This document outlines steps for developing a shared understanding of terminology across first year modules: A. Genre analysis involves analyzing texts to understand their cultural context, social purpose, structure, and typical language features. B. Genre switching asks students to use information from analyzed texts to create a short narrative in a different genre. C. Genre production asks students to write a short assignment in the genre of a specific module using information from the analyzed texts. The purpose is to explore whether genre, register, and lexico-grammar can provide a shared "metalanguage" for understanding expectations across different disciplines, or whether each discipline has its own specialized language.

1. TOWARDS
A METALINGUA FRANCA
FOR DEL
Genre, Register and Language
Sheena Gardner
22 June 2012

2. Aims:
To develop shared understanding of
terminology in the DEL100
textbooks
To explore their relevance across first
year modules
Steps:
A. Genre analysis
B. Genre switch
C. Genre production

3. A. GENRE ANALYSIS
Put the texts in
chronological order

4. I CULTURAL CONTEXT & SOCIAL PURPOSE
What kinds of texts are they?
What is their cultural value?
What is their social purpose/ function?
Who interacts through them?
In what ways?

5. II HOW DOES EACH TEXT UNFOLD?
What are the main parts or stages of
the text?
What is the purpose of each stage?
Give each stage a label.

6. III HOW ARE THE TEXTS CONSTRUED
THROUGH LANGUAGE?
What are the typical lexico-
grammatical features of each stage?
How do these features reflect the
social purpose of the stage or text?

7. CATEGORIES IN THORNE’S
(DEL100)CHECKLIST
Register
Lexis
Grammar
Style
Sources
Typographical features
Other?

8. B. GENRE SWITCH
Use the information
from the monkey texts
to create a short
Narrative.
[repeat]

9. C. GENRE PRODUCTION
Use the information
from the monkey text to
write a short student
assignment from a
specific DEL module.
[repeat]

10. PURPOSES OF ASSESSED STUDENT WRITING
1. Demonstrating Knowledge and
Understanding
2. Developing Independent
Reasoning
3. Building Research Skills
4. Preparing for Professional
Practice
5. Writing for Oneself and Others

11. REGISTER VARIATION ACROSS DEL?
Philosophy:
If Descartes' argument is guilty of circularity then it can be
entirely dismissed because, being self-contained, it is
impossible to prove one way or another.
Law:
Therefore the courts have made the presumption that if
agreements are made in a social/domestic context then
there will be no intention, and the reverse will be true in
commercial contexts.
Archaeology:
If this was why they were hunting them then you would
expect to see occupation during summer and autumn

12. HISTORY
If a minority were seen as siding with Germany
then the whole community where the minority
lived would be deported.

13. EXAMPLES FROM ENGLISH
If Mrs Alving represents modernism, then Pastor Manders
is the voice of Victorian values.
If female is multiplicity then man is unity according to
much feminist criticism.
However, this theory cannot be correct for speech. If
children simply imitate language, then this does not
explain how they can carry out the 'Wug test' accurately.
the wide scope universal interpretation of any is derived
through Conversational Implicature in the context of
certain linguistic environments such as modal
expressions, and the imperative. If this proves to be the
case, then this argument provides another example of
pragmatic factors affecting the interpretation of
quantifiers

14. OUTCOME
In Genre, Register and
Lexico-grammar
do we have a shared
metalingua franca
Or
a shared language?

15. NEXT STEPS?
1. Explain assignment
expectations to students
2. Make assessment criteria
explicit and differentiated
3. Provide explicit linguistic
support and feedback

16. THANK YOU