Genre Analysis

Summary

This lecture introduces genre analysis as a research method, focusing on its role in understanding communication through specific genres. It explains how genre analysis examines social contexts, language features, and compositional structures of texts. The CARS model (Create a Research Space), which consists of three main moves—establishing territory, establishing a niche, and occupying the niche—is also introduced as a framework for writing research introductions. The session emphasizes how genre analysis aids in identifying patterns, evaluating written texts, and applying the model to students' future research, particularly for their thesis writing.

Takeaways

• 😀 Genre analysis is a research procedure used to analyze the various aspects of texts from a specific genre, with three primary purposes: understanding social contexts, revealing patterns of organization, and explaining how social factors influence language features.
• 😀 Context plays a vital role in genre analysis, as it influences language, language variation, and the structure of genres, thus impacting the communication process.
• 😀 The process of genre analysis involves seven major stages, starting with the selection of a corpus of texts, followed by analyzing communicative aspects, compositional structure, and language features.
• 😀 A corpus of texts is typically composed of at least 30 texts from the genre being studied and serves as the resource for genre analysis.
• 😀 Genre analysis can help researchers understand communication in various spheres of life, and it provides a method for examining written texts and revealing their genre conventions.
• 😀 The CARs model (Create a Research Space) by Swales outlines how research introductions are typically structured. This model includes three moves: establishing territory, establishing a niche, and occupying the niche.
• 😀 In the 'establishing territory' move, the researcher sets the context for the research by claiming the significance of the research area and reviewing previous research.
• 😀 The 'establishing a niche' move is about identifying a research gap, challenging prior research, or raising new questions for further investigation.
• 😀 The 'occupying the niche' move involves demonstrating how the current research will fill the identified gap, either by outlining its purposes, announcing findings, or explaining the article's structure.
• 😀 Understanding and applying genre analysis is essential for students in English language programs, especially when writing research theses, as it helps in crafting effective introductions for research studies.

Q & A

What is genre analysis?

Genre analysis is a research procedure that involves analyzing all aspects of samples from a particular genre to understand their social contexts, organizational patterns, and language features.

What are the three main purposes of genre analysis?

The purposes are: (1) to understand the social contexts in which genres occur, (2) to reveal typical organizational and linguistic patterns of the genre, and (3) to explain how social factors influence the structure and language features of texts.

Why is context important in genre analysis?

Context determines how a message is crafted and understood. It influences language, variation, and genre because it shapes the communicative situation and the intentions behind the text.

What are the seven major stages of genre analysis?

The stages include: (1) selecting a corpus of texts, (2) analyzing communicative aspects, (3) examining compositional structures, (4) identifying language features and styles, (5) analyzing interrelations with other genres, (6) assessing the influence of communicative characteristics, and (7) interpreting how these factors shape the genre.

How does genre analysis benefit students and researchers?

It helps them understand communication across social contexts, investigate text characteristics, identify genre conventions, and improve their ability to evaluate and produce written texts effectively.

What is the CARS model and who introduced it?

The CARS model, or 'Create A Research Space' model, was introduced by linguist John Swales. It outlines how research introductions are typically structured to establish context, identify research gaps, and present new studies.

What are the three moves in the CARS model?

Move 1: Establishing a territory, Move 2: Establishing a niche, and Move 3: Occupying the niche. These moves guide researchers in building a clear and logical introduction for research papers.

What steps are included in Move 1 (Establishing a Territory)?

Move 1 includes three steps: (1) claiming centrality, (2) making topic generalizations, and (3) reviewing previous items of research to set the research context.

How can a researcher establish a niche in Move 2 of the CARS model?

A niche can be established by (1) counter-claiming previous research, (2) indicating a gap in existing studies, (3) raising questions for further investigation, or (4) continuing a research tradition.

What does Move 3 (Occupying the Niche) involve?

Move 3 involves outlining the purposes of the current research, announcing the study itself, presenting principal findings, and indicating the structure of the research article.

How is the CARS model useful for students writing their research introductions?

It provides a step-by-step framework that helps students construct effective, engaging, and academically sound introductions by following recognized patterns of research writing.

What happens if a researcher fails to write an effective introduction according to the lecturer?

Failing to write an effective introduction may result in losing the reader's interest, which can undermine the overall impact and credibility of the research manuscript.