Genre Formation in Contexts
A Cross-lingual Comparison of English MA Thesis Introductions
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.1558/lhs.v10i3.29302Keywords:
context, cross-lingual analysis, genre formation, MA thesis introductionAbstract
This study explores how genre formation is influenced by contextual factors through a cross-lingual and -cultural comparison of three groups of texts. The corpus is from English MA thesis introductions in the field of linguistics and applied linguistics written by Chinese and Norwegian students in contrast to their English native counterparts, with 20 texts from each group. Following Swales’ CARS model of move and step analysis, the study reveals some interesting features and tendencies among the three groups in their text construction. It concludes that genre formation is an ongoing process influenced by linguistic, social, cultural and other contextual factors.
References
Ahmad, U. K. (1997) Research article introductions in Malay: Rhetoric in an emerging research community. In A. Duszak (Ed.) Culture and Styles of Academic Discourse, 273–303. Berlin: Walter de Gruyter and Co.
Arndt, V. (1987) Six writers in search of texts: A protocol-based study of L1 and L2 writing. ELT Journal 41 (4): 257–267. http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/elt/41.4.257
Casanave, C. P. (2002) Writing Games: Multicultural Case Studies of Academic Literacy Practices in Higher Education. Mahwah: NJ: Laurence Erlbaum.
Casanave, C. P. and Li, X. (Eds) (2008) Learning the Literacy Practices of Graduate School: Insiders' Reflections on Academic Enculturation. Ann Arbor, MI: University of Michigan Press.
Connor, U. (2001) Contrastive Rhetoric: Cross-cultural Aspects of Second-language Writing. Shanghai: Shanghai Foreign Languages Education Press.
Dahl, T. (2004) Textual metadiscourse in research articles: A marker of national culture or of academic discipline? Journal of Pragmatics 36 (10): 1807–1825. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.pragma.2004.05.004
Gard, E. and Simonsen, B. (Eds) (2008). The Intercultural Perspective in a Multicultural World 11th Nic-conference. Kristiansand: University of Agder.
Golebiowski, Z. (1999) Application of Swales’ model in the analysis of research papers by Polish authors. IRAL, International Review of Applied Linguistics in Language Teaching 37 (3): 231–247.
Huang, J. and Mohan, B. (2009) A functional approach to integrated assessment of teacher support and student discourse development in an elementary Chinese program. Linguistics and Education 20 (1): 22–38. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.linged.2009.01.006
Halliday, M. A. K. (1999) The notion of ‘context’ in language education. In M. Ghadessy (Ed.) Text and Context in Functional Linguistics, 1–24. Amsterdam: John Benjamins. http://dx.doi.org/10.1075/cilt.169.04hal
Halliday, M. A. K. (2000) An Introduction to Functional Grammar (2nd edn). Beijing: Foreign Language Teaching and Research Press.
Halliday, M. A. K. and Hasan, R. (1989) Language, Context, and Text: Aspects of Language in a Social-semiotic Perspective. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Halliday, M. A. K. (2001) Language as Social Semiotic: The Social Interpretation of Language and Meaning. Beijing: Foreign Language Teaching and Research Press.
Halliday, M. A. K. and Matthiessen, C. M. I. M. (2004) An Introduction to Functional Grammar (3rd edn). Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Hámori, À. (2008) On discourse genres. In G. T. Nagy (Ed.) Function and Genres, 187–218. Frankfurt am Main: Peter Lang.
Henry, A. and Roseberry, R. L. (2001) A narrow-angled corpus analysis of moves and strategies of the genre: ‘letter of application’. English for Specific Purposes 20 (2):153–167. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/S0889-4906(99)00037-X
Hinkel, E. (2003) Simplicity without elegance: features of sentences in L1 and L2 academic texts. TESOL Quarterly 37 (2): 275–301. http://dx.doi.org/10.2307/3588505
Holliday, A. (2009) Discourse of culture: language education and research. A talk given at Beijing Normal University, China.
Kathpalia, S. S. (1997) Cross-cultural variation in professional genres: A comparative study of book blurbs. World Englishes 16 (3): 417–426. http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/1467-971X.00075
Maagerø, E. and Simonsen, B. (Eds) (2002) Learning Genre. Kristiansand: Norwegian Academic Press.
Martin, J. R. (2002) Meaning beyond the clause: SFL perspectives. Annual Review of Applied Linguistics 22: 52–74. http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/S026719050200003X
Martin, J. R. and Rose, D. (2003) Working with Discourse: Meaning beyond the Clause. London: Continuum.
Mauranen, A. (1993) Contrastive ESP rhetoric: Metatext in Finnish-English economics texts. English for Specific Purposes 12 (1): 3–22. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/0889-4906(93)90024-I
Miller, C. R. (1994) Genre as social action. In A. Freedman and P. Medway (Eds) Genre and the New Rhetoric, 23–42. London: Taylor and Francis Ltd.
Paltridge, B. and Starfield, S. (2007) Thesis and Dissertation Writing in a Second Language: A Handbook for Supervisors. London: Routledge.
Park, J. (2007) Co-construction of Nonnative speaker identity in cross-cultural interaction. Applied Linguistics 28 (3): 339–360. http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/applin/amm001
Purves, A.C. (Ed.) (1988) Writing Across Languages and Cultures. Newbury Park: SAGE Publications, Inc.
Petric, B. (2005) Contrastive rhetoric in the writing classroom: a case study. English for Specific Purposes 24 (2): 213–228. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.esp.2004.09.001
Scarcella, R. C. (1984) How writers orient their readers in expository essays: a comparative study of native and non-native English writers. TESOL Quarterly 18 (4): 671–688. http://dx.doi.org/10.2307/3586582
Swales, J. (1990) Genre Analysis: English in Academic and Research Settings. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Vassileva, I. (2001) Commitment and detachment in English and Bulgarian academic writing. English for Specific Purposes 20 (1): 83–102. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/S0889-4906(99)00029-0
Arndt, V. (1987) Six writers in search of texts: A protocol-based study of L1 and L2 writing. ELT Journal 41 (4): 257–267. http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/elt/41.4.257
Casanave, C. P. (2002) Writing Games: Multicultural Case Studies of Academic Literacy Practices in Higher Education. Mahwah: NJ: Laurence Erlbaum.
Casanave, C. P. and Li, X. (Eds) (2008) Learning the Literacy Practices of Graduate School: Insiders' Reflections on Academic Enculturation. Ann Arbor, MI: University of Michigan Press.
Connor, U. (2001) Contrastive Rhetoric: Cross-cultural Aspects of Second-language Writing. Shanghai: Shanghai Foreign Languages Education Press.
Dahl, T. (2004) Textual metadiscourse in research articles: A marker of national culture or of academic discipline? Journal of Pragmatics 36 (10): 1807–1825. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.pragma.2004.05.004
Gard, E. and Simonsen, B. (Eds) (2008). The Intercultural Perspective in a Multicultural World 11th Nic-conference. Kristiansand: University of Agder.
Golebiowski, Z. (1999) Application of Swales’ model in the analysis of research papers by Polish authors. IRAL, International Review of Applied Linguistics in Language Teaching 37 (3): 231–247.
Huang, J. and Mohan, B. (2009) A functional approach to integrated assessment of teacher support and student discourse development in an elementary Chinese program. Linguistics and Education 20 (1): 22–38. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.linged.2009.01.006
Halliday, M. A. K. (1999) The notion of ‘context’ in language education. In M. Ghadessy (Ed.) Text and Context in Functional Linguistics, 1–24. Amsterdam: John Benjamins. http://dx.doi.org/10.1075/cilt.169.04hal
Halliday, M. A. K. (2000) An Introduction to Functional Grammar (2nd edn). Beijing: Foreign Language Teaching and Research Press.
Halliday, M. A. K. and Hasan, R. (1989) Language, Context, and Text: Aspects of Language in a Social-semiotic Perspective. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Halliday, M. A. K. (2001) Language as Social Semiotic: The Social Interpretation of Language and Meaning. Beijing: Foreign Language Teaching and Research Press.
Halliday, M. A. K. and Matthiessen, C. M. I. M. (2004) An Introduction to Functional Grammar (3rd edn). Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Hámori, À. (2008) On discourse genres. In G. T. Nagy (Ed.) Function and Genres, 187–218. Frankfurt am Main: Peter Lang.
Henry, A. and Roseberry, R. L. (2001) A narrow-angled corpus analysis of moves and strategies of the genre: ‘letter of application’. English for Specific Purposes 20 (2):153–167. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/S0889-4906(99)00037-X
Hinkel, E. (2003) Simplicity without elegance: features of sentences in L1 and L2 academic texts. TESOL Quarterly 37 (2): 275–301. http://dx.doi.org/10.2307/3588505
Holliday, A. (2009) Discourse of culture: language education and research. A talk given at Beijing Normal University, China.
Kathpalia, S. S. (1997) Cross-cultural variation in professional genres: A comparative study of book blurbs. World Englishes 16 (3): 417–426. http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/1467-971X.00075
Maagerø, E. and Simonsen, B. (Eds) (2002) Learning Genre. Kristiansand: Norwegian Academic Press.
Martin, J. R. (2002) Meaning beyond the clause: SFL perspectives. Annual Review of Applied Linguistics 22: 52–74. http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/S026719050200003X
Martin, J. R. and Rose, D. (2003) Working with Discourse: Meaning beyond the Clause. London: Continuum.
Mauranen, A. (1993) Contrastive ESP rhetoric: Metatext in Finnish-English economics texts. English for Specific Purposes 12 (1): 3–22. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/0889-4906(93)90024-I
Miller, C. R. (1994) Genre as social action. In A. Freedman and P. Medway (Eds) Genre and the New Rhetoric, 23–42. London: Taylor and Francis Ltd.
Paltridge, B. and Starfield, S. (2007) Thesis and Dissertation Writing in a Second Language: A Handbook for Supervisors. London: Routledge.
Park, J. (2007) Co-construction of Nonnative speaker identity in cross-cultural interaction. Applied Linguistics 28 (3): 339–360. http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/applin/amm001
Purves, A.C. (Ed.) (1988) Writing Across Languages and Cultures. Newbury Park: SAGE Publications, Inc.
Petric, B. (2005) Contrastive rhetoric in the writing classroom: a case study. English for Specific Purposes 24 (2): 213–228. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.esp.2004.09.001
Scarcella, R. C. (1984) How writers orient their readers in expository essays: a comparative study of native and non-native English writers. TESOL Quarterly 18 (4): 671–688. http://dx.doi.org/10.2307/3586582
Swales, J. (1990) Genre Analysis: English in Academic and Research Settings. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Vassileva, I. (2001) Commitment and detachment in English and Bulgarian academic writing. English for Specific Purposes 20 (1): 83–102. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/S0889-4906(99)00029-0
Published
2015-12-14
Issue
Section
Articles
How to Cite
Sun, Y. (2015). Genre Formation in Contexts: A Cross-lingual Comparison of English MA Thesis Introductions. Linguistics and the Human Sciences, 10(3), 295-311. https://doi.org/10.1558/lhs.v10i3.29302
