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
Dissertation•
01 Jan 2015
TL;DR: The authors developed discourse semantic systems that can take responsibility for both field and lexicogrammar and clarify the stratification relations among register, discourse semantics, and lexico-grammar.
Abstract: This thesis reports on a linguistic study that is concerned with building a discourse semantic framework for exploring knowledge building through language in undergraduate biology. The linguistic theory that underpins this study is systemic functional linguistics (SFL). One particular dimension of SFL, stratification, conceptualises register (field, tenor and mode) as being realised by patterns of discourse semantics, which are in turn realised by patterns of lexicogrammar. Of particular relevance to knowledge building, particularly to what social realism refers to as ‘knowledge structure’ (Bernstein, 1999), is the register variable field, which is construed through the patterns of ideational discourse semantics. The current modelling of ideational semantics, including the ‘ideation base’ proposed in Halliday & Matthiessen (1999) and the ideational discourse semantics established in Martin (1992), are currently insufficient for exploring the construal of field. On the one hand, Halliday & Matthiessen’s description of ideation base is not clearly dissociated from grammatical functions; on the other hand, Martin’s description of ideational discourse semantics is not independent from the description of field. Accordingly, in order to pursue systematically the construal of field, this study aims to develop discourse semantic systems that can take responsibility for both field and lexicogrammar and clarify the stratification relations among register, discourse semantics and lexicogrammar. The exploration of ideational discourse semantics is approached with respect to its construal of two aspects in field – taxonomy and activity sequencing (Martin, 1992). In order to illustrate the exploration of discourse semantic systems as well as demonstrate the analysis of texts through the framework, this study analyses texts that instantiate knowledge building in biology at the undergraduate level. This study makes two significant contributions. Firstly it contributes to the development of ideational discourse semantics in an SFL framework. In doing so it clarifies the interstratal relationships across field, discourse semantics and lexicogrammar, and it specifies distinctive terminologies at all strata. Secondly, this work provides a significant ground for exploring knowledge building of all kinds. By focusing on texts produced in undergraduate biology, it contributes to a linguistic understanding of scientific discourse, and points out key characteristics of knowledge building in biology at the undergraduate level.
38 citations
TL;DR: The authors examined the generic structure of English and Arabic job application letters written by native Arabic speakers and English native speakers to find out the discourse genre text similarities and differences between them, and found that writers with different cultural backgrounds showed various types of rhetorical move preferences used in different sequences and frequencies to articulate the same communicative purpose in two text groups.
Abstract: This cross-cultural study examined the generic structure of English and Arabic job application letters written by native Arabic speakers and English native speakers to find out the discourse genre text similarities and differences between them A corpus of 60 job application letters written by 60 job applicants was subjected to the form of move structure analysis proposed by Bhatia (1993) The results revealed that writers with different cultural backgrounds showed various types of rhetorical move preferences used in different sequences and frequencies to articulate the same communicative purpose in two text groups The letters of application written by native Arabic speakers were found to contain particular strategic moves, such as 'Glorifying the institution of the prospective employer'and 'Invoking compassion' that do not even exist in the covering letters written by English writers However, the letters written by native English applicants include lengthy supporting discussions to promote the candidat
38 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, the needs analysis of Israeli law students demonstrates the multifaceted factors involved in determining the needs of Israeli students studying English as a foreign language, including global ones stemming from both the historical and present indebtedness of Israel law to English law and the common law system, and individual ones which include both short term and long term needs.
38 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors discuss the difficulties of finding "perfect texts" for pedagogical purposes and argue that there is merit in the occasional use of instructor-written materials in selected EAP contexts.
38 citations
TL;DR: Whether consultation of a corpus of classroom discourse can be of benefit in language teacher education is investigated, and issues such as the content of the corpora, the type of consultation (direct or mediated by the teacher), and the student teachers’ evaluation of the activity are examined.
Abstract: While language teacher education programmes and language syllabi in secondary education encourage the use of the target language in the classroom, resources to support teachers in this endeavour, such as books with useful phrases, do not state that the examples they provide are corpus-based, i.e. drawn from actual language use rather than invented phrases. This paper investigates whether consultation of a corpus of classroom discourse can be of benefit in language teacher education. The paper describes a project involving the creation of corpora of classroom discourse in French and Spanish, and the use of these corpora with student teachers. After setting the research in the context of corpora and classroom interaction, it examines issues such as the content of the corpora, the type of consultation (direct or mediated by the teacher), and the student teachers’ evaluation of the activity. Special attention is paid to one particular aspect of classroom interaction, discourse markers.
38 citations