are proposed.
261 citations
TL;DR: The authors argue that neither traditional knowledge delivery models of teaching, nor a purely'student-centred' approach, adequately address the challenges of student diversity in higher education and propose an emphasis on the sociocultural nature of learning and teaching, modelling learning as acquiring the capacity to participate in the discourses of an unfamiliar knowledge community, and teaching as supporting that participation.
Abstract: Higher education has faced profound teaching challenges in recent times, as it has delivered a widening range of courses to students of increasingly diverse backgrounds, expectations and levels of preparedness. These challenges call for a more radical shift in teaching than simply incorporating remedial support within existing teaching programmes. This paper argues that neither traditional 'knowledge delivery' models of teaching, nor a purely 'student-centred' approach, adequately addresses the challenges of student diversity. Instead, it proposes an emphasis on the sociocultural nature of learning and teaching, modelling learning as acquiring the capacity to participate in the discourses of an unfamiliar knowledge community, and teaching as supporting that participation. It explores the challenges faced by students struggling to make meaning in strange intellectual and social surroundings, and outlines ways teachers can structure courses and tasks so that very diverse cohorts of students can progress tog...
260 citations