Measuring the construction of discoursal expertise through corpus-based genre analysis
-
Dacia Dressen-Hammouda
Abstract
While corpus analysis has long been useful for developing genre-based teaching materials in English for Specific Purposes (ESP), somewhat less attention has been paid to how well people actually learn to use the genre features identified. This study shows how individuals’ use of genre features changes over time, as a function of growing disciplinary experience. Using a measure of standard deviation, the study examines how five geologists show increasing discoursal expertise in their writing over a ten-year period. The method of analysis used allows for comparison of individual and collective uses of the generic features authors use to construct their disciplinary voice. Keywords: L1/L2 writing pedagogy; corpus analysis; standard deviation (SD); discoursal expertise; disciplinary voice; geology
Abstract
While corpus analysis has long been useful for developing genre-based teaching materials in English for Specific Purposes (ESP), somewhat less attention has been paid to how well people actually learn to use the genre features identified. This study shows how individuals’ use of genre features changes over time, as a function of growing disciplinary experience. Using a measure of standard deviation, the study examines how five geologists show increasing discoursal expertise in their writing over a ten-year period. The method of analysis used allows for comparison of individual and collective uses of the generic features authors use to construct their disciplinary voice. Keywords: L1/L2 writing pedagogy; corpus analysis; standard deviation (SD); discoursal expertise; disciplinary voice; geology
Chapters in this book
- Prelim pages i
- Table of contents v
- Preface vii
- Issues in corpus-informed research and learning in ESP 1
-
Part I. ESP corpora for language research
- From text to corpus 17
- Phraseological patterns in a large corpus of biomedical articles 45
- A corpus-based study of adjectival vs nominal modification in medical English 83
- Semantic prosody and specialised translation, or how a lexico-grammatical theory of language can help with specialised translation 103
-
Part II. ESP corpora for genre-based approaches
- Oralising text slides in scientific conference presentations 137
- Corpora and academic writing 167
- Measuring the construction of discoursal expertise through corpus-based genre analysis 193
-
Part III. ESP corpora for language teaching and learning
- Bringing data and dictionary together 217
- Raising collective awareness of rhetorical strategies 239
- Corpus consultation for ESP 261
- Notes on contributors 293
- Author index 297
- Subject index 301
Chapters in this book
- Prelim pages i
- Table of contents v
- Preface vii
- Issues in corpus-informed research and learning in ESP 1
-
Part I. ESP corpora for language research
- From text to corpus 17
- Phraseological patterns in a large corpus of biomedical articles 45
- A corpus-based study of adjectival vs nominal modification in medical English 83
- Semantic prosody and specialised translation, or how a lexico-grammatical theory of language can help with specialised translation 103
-
Part II. ESP corpora for genre-based approaches
- Oralising text slides in scientific conference presentations 137
- Corpora and academic writing 167
- Measuring the construction of discoursal expertise through corpus-based genre analysis 193
-
Part III. ESP corpora for language teaching and learning
- Bringing data and dictionary together 217
- Raising collective awareness of rhetorical strategies 239
- Corpus consultation for ESP 261
- Notes on contributors 293
- Author index 297
- Subject index 301
