Organizing and Evaluating Ideas in Research-based

Academic WritingWriting Workshop

UBC Faculty of EducationOctober 18, 2013

Alfredo A. FerreiraPhD Candidate

Language & Literacy Education Department

This workshop will help participants’ understanding and practice in three crucial areas of their research-based academic writing: the organization of the message, the packaging of information, and the evaluation of knowledge claims. Our work on organization encompasses the ordering, pre/reviewing , and packaging ideas for flow. As time permits, the workshop also focuses on the writer’s options for evaluating knowledge claims, including those from cited sources. 

Workshop Aims

theoretical affinities

Patterns of language in a message/textcorrelate with its social context

theoretical affinities

Patterns of language in a message/textcorrelate with its social context

Systemic Functional Linguistics: A theory of language

Language is a resource for mediating social life, interpersonally and intrapersonally

Language emerges from and evolves with meaning-making in human society

Meanings are reflected in the functional structure of language at various scales of practice, from instances of meaning-making in texts to the open system of language as a meaning potential.

APPLICATIONS

Education/Literacy -language & content -language & contextDiscourse analysis -pragmatics & semantics -sociological analysis -legal -clinical -multimodalComputer-aided communication -text scanners -automatic text generation...

Social Semiotics (Bakhtin, Foucault,

Althusser)

Co-dependency of language use & context(Derewianka, 2012, p.133 - 137) THEORETICAL(p.133,137)

Language in Use: Texts

Situated social practiceSocial context

Language system (lexicogrammar)

Context constrains language use

Language use generates contexts

TE

XT

CO

NT

EX

T

Well legibility and correct punctuation might not be “street”… but that’s how I roll.

FIELD TENOR MODE

Co-dependency of language use & context PREVIEW (Derewianka, 2012, p.133 - 137)CONTEXT/

Register

Lexicogrammar

TEXT:Choices of wording

Social Semiotics (Bakhtin, Foucault,

Althusser)

Social Context

CULTURE

Situation-specific style of language:

REGISTER

Lexicogrammatical system / wording

Instance of social practice

TEXT

Social practices: meaning-making in situated context, has three recognizable aspects

sub-sys sub-sys sub-sys

sub-sys sub-sys sub-sys

3 corresponding subsystems of language choices made in texts, recognizable in through functional grammatical structure

Well legibility and correct punctuation might not be “street”… but that’s how I roll.

Social Semiotics (Bakhtin, Foucault,

Althusser)

Social

context

CULTURE

Situation-specific ways of using language:

REGISTER

Texts as instances meaning-making practice in context

Social practices: meaning-making in situated context, has three recognizable aspects FIELD Context ContextWhat’s going on sub-sys sub-sys

Construing Language Language Experience subsys subsysKinds of verb+ related partic+ circumAbstractionLogic

Well legibility and correct punctuation might not be “street”… (=)

but that ’s [how I roll]. (=) carrrier attr vrb attribute (material vrb: “I” =actor)

Social Semiotics (Bakhtin, Foucault,

Althusser)Social

context

CULTURE

Situation-specific ways of using language:

REGISTER

Texts as instances meaning-making practice

Social practices: meaning-making in situated context, has three recognizable aspects FIELD TENOR ContextWhat’s going on social relations sub-sys

Construing Interacting Language Experience Mood (.?!; match?) subsysKind of verb Modality eg+ related partic - should/must+ circum - might/willAbstractionLogic

Well legibility and correct punctuation might not be “street”…

but that’s how I roll.

Social Semiotics (Bakhtin, Foucault,

Althusser)

Social

context

CULTURE

Situation-specific ways of using language:

REGISTER

Text

Texts as instances meaning-making practice

Social practices: meaning-making in situated context, has three recognizable aspects FIELD TENOR MODEWhat’s going on Social relations Message holds together

Construing Interacting Text organization Experience Mood (.?!; match?) Points of:Kind of verb Modality eg -departure+ related partic - should/must (= Theme)+ circum / - might/will -arrivalAbstraction (= New)Logic Coherence reference

Well legibility and correct punctuation might not be “street”… but that’s how I roll.

Social Semiotics (Bakhtin, Foucault,

Althusser)

Social

context

CULTURE

Situation-specific ways of using language:

REGISTER

Texts as instances meaning-making practice

Social practices: meaning-making in situated context, has three recognizable aspects FIELD TENOR MODE

Expressing Interacting Text structuring Ideas Mood (.?!; match?) Points of:5 kinds of vrb Modality eg -departure+ related partic - should/must (= Theme)+ circum / - might/will -arrivalAbstraction (= New) Coherence reference

Well legibility and correct punctuation might not be “street”… but that’s how I roll.

Social Semiotics (Bakhtin, Foucault,

Althusser)

theoretical affinities

Bi-directional REALIZATIONAL Relation between Wording & Context (ie not causal)

CULTURE CONTEXT

Situation-specific style:

REGISTER

WORDING Language choices in a text

Possible & Choices of& appropriate WORDINGWORDING in texts

con

strains re

aliz

e

DYNAMIC!

adapted from Martin & Rose, 2007

Different rates of change: dynamics of meaning across timescales

Development of message in text

Cultural genesis

Textual genesis

Personal (onto) genesis

Development of individual’s repertoire for social agency

Evolution of discourse formations, society & culture

Instruction, ontogenesis, learning, & the development of the potential to mean in context

Yoshiyuki, responding to a question about students’ “usual revising processes for the course writings”:

“I am regretted that I focused too much on revising the parts the teacher commented because… .”

Instruction, ontogenesis, learning, & the development of the potential to mean in context

Yoshiyuki, responding to a question about students’ “usual revising processes for the course writings”:

“I am regretted that I focused too much on revising the parts the teacher commented because there were still rooms for improving the problem of CONTENT and ORGANIZATION, which I failed to taking into account .”

Social Semiotics (Bakhtin, Foucault,

Althusser)

Social

context

CULTURE

Situation-specific ways of using language:

REGISTER

Texts as instances meaning-making practice

Social-cultural practices self-organize naturally into three kinds of meaning FIELD TENOR MODE

Expressing Interacting Text structuring Ideas Mood (.?!; match?) Points of:5 kinds of vrb Modality eg -departure+ related partic - should/must (= Theme)+ circum / - might/will -arrivalAbstraction (= New) Coherence reference

Well legibility and correct punctuation might not be “street”… but that’s how I roll.

Controlled text analysis practice: Discriminating between meanings most relevant to Field, Tenor or Mode

Task in university course quiz: Define “ergonomics” Model “textbook” answer:

Ergonomics is defined as the design of workspaces so that the best is made of human capabilities without exceeding human limitations.

Ergonomics is defined as the design of workspaces so that the best is made of human capabilities without exceeding human limitations.

The model answer achieves

appropriate links between meaning in context (F, T, M) and wording

ie choices in Ideational,

Interpersonal, & Textual functions of

language.

Ergonomics is the appropriate design of work. The best of people’s capacities can be achievedthrough it. People’s limitations, however, arenot exceeded with ergonomic design.

Choices in two metafunctions enact meaning in context appropriately. But choices in one of the metafunctions are not so productive: which one? Field, Tenor, or Mode?

Ergonomics makes the design work well and people make the best of what they are capable of and they made this without going over ourlimitations.

Choices in two metafunctions enact meaning in context appropriately. But choices in one of the metafunctions are not so productive: which one? Field, Tenor, or Mode?