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Date Posted: 10:47:46 07/14/03 Mon
Author: Thiago Rodrigues Costa
Subject: TASK 11

Explain what a genre-based approach is.

The term genre usually refers to the use of specific rules socially and linguistically established in order to achieve communication. In a given genre, the writer/reader or listener/speaker interaction takes place through the knowledge of the rules applied to that genre. If one of the interlocutors is not acquainted with the rules the communication may fail. In general words, a genre would be a type of text presenting specific features used with a specific purpose. A conversation on the phone, a newspaper article, an academic paper and a chocolate cake recipe are just some examples of different genres commonly used in our everyday lives. The number of genres is unknown. Everyday new genres emerge, while old ones fall into disuse. Another important aspect is that a genre may be very common in a given culture or social group and unknown for another culture or social group.

The genre-based approach regards the importance of different genres to the language teaching. This approach is mainly applied in first language classes especially in Australia, where it has been used since the 80’s. In a genre-based class, the main focus is not on isolated sentences and its structural aspects, but on the analysis of its contextual, social and linguistic characteristics as a whole text. If the teacher introduces to the students a commercial e-mail, for instance, he or she will firstly encourage the students to find out the specific characteristics that give to the analyzed text the “status” of a commercial e-mail, observing the context in which it was written, the language and social devices used in this kind of text and its purposes. Although this approach is commonly used in first language classes, it can be used in second / foreign language classes, observing the learners’ specific interests in the target language. Working with different genres may enable the learner to work with specific communication features in specific contexts. The term genre is applied to the different speech events, which means that it does not have to do with written or oral texts only. However, written texts seem to be more discussed and analyzed in a first language class. In order to adapt this approach to second / foreign language classes it is necessary to keep in mind that the learners need to improve all the skills, not just one or two of them. It is also important to consider the importance of the observation of the characteristics of a given genre before working with the textual / speech production. It is also important to highlight the cultural characteristics of genres since it may be inappropriate to work with a specific genre in foreign language classes if this genre is not common in the cultures of the target language.

Source:
http://www.sil.org/lingualinks/LANGUAGELEARNING/OtherResources/GlssryOfLnggLrnngTrms/WhatIsAGenre.htm
http://personal.cityu.edu.hk/~enhyland/lectures_1-10.htm
http://www.encounters.jp/mike/professional/publications/bevseminar.html
http://langue.hyper.chubu.ac.jp/jalt/pub/tlt/00/jul/gallagher.html
GAZZOTTI, M.A. Genres: an alternative to ELT. New Routes. March, 1999. p.14-18

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