ABSTRACT

Approaches to Specialized Genres provides a timely update of the field of genre studies, with 14 cutting-edge contributions split into five sections using and integrating an exceptionally wide variety of methods and perspectives (such as ESP genre research, corpus linguistics, systemic functional linguistics, ethnographic and multimodal research) to analyse genres in written, spoken, visual and auditory modes across a multiplicity of pedagogic, professional and digital settings. It highlights and illustrates the growing trend of a multiperspective and inter-theoretic approach to genre studies and demonstrates how such methodological rigour can extend our knowledge of language, in general, and genres, in particular. It also examines a rich variety of underexplored genres such as the digital genre of synchronous videoconferencing, instructional slides, video ads, engineers’ training log book entries, the narrative story genres, fundraising letters and retraction notices. It demonstrates not only the prominent value of genre research, but wide applications of genre knowledge in various educational and professional domains. The book brings together experts spreading across the world, including countries in South-East Asia, Europe, America, West Africa and South America. Accordingly, it will appeal to readers of diversified socio-cultural backgrounds working in all the aforementioned inter-related fields of applied linguistics and communication studies.

chapter |14 pages

Introduction

Genre research into the 21st century – goals, approaches and applications

part I|21 pages

Theory and concepts

part II|97 pages

Rhetorical and generic structure

chapter 2|21 pages

English-language abstracts in Chinese-language academic journals

A comparative analysis of rhetorical moves

chapter 4|17 pages

Categories of narrative instances in Systemic Functional Linguistics

Exploring a more flexible generic structure for ‘recounts’

part III|39 pages

Lexicogrammatical resources

chapter 8|20 pages

Construing symbolic exchange in academic registers of Spanish

Sayers and projection in linguistics articles in Colombian journals

part IV|66 pages

Multisemiotic analysis

chapter 9|21 pages

Genre, pedagogy, and PowerPoint design

A multimodal move analysis of linguistics lecture slides

chapter 10|18 pages

The multimodal genre of synchronous videoconferencing lectures

An eclectic framework to analyse interaction

part V|58 pages

Genre in pedagogic and professional settings

chapter 12|16 pages

Combining genre analysis and corpus consultation in class

Using do-it-yourself corpora to explore the literature review

chapter 13|24 pages

When the office meets textbooks

Juxtaposing multiple perspectives to develop teachers’ knowledge of workplace genres and to enhance the teaching of workplace writing

chapter 14|16 pages

Hybridity in a specialized genre

Training log book entries in professional construction engineering