GENRE ANALYSIS Setyo Prasiyanto Cahyono GENRE The French

GENRE ANALYSIS Setyo Prasiyanto Cahyono

GENRE • The French word “genre” means “kind”. In English, the word has a long tradition of use in literary studies, where it has been used to refer in conventional types of literary texts (Johnstone, 2002: 156). • Gerot and Wignell (1994: 40) say “ A genre can be defined as a culturally specific text type which results from using language (written or spoken) to help accomplish something”. • Swales (1981: 10) as cited in Anderson and Malmkjaer (1991: 176) say “ A genre is a more or less standardized communicative event with a goal or set of goals mutually understood by the participants in that event, and occurring within a functional rather than social or personal setting.

GENRE (Cont’d) • Malmkjaer (1991: 176) states that: A general definition of genre might explain that a genre is a text or discourse type which is recognized as such by the users by its characteristic features of style or form, which will be specifiable through stylistic and text. Linguistic/ discourse analysis, and/or by the particular function of texts belonging to the genre. • A genre is more than just its discourse structure and patterns of language. There are many factors that are important to consider, such as, the socio-cultural context of the text, the purpose of the text, the audience of the text, expectations of the particular discourse community and the relationship the text has with other instance of the genre.

GENRE (Cont’d) • Systemic genre analysts deals this by considering the way in which the context of culture and context of situation of a particular genre influences language choices made within to text. Context of culture includes the attitudes, value and shares experiences of people living in a particular culture. It also includes culturespecific expectations of way of behaving and getting things done (or genres). The context of situations represent situation-specific variables that combine to produce the particular register of a text. These variables include the topic, or content of the text (its field), the relationship between readers and writers (or speakers and listeners) of the text (its tenor) and the channel of communication.

GENRE (Cont’d) • There is also a need to go beyond to text to an examination of the cultural and social context in which the genre occurs. We need to consider a variety factor, for example, reader and writer (or speaker and listener) roles, purpose, and the institutional, social and cultural values and interpretation of particular texts (Johns, 1997) • According to Macken, there are 2 kinds of genre, they are story genre and factual genre. Story genre consists of five genres; they are narrative, news story, exemplum, anecdote, and recount. Factual genre is divided into procedure, explanation, report, exposition, and discussion.

GENRE ANALYSIS • Genre analysis as described by Dudley-Evans and St John in Paltridge (2000: 105) as the study of the structural and linguistic regularities of particular genres or text types and role they play within a discourse community. They suggest that the terms discourse analysis and genre analysis might best seen as two overlapping terms with discourse analysis being an umbrella term that includes the examination of characteristic features of particular genres. • Genre analysis contains (Gerot and Wignell, 1994: 192) the social function, schematic structure and significant lexicogrammatical features in every text types.

Text Types • Description • News Item • Narrative • Exposition • Spoof/Recount • Explanation • Procedure • Discussion • Report • Review • Anecdote • Exemplum • News Item

DESCRIPTION SOCIAL FUNCTION • To describe a particular person, place, or thing. SCHEMATIC STRUCTURE • Identification Identifies the person, place, or thing to be described. • Description Describes parts, qualities, characteristics.

SIGNIFICANT LANGUAGE / GRAMMATICAL FEATURES • Focus on specific rather than generic participants. • Using simple present tense • Using verbs of being and having • Using descriptive adjectives to build up long nominal group.

NARRATIVE SOCIAL FUNCTION • A non-factual text used in a variety of modes to amuse, entertain, and to deal with actual or vicarious experience in different ways. • Stories deal with events that are problematic and which lead to a crisis or turning point of some kind. • Unlike exemplum, the significance of the events lies in the manner of their construction in the text (how the story is told).

SCHEMATIC STRUCTURE • ORIENTATION sketches in or creates the “possible world” of the particular story. The reader is introduced to the main character(s) and possibly some minor characters. Some indication is generally given of where the action is located and when it is taking place. An “atmosphere” is usually established and there is often some foreshadowing of the action to follow, drawing readers into the story and making them want to become involved. • COMPLICATION a series of events during which some sort of complication or problem arise • RESOLUTION an answer for complication or problem. The complication may be resolved for better or for worse, but it is rarely left completely unresolved.

SIGNIFICANT LANGUAGE / GRAMMATICAL FEATURES • Focus on specific participants • Use of past tense • Use of temporal conjunctions and temporal circumstances • Use of material (or action) processes • Use of relational, verbal and mental processes • Dialogue often included, during which the tense may change to the present or future • Descriptive language chosen to enhance and develop the story by creating images in the reader’s mind • Can be written in the first person (I, we) or third person (he, she, they)

SPOOF/RECOUNT SOCIAL FUNCTION • To retell events for the purpose of informing • Events are usually arranged in a temporal sequence.

SCHEMATIC STRUCTURE • ORIENTATION information on the context of the recount • RECORD OF EVENTS a record of events in a temporal sequence • REORIENTATION closure of events • (CODA) comment on events

SIGNIFICANT GRAMMATICAL/LANGUAGE FEATURES • Focus on specific participants • Use of past tense • Verbs of action • Use of temporal connectives to indicate sequence of events • Circumstances of time and place

PROCEDURE SOCIAL FUNCTION • To describe how something is accomplished through a sequence of actions or steps.

SCHEMATIC STRUCTURE • Goal Name of procedure to be carried out. • Materials List of materials needed (can be embedded in procedure) • Procedure List of steps to be followed.

SIGNIFICANT GRAMMATICAL/LANGUAGE FEATURES • Focus on generalized human agents (often implicit). • Sequence of events marked either explicitly by temporal connectives, or numbering of points, or implicitly by ordering of steps on the page. • Use of imperatives and verbs of action. • Use of conditional “if” to indicate alternative paths of action.

REPORT SOCIAL FUNCTION • To provide information about natural and non-natural phenomena.

SCHEMATIC STRUCTURE • Title Indicates topic of report • General statement Introduces the topic of the report • Description Provide details of topic such as physical appearance, behaviour, landforms and uses (typically organized in paragraphs).

SIGNIFICANT GRAMMATICAL/LANGUAGE FEATURES • Focus on generic participants (human and nonhuman). • Use of present simple tense to indicate ‘timeless’ nature of information. • Some technical vocabulary • Use of long nominal groups to compact information. • Principally the use of verbs of being and having rather than action verbs.

ANECDOTE SOCIAL FUNCTION • To share with others an account of an unusual or amusing incident • Deals with something unexpected or out of the ordinary.

SCHEMATIC STRUCTURE • Abstract signals the retelling of an unusual incident • Orientation sets the scene • Crisis provides details of the unusual incident • Reaction reaction to crisis with ‘surge of affect’ • (Coda) concluding comment or reflection on the anecdote

SIGNIFICANT GRAMMATICAL/LANGUAGE FEATURES • Use of punctuation/layout to emphasize the significance of the anecdote as well as the writer’s attitude • Additive connectives • Temporal connectives • Causal connectives • Verbs of action • Verbs of thinking and feeling • Use of words which reflect the writer’s attitude (exclamation, rhetorical questions, and intensifiers)

NEWS ITEM SOCIAL FUNCTION: • To inform readers or listeners about events of the day which are considered newsworthy or important.

SCHEMATIC STRUCTURE • Headline Eye catching title • Summary of event A summary recount of a newsworthy event. • Background Events Elaboration of what happened, to whom, in what circumstances. • Sources Comments by participants or authorities on the subject.

SIGNIFICANT GRAMMATICAL/LANGUAGE FEATURES • Use of short telegraphic information about story in headline. • Verbs of action to retell the story. • Use of verbs of thinking and feeling to give an insight into the participants’ reaction to events. • Verbs of saying to quote or report what participants and authorities said. • Focus on circumstances of time and place. • Focus on specific participants (frequently occurring at the beginning of sentences).

EXPLANATIONS SOCIAL FUNCTION • To give an account of how something works or reasons for some phenomenon. • To explain the processes involved in the formation or workings of natural or socio cultural phenomena.

TYPES • Explaining how: - Mechanical explanation (How does a pump work? ) - Technological explanation (How does a computer work? ) - System explanation ( How does a company work? ) - Natural explanation (How are mountains formed? )

TYPES (Cont……. ) • Explaining why: - Why do some things float and others sink? - Why is the ozone layer thinning? - Why do we have different seasons? - Why does iron go rusty? - Why do living things need food?

SCHEMATIC STRUCTURE • General Statement about phenomenon To position the reader • Explanation - To give a sequenced explanation of how or why something occurs.

SIGNIFICANT GRAMMATICAL/LANGUAGE FEATURES • Generalised non-human participants ( the wind, glaciers, computers, etc. ) • Time relationships ( first, then, following, finally) especially in explaining how. • Cause and effect relationships (if/then, so, as a sequence, since) especially in explaining why. • Mainly action verbs (material process: fall, rises, changes) • Some passives (is saturated, are changed, etc. ) • Timeless present tense (are, happens, turns)

ARGUMENTS SOCIAL FUNCTION • To take a position on some issue and justify it.

TYPES • Argument texts belong to a genre group called “ exposition” concerned with the analysis, interpretation and evaluation of the world around us. There are several expository genre, and choice depends on whether your major aim to simply analyze, to interpret, or to evaluate. • In an argument the emphasis is on persuading someone to your point of view. You might be arguing simply to justify a position/interpretation (“persuading that”) or you might be arguing that some sort of action be taken (“persuading to”). For examples: newspaper editorials, sermons, political speeches, certain essays, or debates.

SCHEMATIC STRUCTURE • Thesis To introduce topic and indicate writer’s position in regard to the topic. • Arguments - To justify the position taken, arguments must be presented to support the writer’s position. - At some stage the writer may suggest some resolution of the issue. • Summing up To provide a restatement of writer’s position.

SIGNIFICANT GRAMMATICAL/LANGUAGE FEATURES • Focus on generic human and non-human participans. e. g. Pollution, crime, police, president, etc. • Use simple present tense e. g. I don’t agree, It is serious. • Use relational processes ( being and having) e. g. We are concerned, It is a dilemma. • Use internal conjunction to stage argument. e. g. First……. , second……. . , finally……. . . • Reasoning through causal conjunction. e. g. so……, because……. . , therefore.

REVIEW SOCIAL FUNCTION: • To evaluate the quality of a book, film, etc. , with a view to inform and audience of potential readers, moviegoers, etc.

SCHEMATIC STRUCTURE • Title Eye catching heading to attract readers’ attention and arouse curiosity. • Identification Identifies and evaluates that which is to be reviewed plus indicate what is to follow. • Summary and Evaluation Selective summary of content of work plus authors’ evaluative comments interspersed throughout the text. • (Evaluation of work)* Author’s summarized opinion of value of work. • (Details of work)* Of director, author, publisher, actors, etc. *= optional.

SIGNIFICANT GRAMMATICAL/LANGUAGE FEATURES • Use of vocabulary items to indicate the writer’s attitude. • Present tense. • Specific participants • Circumstances of manner, time, and place. • Frequent use of embedded clauses in long sentences. • Use of descriptive adjectives to build up long nominal group.

EXEMPLUM Social Function: • Deals with incidents that are in some respects out of the usual. • The incidents are dealt with so that they point to some more general value in the cultural context. • Invoke a moral judgement about a noteworthy event

SCHEMATIC STRUCTURE • (Abstract or Synopsis) signals the retelling of an unusual incident – which rises moral judgement • Orientation sets the scene • Incident (s) provides details of the unusual incident - which rises moral judgement • Judgement (s) interpretation on the unusual event morally • (Reorientation plus Coda) concluding comment or reflection on the exemplum

SIGNIFICANT GRAMMATICAL/LANGUAGE FEATURES • Use of exophoric reference (especially in the Abstract or Synopsis stage) e. g. it, the place, we’d head bush, Mum etc. • Use of conjunctive relations both, temporal and logical e. g. immediately, because, when, etc. • Material or action processes to explore incidents e. g. head, come, take, went, came, etc. • Relational processes to explore judgements e. g. it was a fear, it’s a fear, etc. • Text reference and lexical ties to point to values suggested by events e. g. it happened quite a lot (pointing forward to events to come) e. g. it was a fear… (pointing back to value of events)