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Generic Variation & Private Intention: A Multi-Dimensional Exploration of Book Reviews and Prefaces

  • Liang Xiao

    Liang XIAO is a PhD candidate in applied linguistics at the English Department of Wuhan University. His research efforts have focused on discourse analysis and ESP.

         and Liming Deng

    Liming DENG (The corresponding author) is professor at the English Department of Wuhan University. Her research efforts have focused on discourse studies, second language writing, and ESP.

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Published/Copyright: April 6, 2018
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Chinese Journal of Applied Linguistics
From the journal Chinese Journal of Applied Linguistics Volume 41 Issue 1

Abstract

Based on Bhatia’s multi-dimensional analytical framework for discourse analysis, we explore key issues involved in genres construction such as private intention, manipulation of generic value and interdiscursive strategies. Two prefaces and two book reviews by expert linguists were collected and analyzed at great length from both text-internal and text-external perspectives. Meanwhile, four professionals from relevant disciplines were interviewed for their insights into the issues investigated. Through examining textual features, covert interdiscursivity and narrative accounts of the professional writers, the following findings are generated. 1) Generic variation occurs within and between the two genres due to expert writers’ intentional manipulation of generic value. 2) Interdiscursive strategies like “genre embedding”, “genre bending” and “genre mixing” are exploited by expert writers to achieve their particular private intention. Specifically, preface genre can be presented, to some extent, as a research article mixed with some promotional flavor, and features of research article genre, promotional genre and introductory genre are found mixed in the review genre. 3) Representations of the preface and book review genres such as linguistic feature, move structure and interdiscursivity are ultimately affected by generic value, authors’ private intention, professional practice and disciplinary culture. The findings have important implications for ESP/EAP writing practitioners and learners.

Keywords: text-internal; text-external; private intention; interdiscursivity; generic value; multi-dimensional; analytical perspective

About the authors

Liang Xiao

Liang XIAO is a PhD candidate in applied linguistics at the English Department of Wuhan University. His research efforts have focused on discourse analysis and ESP.

Liming Deng

Liming DENG (The corresponding author) is professor at the English Department of Wuhan University. Her research efforts have focused on discourse studies, second language writing, and ESP.

Acknowledgements

We would like to thank the editors and the anonymous reviewers for their constructive comments that have greatly helped improve the manuscript.

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Published Online: 2018-4-6
Published in Print: 2018-3-26

© 2018 FLTRP, Walter de Gruyter, Cultural and Education Section British Embassy

Articles in the same Issue

  1. Frontmatter
  2. Second Language Acquisition
  3. Predictors of Foreign Language Anxiety: A Study of College-Level L2 Learners of Chinese
  4. Testing and Assessment
  5. Assessment Literacy of Secondary EFL Teachers: Evidence from a Regional EFL Test
  6. Discourse Analysis
  7. Generic Variation & Private Intention: A Multi-Dimensional Exploration of Book Reviews and Prefaces
  8. Language and Cognition
  9. Neural Mechanism and Representation of English and Chinese Metaphors of Bilinguals with Different Second Language Proficiency: An ERP Study
  10. Teacher Development
  11. Situational Factors of Job Burnout in Polytechnic EGP Teachers: A Diary-Based Case Study in the Chinese Context
  12. Curriculum Design and Material Evaluation
  13. The Effect of Learners’ Autonomous Textbook Selection on Intermediate Iranian EFL Learners’ Speaking Ability
  15. Chinese Abstracts
https://doi.org/10.1515/cjal-2018-0003
Keywords for this article
text-internal; text-external; private intention; interdiscursivity; generic value; multi-dimensional; analytical perspective

Articles in the same Issue

  1. Frontmatter
  2. Second Language Acquisition
  3. Predictors of Foreign Language Anxiety: A Study of College-Level L2 Learners of Chinese
  4. Testing and Assessment
  5. Assessment Literacy of Secondary EFL Teachers: Evidence from a Regional EFL Test
  6. Discourse Analysis
  7. Generic Variation & Private Intention: A Multi-Dimensional Exploration of Book Reviews and Prefaces
  8. Language and Cognition
  9. Neural Mechanism and Representation of English and Chinese Metaphors of Bilinguals with Different Second Language Proficiency: An ERP Study
  10. Teacher Development
  11. Situational Factors of Job Burnout in Polytechnic EGP Teachers: A Diary-Based Case Study in the Chinese Context
  12. Curriculum Design and Material Evaluation
  13. The Effect of Learners’ Autonomous Textbook Selection on Intermediate Iranian EFL Learners’ Speaking Ability
  15. Chinese Abstracts
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