JAC: A Journal of Composition Theory, Volume 17, Number 1, 1997 Page: 88
142 p. : ill. ; 22 cm.View a full description of this periodical.
Extracted Text
The following text was automatically extracted from the image on this page using optical character recognition software:
88 JAC
in the spirit of Bakhtinian dichotomy: "product" and "process," "static scheme"
and "dynamic reproduction" which may be visualized schematically in the
following way:
STAGE 1
Theoretical introduction
STAGE 2 (genre as a "scheme")
Extensive reading and analysis-- Practicing basic linguistic patterns-- Modeling texts.
STAGE 3 (genre as a "process")
Individual writing on the basis of a 'figsaw technique"-> Extensive original writing.
The aim of the first explanatory stage will lie in clarifying the theoretical
aspects of genre as a social construct, including such important points as
communicative purpose and its crucial impact on genre formation, and the
sociocultural placement of the discourse community of Western scholars as the
one which produces genres and consumes them (with the close reference to its
role of the audience for newcomers). This theoretical part can be followed by
the second, prescriptive stage, the goal of which will be directed at the acquisition
of conventions of genre as a static and reiterative phenomenon. This stage will
be elaborated in the paper at much greater length as far as I consider it to be the
core of my model. I will return to the third stage-genre as a dynamic process-
after discussing the second one in more detail.
The task of the prescriptive stage requires a deliberate choice of types of
genres. From the linguistic point of view it is convenient to differentiate or draw
a line of demarcation between the notion of register and that of genre. I share
the understanding of register, or functional language variation, "as contextual
category, correlating with groupings of linguistic features" (Gregory and Carroll
4). Registers are characterized by a rather broad communicative orientation and
their linguistic shaping may be defined only as a tendency of linguistic choices.
In contrast, genres have a much more definite content and verbal structure; they
impose constraints primarily on the level of discourse organization, have clear
beginnings and ends, and can be realized only in completed texts. The correla-
tion between registers, genres, and texts may be shown, according to Nina
Razinkina, in the following way: genres are realized through registers, and
registers are realized through language; genres exist in the form of completed
texts and (from a purely linguistic point of view) are themselves types (or
models) of texts.
The roles of genres within a certain register are different: some frequently
occurring genres may be viewed as central (such as the article, monograph,
conference abstract), and others, less "popular"-as peripheral (e.g., the adver-
tisement in research journals). The structural linguistic features of genres may
be roughly subdivided into obligatory (which are predictable and play a leading
role in genre identification) and optional (functioning within the sphere marked
by obligatory elements). The correlation of these features influences the degree
Upcoming Pages
Here’s what’s next.
Search Inside
This issue can be searched. Note: Results may vary based on the legibility of text within the document.
Tools / Downloads
Get a copy of this page or view the extracted text.
Citing and Sharing
Basic information for referencing this web page. We also provide extended guidance on usage rights, references, copying or embedding.
Reference the current page of this Periodical.
Association of Teachers of Advanced Composition (U.S.). JAC: A Journal of Composition Theory, Volume 17, Number 1, 1997, periodical, 1997; (https://digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc28618/m1/92/: accessed April 25, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, UNT Digital Library, https://digital.library.unt.edu; .