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ACC JOURNAL 2015, Volume 21, Issue 3 DOI: 10.15240/ ul/004/2015-3-001
USING A GENRE-BASED FRAMEWORK IN PROFESSIONAL AND ACADEMIC
WRITING
Paula Gibson1; Pa lína Příb amská2
ŠKODA AUTO Uni e si y, Depa men o Languages and In e cul u al Compe ences,
Na Ka meli 1457, 293 01 Mladá Bolesla , Czech Republic
e-mail: [email protected]; 2y[email p o ec ed]
Abs ac
The aim o he pape is o show how he applica ion o gen e-based amewo ks, based on
English o Speci ic Pu poses (ESP) and Sys emic Func ional Linguis ics (SFL) schools o
gen e, can be used in he eaching o p o essional and academic w i ing. Many s uden s lack
p ac ical expe ience and ha is way hey ha e a poo awa eness o p o essional w i ing as
hey ha e no ye been su icien ly exposed o wo k-place ou ines. Fu he mo e, hey also
s uggle wi h hei academic assignmen s in English. The pape will show how gen e-based
amewo ks can be p ac ically applied o eaching w i ing used in ask ins uc ions and as
ma king c i e ia.
In oduc ion
Fo he majo i y o language lea ne s academic w i ing is an ex emely di icul ask [1], [2],
[3]. This is mainly due o he ac ha he ex s he s uden s a e exposed o, o example ex
books and ins uc ional ma e ials, g ea ly di e om he w i en cou sewo k ha hey ha e o
w i e [4]. As a esul , s uden s ha e li le unde s anding o he ex s ha hey a e expec ed o
p oduce. Fu he mo e, s uden s a ely see examples o o he s uden ’s assignmen s ha hey
could e e o in o de o demys i y w i ing expec a ions [5]. The e o e i could be a gued ha
s uden w i ing is an occluded gen e and lea ne s need o unde s and how s uden gen es a e
cons uc ed.
The si ua ion is e en mo e di icul a ins i u es o highe educa ion as s uden s also ecei e
con lic ing ins uc ions om bo h language u o s and academic specialis s [2]. The e o e in
o de o comba his issue, an app oach ha inco po a es bo h academic specialis s and
language eache s, would be highly bene icial o s uden s [2], [6], [7]. Fu he mo e, in highe
educa ion he e is no gene ic w i ing ask ha could be used ac oss all disciplines [8], as hey
all ha e di e ing w i ing con en ions [9], [10]. The e o e s uden s need o ha e speci ic
ins uc ions in hei chosen ields.
The applica ion o gen e heo y is a use ul ool esol ing he abo e men ioned issues as i can
allow lea ne s o unde s and how hei own discipline-speci ic discou se communi ies
unc ion [11], [12]. This allows s uden s o iden i y how ex s a e s uc u ed on bo h mic o-
and mac o le els. I also gi es a ich desc ip ion o he a ge language and inco po a es he
ela ionships wi hin he discou se communi y [13], [14].
Based on he analysis p esen ed abo e, his pape p oposes a model which aims o esol e
se e al key issues wha ins uc ion s uden s need when w i ing o hei academic subjec s, by
inco po a ing di e ing gen e heo ies, academic expe s and samples o s uden w i ing.
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1 Gen e
The e a e h ee main schools o gen e s udies, howe e , his pape only ocuses on he English
o Speci ic Pu poses (ESP) app oach and he Sys emic unc ional linguis ics (SFL) app oach.
The o me is based upon he wo k o John Swales who deals wi h he in e ac ion o s uc u e
and linguis ic ea u es in scien i ic epo w i ing. This was hen u he de eloped in EFL
con ex s o p o ide non-na i e speake s wi h he explici ea u es o discou se by iden i ying
global o ganisa ional pa e ns h ough he analysis o s uc u al mo es in di e en discou se
communi ies [15][16].
Al hough his app oach is ex emely insigh ul i only ocuses on mac o le el s uc u es and o
his day has only been used in ad anced academic and p o essional se ings [1]. In addi ion,
he con en is hypo he ical as i does no inco po a e academic specialis s [17]. Howe e , his
issue can easily be esol ed by inco po a ing an academic specialis in o he model.
SFL, on he o he hand, is based on he esea ch ca ied ou by social semio ic linguis
Michael Halliday, who s a es ha gen e is a ool o de i e meaning om con ex [18]. This
model was u he e ined by linguis s and p ac i ione s wo king oge he , no ably [19], [20],
[21], which means ha he app oach is he mos pedagogically success ul. Unlike ESP, SFL is
buil on he p emise ha s uden s ha e o be explici ly augh lexical, g amma ical and
he o ical ea u es in o de o be conscious o he ela ionships be ween con en and meaning
[22].
This app oach was u he expanded upon o usage in seconda y schools and he wo k place
by Ro he y. The basis o his model is ha as a mo e p o icien in e locu o , he eache
decons uc s and econs uc s he a ge language in o de o be conscious o he ela ionships
be ween con en and meaning, see Figu e 1.
Sou ce: [23]
Fig. 1: Teaching / Lea ning cycle o men o ing gen e
Howe e , his model has been c i icized o he lack o esea ch on how his model can be
used in ins i u es o highe educa ion [22], [24], and his pape aims o show how SFL can
o e come some o his c i icism.
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2 Me hodology
The esea ch was unde aken using business and managemen mas e deg ee s uden ’s essays,
as his is he main gen e in hei i s -yea cou se. In o de o ge a clea idea wha suppo he
s uden s needed when w i ing, a need’s analysis was ca ied ou wi h an academic specialis ,
who has an excellen unde s anding o he con en ions o he discou se communi y.
Rep esen a i e samples o s uden w i ing we e analysed so ha a clea unde s anding o he
expec ed equi emen s in e ms o con en , language and s uc u e and a clea se o s udy
skills we e de e mined, see Table 1 o a b eakdown o he analysis.
Tab. 1: The esul s o he model discou se decons uc ion
Key elemen s
Decons uc ion
Skills
Finding sou ce ma e ials
Iden i ica ion o weigh ed sou ces
C i ical analysis
No e aking
Ci ing and e e encing
Pa aph asing and summa ising
S uc u e
Lead in / hesis / s uc u e
Theo y
P ac ical applica ion
Discussion
Conclusion
Language
Nominalisa ion
Impe sonal s yle
Cohesion ( e e encing / ellipsis / subs i u ion)
Hedging
Thema ic pa e ning
Fo mal s yle
Sou ce: Own
Due o he complex na u e o essay w i ing oge he wi h s uden ’s low awa eness o he
gen e, i was concluded ha his should be augh o e he cou se o one semes e (2 x 1.5
hou s pe week o 14 weeks). A i s , a sample s uden essay / model discou se was b oken
down in he class, so ha s uden s could iden i y he main elemen s. Since he model
discou se has a lo o complex elemen s, he ins uc ion was b oken up in o sec ions using
bo h op-down and bo om-up app oaches by a mo e expe in e locu o .
Du ing he cou se o he semes e s uden s de eloped hei awa eness o he gen e by being
guided h ough he p ocess o w i ing. Fi s ly, by inding sui able sou ces and e lec ing on
he sui abili y o each sou ce. The s uden s achie ed his by gi ing a e lec ion on he a icle,
who he au ho is, i hey gi e weigh o he a gumen , wha he main p inciples a e, how his
ela es o he business wo ld, e c. As his was unde aken in class, all s uden s could hen use
he e alua ed sou ces o hei own essay. These sou ces we e hen also used in p ac icing
pa aph asing and summa ising exe cises.
In o de o p omo e a good unde s anding o he p ac ical applica ion and discussion sec ions,
collec i e b ains o ming echniques we e used and he s uden s enhanced hei a gumen skills
by unde aking class deba es. This allowed s uden s o p o ide suppo o hei a gumen s as
he deba e opics ma ched he main concep s o he eading sou ces.
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Fo he language sec ion, all asks we e designed using he language om he co e opics. The
asks we e p o ided in class and o sel -s udy on Moodle e-suppo . This also enabled
lea ne s o wo k on hei own speci ic needs and a hei own pace.
S uden s we e hen able o cons uc hei own essays while being sca olded by he
in e locu o . Explici eedback was p o ided o each essay based on he amewo k, which
mean ha s uden s we e able o unde s and he a eas o conce n and make changes
acco dingly. As a esul , he exe cises and explana ions on Moodle became a oolki o sel -
s udy.
Conclusion
This model has shown ha he combina ion o applied linguis ics, p ac i ione s and academic
specialis s can p o ide a success ul model o language s uc u e and skills ha s uden s need.
This me hod p o ides explici ins uc ion and allows s uden s o iden i y hei a eas o
weakness and also p o ides hem wi h suppo on how o ec i y hese issues. In addi ion, he
model could u he be expanded upon using o he gen es such as business epo s, case
s udies and easibili y s udies.
Fu he mo e, his model could be used o any discou se, om p esen a ions o business
co espondence p o ided ha you ha e a good ex o analysis, and, i needed, a e able o
con e wi h a opic specialis in o de o ind gen e speci ic salien ea u es.
Li e a u e
[1] JOHNS, A. M.: (2008). Gen e awa eness o he no ice academic s uden : An on-going
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[2] LEA, M.; STREET, B.: (1998). S uden w i ing in highe educa ion: An academic
li e acies app oach. S udies in Highe Educa ion. 23:2, 157 – 172.
[3] PALTRIDGE, B.: (2004). Academic w i ing. Language Teaching. Vol. 1(2): 87-105.
[4] NESI, H.; GARDNER, S.: (2006). ‘Gen es ac oss he Disciplines: S uden W i ing in
Highe Educa ion. Camb idge Uni e si y P ess.
[5] LOUDERMILK, B.C.: (2007). Occluded academic gen es: an analysis o he MBA
hough essay. Jou nal o English o Academic Pu poses. 6/3, 190-205.
[6] MORLEY, J.: (2008). W i ing suppo in B i ish highe educa ion: An ins i u ional case
s udy. In: F ied ich P. (ed.) Teaching Academic W i ing. London: Con inuum, pp. 125-
146.
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abou . Jou nal o English o Academic Pu poses. 11 (2012) 145 – 154.
[8] JOHNS, A.: (1997). Tex , Role and Con ex : De eloping Academic Li e acies.
Camb idge Uni e si y P ess.
[9] DUDLEY-EVANS, T.: (2002) The eaching o a p oblema ic gen e: The academic
essay. In A. M. Johns (ed.), Gen e in he class oom: Mul iple Pe spec i es. Mahwah,
NJ, Law ence E lbaum Publishe s.
[10] PALTRIDGE, B.: (2002) Gen e, ex ype and he EAP class oom. In A. Johns (ed.)
Gen e in he Class oom: Mul iple Pe spec i es. Mahwah, NJ, Law ence E lbaum
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[11] HYLAND, K.: (2007). Gen e pedagogy: language, li e acy and L2 w i ing ins uc ion.
Jou nal o Second Language W i ing. Volume 16, issue 3, 148-164.
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Camb idge Uni e si y P ess.
[13] MARTIN, J. R.; ROSE, D.: (2007). (2nd ed.) Wo king wi h Discou se: Meaning Beyond
he Clause. Bloomsbu y Academic.
[14] JOHNS, A. M. (ed.): (2002). Gen e in he Class oom: Mul iple pe spec i es. Mahwah,
NJ, Law ence E lbaum Publishe s.
[15] BHATIA, V.: (1993). Analyzing Gen e: Language use in P o essional Se ings.
Longman.
[16] HYLAND, K.: (2004). Disciplina y in e ac ions: me adiscou sal in L2 pos g adua e
w i ing. Jou nal o Second Language W i ing. 13 (2004) 133-151.
[17] HYLAND, K.; HAMP-LYONS, L.: (2002). EAP: issues and di ec ions. Jou nal o
English o Academic Pu poses. Vol 1. 1-12.
[18] HALLIDAY, M. A. K.; MATHIESON, C. M. I. M.: (2004) An In oduc ion o
Func ional G amma (3 d ed.). London, Hodde A nold.
[19] MARTIN, J. R.: (1985). Fac ual w i ing: Explo ing and Challenging Social Reali y.
Geelong, Deakin Uni e si y.
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W i ing: Explo ing and Challenging Social Reali y. Geelong, Deakin Uni e si y.
[21] MARTIN, J. R.; CHRISTIE, F.; ROTHERY, J.: (1987). Social p ocesses in educa ion:
A eply o Sawye and Wa son (and o he s). In I. Reid (ed.) The Place o Gen e in
Lea ning. (pp.58-82). Geelong, Cen e o S udies in Li e acy Educa ion, Deakin
Uni e si y.
[22] MARTIN, J. R.: (2009). Gen e and Language lea ning: A social semio ic pe spec i e.
Linguis ics and Educa ion. 20. 10-21.
[23] ROTHERY, J.: (1996). Making changes: De eloping an educa ional linguis ics. In J. R.
Ma in, Fac ual W i ing: Explo ing and Challenging Social Reali y. Geelong, Deakin
Uni e si y.
[24] WOODWARD-KRON, R: (2005). The ole o gen e and embedded gen es in e ia y
s uden s’ w i ing. P ospec . Vol. 20. No 3 24-41.
BSc (hons) Paula Gibson M.A.; Mg . Pa lína Příb amská

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VYUŽITÍ ŽÁNRŮ V ODBORNÉM A AKADEMICKÉM PSANÍ
Cílem oho o článku je ukáza použí ání ůzných žán ů psaní, y ořených p o anglický jazyk
p o z láš ní účely (ESP) a sys émo ou unkční ling is iku (SFL). Ty o mohou bý apliko ány
e ýuce odbo ných předmě ů a předmě u akademického psaní. Z dů odu nedos a ku
p ak ických zkušenos í, mají mnozí s uden i malé po ědomí o obchodní ko espondenci,
p o ože dosud nebyli dos a ečně obeznámeni s p aco ním p os ředím. K omě oho se aké
po ýkají s ůznými písemnými úkoly při s udiu na ysoké škole anglickém jazyce. Au oři
ukazují, jak lze jedno li é žán y p ak icky apliko a e ýuce psaní.
NUTZUNG DER GENRES IM FACHSPRACHLICHEN UND AKADEMISCHEN SCHREIBEN
Ziel dieses A ikels is das Au zeigen e schiedene Gen es des Sch eibens, wie sie ü die
englische Sp ache ü besonde e Zwecke (ESP) und die sys em unk ionelle Linguis ik (SFL)
beg ünde sind. Diese können im Fachun e ich und im Un e ich des akademischen
Sch eibens Anwendung inden. Da es meis an p ak ischen E ah ungen ehl , besi zen die
S uden en schlech e Kenn nisse übe Handelsko espondenz, weil sie bislang mi dem
A bei smilieu nich e au sind. Zudem habe sie es an de Hochschule mi e schiedenen
sch i lichen Au gaben im Englischen zu un. Die Au o en zeigen, wie man einzelne Gen es
im Sch eibun e ich p ak isch anwenden kann.
WYKORZYSTANIE RÓŻNYCH GATUNKÓW PISARSKICH W SPECJALISTYCZNYM I
AKADEMICKIM JĘZYKU PISANYM
Celem niniejszego a ykułu jes pokazanie s osowania óżnych ga unków pisa skich, opa ych
na języku angielskim dla celów specjalis ycznych (ESP) i lingwis yce sys emowo-
unkcjonalnej (SFL), k ó e mogą mieć zas osowanie w nauczaniu p zedmio ów
specjalis ycznych o az p zedmio u Pisanie akademickie. W związku z b akiem doświadczeń
p ak ycznych wielu s uden ów posiada złą wiedzę w zak esie ko espondencji handlowej,
ponieważ nie zos ali w wys a czający sposób zapoznani ze ś odowiskiem p acy. T udności
sp awiają im akże óżne zadania pisemne w czasie zajęć uczelnianych p owadzonych w
języku angielskim. W op acowaniu wskazano, w jaki sposób poszczególne ga unki można
p ak ycznie zas osować w nauczaniu pisania.