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English Discourse Analysis:English Discourse Analysis:English Discourse Analysis:English Discourse Analysis:

Topic 4: Context of Culture: Topic 4: Context of Culture: Topic 4: Context of Culture: Topic 4: Context of Culture: GenreGenreGenreGenre

Rachel Whittaker (Grp 41)

Mick O’Donnell, Laura Hidalgo (Grp 46)

4.1 Introduction to genre theory

4.2 Analysing genre in everyday texts

-activity-structured texts

-rhetorically-structured texts

4.3 Generic structure potential

4. Context of Culture: GenreTopic Contents

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4. Context of Culture: Genre4.1 Introduction to Genre Theory

• "Text structure is referred to as schematic

structure […], with genre defined as a staged,

goal-oriented social process realised through

register."

• Martin 1992: 505.

4. Context of Culture: Genre4.1 Introduction to Genre Theory

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• Two main types of text structure:

1. Activity Structured: The staging of the text reflects the

activity which the text is accompanying or reporting on,

e.g.,

• Service Encounters (buying in a shop)

• Medical appointments

2. Rhetorically Structured: The staging of the text does not

reflect associated activity, but rather is structured to best

achieve the golas of the writer/speakers

• Academic Essays

• Descriptions,

4. Context of Culture: Genre4.2 Analysing Genre in Everyday texts

1. S1 yes please

2. S2 can I have these two like that

3. S1 yes

4. S1 one's forty-five

5. S1 one's twenty-five

6. S2 and have you got ... the new one of these ...

7. S1 yes

8. S1 how many would you like?

9. S2 four please

10. S1 two of each?

11. S2 what have you got?

12. S1 uh there's two different designs on the ..

13. S2 I'll take two of each

14. S1 uhum

15. right ... that's a dollar seventy thank you

16. S1 here we are

17. S2 thank you

18. S1 thank you

19. S1 dollar seventy that's two four and one's five

20. S1 thank you very much

21. S2 thank you

22. S1 they'll be… right I'll fix those up in a moment

23. S2 okay

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1. SALES INITIATION

S Yes please

2. SALES REQUEST

C. Can I have these two like that (hands over 2 letters)

3. SALES COMPLIANCE

Yes

4. PRICE

S one's forty-five

one's twenty-five (weighing letters)

5. SALES REQUEST

C and have you got ... the new one of these (pointing at first day covers)

S yes

6. SALES CLARIFICATION

S how many would you like?

C four please

S two of each?

C what have you got?

S uh there's two different designs on the .. (showing C stamps)

7. PURCHASE

C I'll take two of each

S uhum

8. PRICE

S right ... that's a dollar seventy thank you (S puts stamps in bag; C pays)

9. PAYMENT

S here we are

10. THANKS

C thank you

S thank you

11. CHANGE

S dollar seventy that's two four and one's five

C thank you very much

12. PURCHASE CLOSURE

C. Thank you

S they'll be…right I'll fix those up in a moment

C okay

• Text/Interactions structures which are common

throughout a culture.

• When we interact (or write), we have shared

knowledge of “how things are done”.

• Following these scripts makes our production of text

(interaction in dialogue) easier.

• The scripts also help us understand what is going on:

to follow the writer’s message, or to understand

what a speaker is saying, as we can predict the range

of meanings they will usually make at each point.

4. Context of Culture: Genre4.2.1 Generic Structure (Schematic Structure)

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GENERIC STRUCTURE POTENTIAL (GSP)

• A notation for representing the recurrent structures of our

texts/interactions.

• Obligatory and optional stages:

• E.g., Service encounter

(sales initiation)^

{sales request^sales compliance^purchase(^price)}

^ payment ^ (thanks) ^ (change) ^ purchase closure

• E.g., Essay: Introduction ̂ Body ^ Conclusions

• E.g., Narrative: Orientation^Complication^Resolution^Coda

4. Context of Culture: Genre4.2.1 Generic Structure (Schematic Structure)

Spinach Risotto

This traditional dish of Greek-Cypriot origin offers an economical but substantial

vegetarian meal.

3 tablespoons olive oil

2 onions, chopped

1-2 bunches silverbeet or English spinach

1 375 gr. tin peeled tomatoes

2 tablespoons tomato paste

1 cup water

1 cup risotto rice

White wine (optional) salt and pepper

Slice the dead ends off the spinach. Slicestalks off from leaves. Wash stalks andleaves. Slice stalks finely, and shred leaves.

In a large saucepan, heat the oil. Fry theonions till soft. Add the stalks and fry tillsoft. Add the shredded leaves and cook forseveral minutes. Then add the tomatoesand tomato paste. Turn low and cook forabout 10 mins. Add water, wine, salt andpepper, and the rice. Cook until the rice hasabsorbed the liquid (10-15 mins).

Serve with Greek salad and crustywholemeal bread.

Serves 4

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Generic structure of this recipe

• title ^enticement ^ingredients ^method

^serving suggestion ^serving quantity

Basic scones

Fill your home with the smell of freshly baked scones. Taste members love them and we

think the Country Women's Association would approve!

Makes

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Ingredients

plain flour, for dusting

3 cups self-raising flour

80g butter, cubed

1 to 1 1/4 cups milk

jam and whipped cream, to serve

Method

Preheat oven to 200°C. Lightly dust a flat baking tray with plain flour. Sift self-raising

flour into a large bowl.

Using your fingertips, rub butter into flour until mixture resembles breadcrumbs.

Make a well in the centre. Add 1 cup of milk. Mix with a flat-bladed knife until mixture

forms a soft dough, adding more milk if required. Turn onto a lightly floured surface.

Knead gently until smooth (don't knead dough too much or scones will be tough).

Pat dough into a 2cm-thick round. Using a 5cm (diameter) round cutter, cut out 12

rounds. Press dough together and cut out remaining 4 rounds. Place scones onto

prepared baking tray, 1cm apart. Sprinkle tops with a little plain flour. Bake for 20 to 25

minutes or until golden and well risen. Transfer to a wire rack. Serve warm with jam and

cream.

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• Grammatical features of the stages?

• 1. title

• 2 enticement

• 3. ingredients

• 4. method

• 5. serving suggestion

• 6. serving quantity

Title ^enticement ^ingredients ^method ^serving suggestion ^serving quantity

Grammatical features of the stages?

1. title: Nouns with the semantic feature + edible

2. enticement: Adsj + positive to evaluate dish

3. ingredients: NPs + quantifiers

4. method: Vbs of actions of preparation of food; lexical sets: food, utensils; circs of place, manner, duration

5. serving suggestion: Imperative + cirs manner

6. serving quantity: ellided S + numeral

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Texts not organized in activity sequence

THE ACADEMIC ESSAY AND ITS FUNCTIONAL STAGES

INTRODUCTION

^[BODY PARAGRAPH …n]

^CONCLUSION

4. Context of Culture: Genre4.2.2 Rhetorically Structured Texts

THE ESSAY AS ACTION OR GENRE

• Actions are carried out in a hierarchy of MOVES, leading to the main GOAL.

• Introduction

Move 1: introductory statement -to interest readers and begin to inform them about the subject and its treatment.

Move 2: background information -to give them information they may not know about the subject, and which is necessary to appreciate the problem, contextualize etc...

Move 3: justification of the essay -to convince of its necessity (there is an unresolved problem, previous studies have ignored important data, moral implications...)

Move 4: thesis statement

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Move 4: THESIS STATEMENT

• 2 FUNCTIONS:

1. the ACTION the essay will do (exposition, discussion,

argument),

2. MAIN IDEA to be discussed or defended

– give the main reasons why Britain was frequently invaded between

the 8th and 11th centuries;

– present and evaluate different positions regarding the legalization of

drugs;

– argue that X is true/false;

– argue that X should be done

Body paragraphs

• Move 1: Topic sentence -to give the reader the main idea

developed in the paragraph; this assertion (generalization)

shows the reader the relevance of the rest of the information

in this paragraph -why the writer is telling us this at this point

in the essay.

• Moves 2-n: support for the assertion -to convince the

reader it is true.

• Move n+1: A summary sentence, reminding the readers of

your point: "Thus, it is clear that..." etc.

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Conclusion

• Move 1: signal of the function of the paragraph ("In

conclusion, To sum up..."

• Move 2: summary of the main points of the essay

("In this paper, I have shown... given a number of

reasons for..."), at a general level.

• Move 3: final statement taking your text out into the

world with a prediction, a wish, a query about the

future...

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TEXT 3 INTRODUCTION

1. What dogs are like. What you should do because

they are like that

2. Because you need to train the dog, you must follow

the instructions

3. What dogs are like. What you should do.

4. How to train

5. Positive results of training

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TEXT 4 MESSAGE FROM THE COUNCIL

1. Reason for the council giving out booklet re dogs

2. Indirect command: control your dog

3. Reasons to control dogs

4. More reasons

5. Positive results, plus threat.

• Command stage

• TEXT 3:

• 7b: simply follow the home training method

(imperative)

• TEXT 4:

• 4a: dogs should be taught social behaviour (v.

indirect)

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4. Context of Culture: Genre4.3 Multimodal Genres

• LEAD ^ (DISPLAY) ^EMBLEM ^(ANNOUNCEMENT)

^(ENHANCER) ^(CALL/VISIT INFO)

• LEAD = LOCUS OF ATTENTION

• DISPLAY = PRODUCT (+/- explicit)

• EMBLEM = LOGO or BRAND NAME

• ANNOUNCEMENT = MOST SALIENT TEXT + MESSAGE OF AD

• ENHANCER = LESS SALIENT, PERSUASIVE TEXT

• CALL AND VISIT INFORMATION = CONTACT

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