Genre, Language, and ESP: A Comprehensive Overview
Genre and ESP
The term genre was introduced in the field of English for Specific Purposes (ESP) in 1981. It refers to communicative events such as seminar presentations, lectures, and essays. ESP genre studies are largely based on Swales’ work on discourse structure and linguistic features. The communicative purpose of a genre can evolve and may vary across cultures.
Genre, Discourse, and ESP
In ESP, genres are often analyzed through a series of ‘moves,’ which can contain multiple ‘steps.’ This is known as move analysis, and many such analyses are based on Swales’ work. Discourse structure analysis extends beyond academic genres to include professional genres like corporate disclosure documents, letters of application, and newspaper reports.
Genre, Language, and ESP
Corpus studies have been conducted in various areas beyond English for Academic Purposes, examining Nobel Prize lectures and real estate discourses, for example. Corpora are invaluable for ESP teachers as they illustrate language use within specific academic genres.
Genres, Multimodality, and ESP Research
Miller discussed the growing size and importance of visual elements in research papers. Rowley identified four main types of visuals in conference presentations: scriptural, numerical, figurative, and graphical. Tardy examined PowerPoint slides, highlighting how students use them to express disciplinary identity through organizational structures.
Language Use in ESP
People use language to achieve goals. Descriptions of speech acts, genres, and social interaction formulas are used in professional, business, and academic fields to understand how words express specific concepts within particular disciplines.
Speech Acts
Concepts
Speech act descriptions focus on communicative interactions and the purpose of language use, such as making requests or apologizing. Austin highlighted the performative nature of language, emphasizing how people use it to accomplish actions. Understanding effective communication strategies is crucial.
Hatch categorized utterances into directives, commissives, declaratives, and expressives.
Research
ESP research investigates speech acts in specific situations, such as pilot or doctor communication. In applied linguistics, research explores second-language learners’ acquisition of speech acts.
Applications
Speech act theory underpins functional syllabuses. Research shows that non-native speakers, despite strong grammatical skills, may struggle with appropriate speech act expression.
Genres
A genre is a category of language use within a specific community. The community provides a label for the genre, such as the medical community.
Research into ESP genres may involve:
- Identifying genres used by a specific community.
- Developing a corpus of authentic genre samples.
- Analyzing recurrent patterns in the genre’s structure.
Moves are actions taken to achieve communicative purposes, while steps are the options writers use to make those moves.
Zhu identified moves in letters based on their communicative purposes:
- Introductory section
- Establishing credentials
- Introducing the offer (offering product/service, evaluating product, offering incentives)
- Soliciting response (request, using pressure tactics)
Social Interaction
Concepts
Descriptions of social interaction focus on strategies and linguistic devices used to establish and maintain personal relationships.
Research
Several ESP studies have examined hedging strategies. Vassileva’s research compared hedging in Bulgarian and English academic writing, finding fewer hedges and more boosters in Bulgarian.
Applications
Descriptions of social interaction emphasize the social motivation of language, focusing on how speakers and writers strategically interact with their audience.
Discipline-Specific Word Use
Concepts
This area examines word and structure choices, their common usage, and their meanings within specific disciplines, professions, or workplaces.
Research
Numerous ESP studies have investigated significant words or structures in various disciplines. Tarone et al. studied passive voice use in astrophysics research writing. Kirkgoz identified essential vocabulary for economics students at an English-medium university in Turkey, focusing on high-frequency lexical items and their meanings in economics. The study used a corpus of student textbooks and economics journal articles.