Accounting for Genre Evolution and Diversity: Analytical Model for Academic Discourse

What is it about?

This book aims to achieve flexible descriptions of evolving, diverse academic discourse by fully utilising the prototype theory. A flexible generic structure model that does not cement form and content combined with thorough applications of the prototype theory and family resemblance is necessary to keep up with the changing genre. The bi-planar perspective extended to the generic structure level, by semiotically supporting a prototype-based generic structure model, can neatly explain how mutual dependencies between generic structure components can make meanings and realise texts, which further explains how text encodes itself for social purposes. The goal of this book is to apply cognitive linguistics frameworks to the identification method of generic structure components. Cognitive linguists argue that meaning and form are basically conceptual structures. This includes not just semantics but also grammatical representations, which according to cognitive linguists are basically conceptual. This book extends this view to generic structure analysis. If meaning and form are basically conceptual, then generic structure should also be conceptual. Importantly, through the integration between structuralism and cognitive linguistics, the book achieves a flexible generic structure model for academic writing. This creates a sharp contrast with other approaches to genre in academic writing studies. IMRD structure analysis relies solely on clear formal surface structure to divide its components. Th e CARS model components are defined in terms of the mixture of semantics and lexicogrammatical identification criteria with a prototype-oriented definition of genre. SFL labels generic structure components in terms of stages of discourse such as narrative and procedural. In other words, other approaches to genre in academic writing studies define generic structure components in terms of necessary and sufficient conditions, not considering fuzzy boundaries. The prototype theory and the concept of family resemblance were used to support Swales’s definition of genre. However, these have not been extended to theorise an analytical framework for genericstructures. This book proposes that all the elements of genre, including generic structure components, are prototype entities. It will show that generic structure components are better understood as a conceptualised image. Fuzzy boundaries of genre and generic structure components enable new generic structure components to be included in genre. Although there are no clear boundaries, there are overlaps. Peripheral generic structure components are loosely connected to each other by a shared feature which forms overlaps. Such overlaps are explored throughout this book in order to make sense of genre variations and evolution.

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Photo by Patrick Tomasso on Unsplash

Photo by Patrick Tomasso on Unsplash

Why is it important?

Presenting students with pre-fixed genre structures in pedagogic settings inevitably cements the dynamism of genre. However, it is difficult to teach students academic discourse without having a set of instructions that presuppose good academic writing structures. In order to address this issue, it is essential to establish first of all a flexible academic discourse analytical model.

Perspectives