Journals Information
Linguistics and Literature Studies Vol. 11(4), pp. 57 - 63
DOI: 10.13189/lls.2023.110401
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Review of Sydney School Genre Studies
Peiwen Zhang *
School of Foreign Languages, Sun Yat-sen University, China
ABSTRACT
Systemic Functional Linguistics (SFL) is a multi-perspectival linguistic theory rooted in a theoretical framework that describes, analyzes, interprets, and understands language. SFL studies the relationship between language and its functions in different contexts by regarding language as a semiotic system. This paper provides an overview of the Sydney School genre theory, including key concepts, research methodology, and applications. Register is identified as context of situation. The three variables of register, which are field, tenor and mode, are realized respectively by ideational, interpersonal and textual metafunctions. Genre is identified with the context of culture. The typological genre analysis focuses on difference between genres and highlights genres in terms of their categories. The topological genre analysis focuses on both similarity and difference between genres. The Sydney School genre theory has been applied to literacy education in Australian schools. Genre-based literacy pedagogy was developed as a visible pedagogy, providing learners with explicit knowledge of genre. The three stages of pedagogy of genre-based literacy pedagogy are Deconstruction, Joint Construction, and Independent Construction, with constructing context of genre and acquiring knowledge of field cutting across the whole process. A detailed analysis of recount and exposition genres shows their schematic structures, with typical stages of recount including Orientation, Record of Events, and Reorientation and exposition Thesis, Supporting Arguments, and Reiteration of Thesis. The paper highlights the functions of genre as tools for communicating and understanding social practices and identities. The Sydney School genre analysis expands the study of the complicated relations between language and culture.
KEYWORDS
Register, Genre, Genre-Based Literacy, Recount, Exposition
Cite This Paper in IEEE or APA Citation Styles
(a). IEEE Format:
[1] Peiwen Zhang , "Review of Sydney School Genre Studies," Linguistics and Literature Studies, Vol. 11, No. 4, pp. 57 - 63, 2023. DOI: 10.13189/lls.2023.110401.
(b). APA Format:
Peiwen Zhang (2023). Review of Sydney School Genre Studies. Linguistics and Literature Studies, 11(4), 57 - 63. DOI: 10.13189/lls.2023.110401.