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Evolving genres
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Sat, 03/28/2009 - 06:39
Hi all. What would you say are the genres that have to of necessity be addressed in EAP? Do you think those genres are well catered for by most existing materials?
best
Andrea
Mon, 03/30/2009 - 09:03
#2
Could somebody please explain in what sense the word "genres" is being used in this thread?
My OED does not help here:"genre/A category of artistic composition, as in music or literature, characterized by similarities in form, style or subject matter."
Thanks!
Diana
Mon, 03/30/2009 - 09:15
#3
Hi Diana,
I think what is meant by "genre" is kind / type. We always speak of literary genres and we mean types of literary texts such as story, drama, poetry, to name but a few.
Hope this could help.
Best,
Rachid
Tue, 03/31/2009 - 11:13
#4
Hi Diana
Agree with Rachid that here genres are used as text-types. At least I have caught it in such a way.
According to CEF ‘Text' is used to cover any piece of language, whether a spoken utterance or a piece of writing, which users/learners receive, produce or exchange...Texts may be classified into different text types belonging to different genres.' (93)
Does it make any sense for you?
Tue, 03/31/2009 - 12:25
#5
Hi,
I think it helps to think of genre as text plus purpose (why it was written) and audience (who it was written for)
If we specify these in writing tasks, students can develop a clearer voice in their writing.
Sue
Tue, 03/31/2009 - 12:28
#6
Hi Diana, (from Cardiff where I've just arrived)
I thnk genres are easy to identify beause they are conventional practices that we need to use to get things done on a regular basis so we give them names, e.g. recipe, letter to the bank, obituary (for the familiar ones) and lecture, seminar, laboratory report or dissertation (for the EAP ones).
Olwyn
Tue, 03/31/2009 - 13:43
#7
Thanks Olwyn and all the other contributors for explaining the specific meaning of "genres" in ELT. Yet another thing I've learned.
You lucky person to be actually there at Cardiff! Is it as hot as the trial video would have us believe (irrelevant, I know, but I'm curious!)?
Diana
Tue, 03/31/2009 - 13:57
#8
Hi all. Swales (1990: 58) defines genre as:
A genre comprises a class of communicative events, the members of which share some set of communicative purposes. These purposes are recognized by the expert members of the parent discourse community and thereby constitute the rationale for the genre. This rationale shapes the schematic structure of the discourse and influences and constrains choice of content and style.
So according to him, yes, what the texts do for us, purpose, audience are paramount. So what genres have you found most challenging as students, researchers AND teachers are would therefore be most challenging for our students?
Yes, Olwyn, enjoy Cardiff for us!
best
Andrea
Wed, 04/01/2009 - 20:11
#9
Hi Andrea,
This is a good definition but I also think that the one by Jim MArtin from the Sydney school of applied linguistics is simpler and also good - I paraphrase because I don't have the actual quote but he sees genres as staged, goal oriented activities.
I think the use of the word 'staged' is important because in most cases we want to analyse genres by looking at the moves or steps (i.e. the stages) that match the purpose and audience.
The most challenging ones? I guess for my EAP students the most challenging genre (or really sub genre within the research report genre) is the discussion section of research reports. There is a lot of flexibility in the way that these are written depending on the research findings and students do not always have the courage to make appropriate claims for the significance of their results for the research field.
I would expect that the more conventional and fixed the genre was the easier it was to write. What do you think?
Olwyn
Wed, 04/01/2009 - 20:06
#10
Hi Diana,
Answering your question about Cardiff - it's warm in the Spring sunshine sense and hot in the metaphorical sense in that there is such a lot going on that it's difficult to choose which session to attend. I attended Mark prensky's session plenary which was good although I'm going to comment on it in his session web page.
Olwyn
Hope, I will be of any help with my students' ideas on the genres to be used while learning: text-books, magazine and journal articles, conference papers, presentations, reports, reviews, newsletters, announcements, different forms, letters, notes, charts, graphs... I think this list can be continued.
I am doubting whether there are any materials to cater all the genres used in EAP. I will be thankful for the information on some if I'm mistaken.
All the best to all