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Article published In:
Functions of Language
Vol. 24:3 (2017) ► pp.259–293

Bridging boundaries across genre traditions

A Systemic Functional account of generic patterns in biodata

| The Hong Kong Polytechnic University | University of Cape Coast

This study explores the benefits of a synergy between ESP research on genre and theoretical dimensions of Systemic Functional Linguistics (SFL). It models genre on SFL dimensions and employs this model to analyse 200 biodata written by Applied Linguistics scholars, 100 each from research articles and seminar posters. Data were analysed from contextual, logico-semantic and lexicogrammatical perspectives. The findings reveal five generic stages in biodata. The frequency distribution of these stages and the phases that realise them shows variation between research article bios and seminar bios. The most frequent logico-semantic (or rhetorical) relations identified among stages and phases are of the expansion type, namely addition and elaboration, Further, collocational frameworks are used in organising some generic phases into waves of meaning and in construing different identities. Finally, evaluative resources, in the form of lexical bundles, modification and circumstantial elements in the clause, are employed by writers to boost their professional achievements and promote themselves. These findings contribute to theoretical discussions on genre and the scholarship on the interface between identity construction and academic writing, and also motivate further research.

Article outline
  • 1.Introduction
  • 2.Contextualising biodata in academic writing
  • 3.Modelling genre on Systemic Functional dimensions
  • 4.Data and method
    • 4.1The corpus of biodata
    • 4.2Analytical procedures
  • 5.Generic patterns of biodata
    • 5.1Generic structure potential of biodata
    • 5.2Sequencing of stages
    • 5.3Rhetorical/logico-semantic relations
    • 5.4Lexicogrammatical patterns of biodata
  • 6.Conclusion
  • Acknowledgements
  • Notes
  • References
Published online: 9 February 2018
DOI logo
https://doi.org/10.1075/fol.15017.mwi
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