Text Analysis I
Main focus: Defining characteristics of 'a text', how texts function, and how text
characteristics cause specific communicative effects
Specifics: textual scientific approaches to describe / explain the functioning of texts in
communicative traffic, discourse analytic approaches
Learning objectives:
→ Describe important concepts and theoretical insights in the field of textual studies
→ Analyze properties of texts and problems that occur in them using ^
→ Use ^^ to make statements about text quality formulate suggestions for improvement
Assessment: 100% written digital exam (2h)
Syllabus: Text Analysis I 2024-2025 course syllabus.pdf
Literature: provided on Brightspace
,Paltridge, Brian ( 2012 ). 'Chapter 4. Discourse and genre' in 'Discourse
analysis: an introduction’ p. 62 - 85
People communicate primarily through genres: ways of using spoken / written discourse to
accomplish tasks & activities that people engage in through language
~ recognizable patterns / organization
- have distinct structures ( e.g. heading, body, conclusion )
- follow conventional patterns that make them identifiable
~ context-specific
- occur in particular setting / are organized depending on purpose
~ distinct function / purpose
- specific goal ( e.g. informing, persuading, entertaining )
Types
~ written: newspaper reports, academic essays, etc.
~ spoken: academic lectures, casual conversations, etc.
Features
~ typical / conventional elements
- share common functions / purposes & follow established patterns
~ contextual dependence
- take place in specific settings ( e.g. university lectures in a lecture hall )
~ typical subject matter
- association with certain topics ( e.g. lectures discussing course content )
Genres evolve over time due to technological advancements, shifting cultural values etc.
Definition of genre
I a staged, goal-oriented, and social activity:
staged: achieving a goal often takes multiple steps
goal-oriented: genres help us accomplish tasks
social: participation happens within a cultural or social framework
II genres are defined by their function rather than their form:
→ a genre is recognized based on the action it accomplishes, and over time,
genres become accepted as conventional ways of doing things
Typification: common patterns and forms that make genres recognizable
~ typical content: expected themes, topics, and elements
~ typical actions: the function a genre serves ( e.g., informing, entertaining etc. )
Register; specific language features of a text that are shaped by its context
~ field – What is happening? ( subject matter / topic )
~ tenor – Who is involved? ( relationship between writer and audience )
~ mode – How is the text communicated? ( spoken / written, formal / informal )
genre is shaped by cultural context and provides the overall structure of a text ( framework )
register determines the specific linguistic choices within that genre ( language adaptation )
Genre analysis / English for Specific Purposes ( ESP )
~ move analysis; method to examine the discourse structure of texts
- genres can have multiple purposes that differ between participants
1
, - similar texts may have very different communicative purposes
- purpose of genre evolves over time due to cultural / technological changes
Rhetorical Genre Studies ( RGS )
~ genres are not just text types; they are tools for communication and action
~ genres emerge in response to social needs and guide participation in communities
~ genres shape and are shaped by social, cultural, and historical contexts
Choice / constraint in genres
~ genres are dynamic / open to change; not a ‘free for all’
~ conformity to genre norms is expected, but can be played with
e.g. like playing a game; skilled players manipulate rather than strictly follow conventions
Classification is subjective, but mainly depends on
~ author / intended audience
~ purpose of the text
~ context / setting
~ physical form / structure
~ level of formality / style
classification can be subjective; different people may categorize the same text differently
Interconnection between genres through:
~ genre networks; related genres interacting with one another, nonlinear
~ genre chains; structured progression where one genre depends on another
e.g. a job interview relies on a CV, a research article follows a proposal, etc.
~ genre sets; groups of genres regularly used for specific purposes
e.g. emails, meeting agendas, and reports used in workplace communication
~ repertoires of genres; full range of genres a person / community regularly engages
with, shaped by social, institutional, or professional contexts
Genre structures differ across languages and cultures ( contrastive / intercultural rhetoric )
Steps in genre analysis
I Collect samples of the genre
II Review existing research on that genre
III Identify common patterns in structure and language
IV Analyze the context ( who writes it, for whom, and why )
V Examine connections between genres ( how they relate to others )
VI Understand the social & cultural setting of the genre
Teaching / learning genres
+ helps students with academic / professional writing
– can be too rigid / limit creativity
> students must learn to adapt genres to different contexts
> teachers have to use flexible approaches / expose students to a wide variety of texts
Applications
~ academic writing & metadiscourse ( helps guide readers through a text )
- interactivity to connect with readers
2
, ~ ethnographic genre analysis ( looks at how genre is shaped by real-world context )
~ beyond academia, genre analysis is useful in journalism, law, business etc.
Generic structure: overall form or framework of a text
~ skeleton ( fixed format for a specific type of text )
e.g. experimental research report generally has sections like introduction,
methods, results, and conclusion
Rhetorical structure: how content’s organized / presented to achieve specific purpose
~ muscles / movement ( how the text develops and conveys meaning )
Problem-solution structure ( research, essays, reports )
generic: introduction → methods → results → discussion → conclusion
rhetorical: situation → problem → solution → evaluation
Classical argument structure ( persuasive writing, debates, editorials )
generic: introduction → body → conclusion
rhetorical: introduction → narration ( background ) → confirmation ( arguments ) →
refutation ( counter arguments ) → conclusion
IMRaD structure ( scientific research papers )
generic: introduction → methods → results → discussion
rhetorical: context → hypothesis → experimentation → interpretation
Narrative structure ( stories, biographies, literature )
generic: beginning → middle → end
rhetorical: exposition → rising action → climax → falling action → resolution
Cause-effect structure ( explanatory texts, scientific papers, history writing )
generic: introduction → body → conclusion
rhetorical: cause → effect → analysis → implications
Compare-contrast structure ( analytical essays, reviews, discussions )
generic: introduction → comparison → contrast → conclusion
rhetorical: subject A → subject B → similarities → differences → synthesis
Paltridge basically gave us 2 main outlooks on genre:
I Rhetorical structure ( Miller )
- focuses on genre as action rather than form
- stresses how texts function in different rhetorical situations
- sees genre as situationally driven / dynamic, rather than fixed
II Generic structure ( Martin )
- views genre as socially constructed ( cultural / institutional )
- recognizes staged structures / formal conventions as key to genres
- focuses on how genres shape meaning-making within communities
Swales sits in between these two, as he recognizes the communicative purpose of genre
( Miller ) but also acknowledges structural constraints and shared conventions ( Martin )
So: the differences in the definitions stem from different disciplinary traditions
3
Main focus: Defining characteristics of 'a text', how texts function, and how text
characteristics cause specific communicative effects
Specifics: textual scientific approaches to describe / explain the functioning of texts in
communicative traffic, discourse analytic approaches
Learning objectives:
→ Describe important concepts and theoretical insights in the field of textual studies
→ Analyze properties of texts and problems that occur in them using ^
→ Use ^^ to make statements about text quality formulate suggestions for improvement
Assessment: 100% written digital exam (2h)
Syllabus: Text Analysis I 2024-2025 course syllabus.pdf
Literature: provided on Brightspace
,Paltridge, Brian ( 2012 ). 'Chapter 4. Discourse and genre' in 'Discourse
analysis: an introduction’ p. 62 - 85
People communicate primarily through genres: ways of using spoken / written discourse to
accomplish tasks & activities that people engage in through language
~ recognizable patterns / organization
- have distinct structures ( e.g. heading, body, conclusion )
- follow conventional patterns that make them identifiable
~ context-specific
- occur in particular setting / are organized depending on purpose
~ distinct function / purpose
- specific goal ( e.g. informing, persuading, entertaining )
Types
~ written: newspaper reports, academic essays, etc.
~ spoken: academic lectures, casual conversations, etc.
Features
~ typical / conventional elements
- share common functions / purposes & follow established patterns
~ contextual dependence
- take place in specific settings ( e.g. university lectures in a lecture hall )
~ typical subject matter
- association with certain topics ( e.g. lectures discussing course content )
Genres evolve over time due to technological advancements, shifting cultural values etc.
Definition of genre
I a staged, goal-oriented, and social activity:
staged: achieving a goal often takes multiple steps
goal-oriented: genres help us accomplish tasks
social: participation happens within a cultural or social framework
II genres are defined by their function rather than their form:
→ a genre is recognized based on the action it accomplishes, and over time,
genres become accepted as conventional ways of doing things
Typification: common patterns and forms that make genres recognizable
~ typical content: expected themes, topics, and elements
~ typical actions: the function a genre serves ( e.g., informing, entertaining etc. )
Register; specific language features of a text that are shaped by its context
~ field – What is happening? ( subject matter / topic )
~ tenor – Who is involved? ( relationship between writer and audience )
~ mode – How is the text communicated? ( spoken / written, formal / informal )
genre is shaped by cultural context and provides the overall structure of a text ( framework )
register determines the specific linguistic choices within that genre ( language adaptation )
Genre analysis / English for Specific Purposes ( ESP )
~ move analysis; method to examine the discourse structure of texts
- genres can have multiple purposes that differ between participants
1
, - similar texts may have very different communicative purposes
- purpose of genre evolves over time due to cultural / technological changes
Rhetorical Genre Studies ( RGS )
~ genres are not just text types; they are tools for communication and action
~ genres emerge in response to social needs and guide participation in communities
~ genres shape and are shaped by social, cultural, and historical contexts
Choice / constraint in genres
~ genres are dynamic / open to change; not a ‘free for all’
~ conformity to genre norms is expected, but can be played with
e.g. like playing a game; skilled players manipulate rather than strictly follow conventions
Classification is subjective, but mainly depends on
~ author / intended audience
~ purpose of the text
~ context / setting
~ physical form / structure
~ level of formality / style
classification can be subjective; different people may categorize the same text differently
Interconnection between genres through:
~ genre networks; related genres interacting with one another, nonlinear
~ genre chains; structured progression where one genre depends on another
e.g. a job interview relies on a CV, a research article follows a proposal, etc.
~ genre sets; groups of genres regularly used for specific purposes
e.g. emails, meeting agendas, and reports used in workplace communication
~ repertoires of genres; full range of genres a person / community regularly engages
with, shaped by social, institutional, or professional contexts
Genre structures differ across languages and cultures ( contrastive / intercultural rhetoric )
Steps in genre analysis
I Collect samples of the genre
II Review existing research on that genre
III Identify common patterns in structure and language
IV Analyze the context ( who writes it, for whom, and why )
V Examine connections between genres ( how they relate to others )
VI Understand the social & cultural setting of the genre
Teaching / learning genres
+ helps students with academic / professional writing
– can be too rigid / limit creativity
> students must learn to adapt genres to different contexts
> teachers have to use flexible approaches / expose students to a wide variety of texts
Applications
~ academic writing & metadiscourse ( helps guide readers through a text )
- interactivity to connect with readers
2
, ~ ethnographic genre analysis ( looks at how genre is shaped by real-world context )
~ beyond academia, genre analysis is useful in journalism, law, business etc.
Generic structure: overall form or framework of a text
~ skeleton ( fixed format for a specific type of text )
e.g. experimental research report generally has sections like introduction,
methods, results, and conclusion
Rhetorical structure: how content’s organized / presented to achieve specific purpose
~ muscles / movement ( how the text develops and conveys meaning )
Problem-solution structure ( research, essays, reports )
generic: introduction → methods → results → discussion → conclusion
rhetorical: situation → problem → solution → evaluation
Classical argument structure ( persuasive writing, debates, editorials )
generic: introduction → body → conclusion
rhetorical: introduction → narration ( background ) → confirmation ( arguments ) →
refutation ( counter arguments ) → conclusion
IMRaD structure ( scientific research papers )
generic: introduction → methods → results → discussion
rhetorical: context → hypothesis → experimentation → interpretation
Narrative structure ( stories, biographies, literature )
generic: beginning → middle → end
rhetorical: exposition → rising action → climax → falling action → resolution
Cause-effect structure ( explanatory texts, scientific papers, history writing )
generic: introduction → body → conclusion
rhetorical: cause → effect → analysis → implications
Compare-contrast structure ( analytical essays, reviews, discussions )
generic: introduction → comparison → contrast → conclusion
rhetorical: subject A → subject B → similarities → differences → synthesis
Paltridge basically gave us 2 main outlooks on genre:
I Rhetorical structure ( Miller )
- focuses on genre as action rather than form
- stresses how texts function in different rhetorical situations
- sees genre as situationally driven / dynamic, rather than fixed
II Generic structure ( Martin )
- views genre as socially constructed ( cultural / institutional )
- recognizes staged structures / formal conventions as key to genres
- focuses on how genres shape meaning-making within communities
Swales sits in between these two, as he recognizes the communicative purpose of genre
( Miller ) but also acknowledges structural constraints and shared conventions ( Martin )
So: the differences in the definitions stem from different disciplinary traditions
3
