Texts in context

1. Key concepts:

• co-text: other parts of the same text, the rest of the text, surrounding text.

• context: written or spoken, by particular people in particular situations and for particular purposes.

• Pragmatics: the study of language in its contexts of use - and how these contexts impact on the way we produce and interpret texts. (The study of how we 'read between the lines' of texts)

• Pragmatic meaning VS. semantic (literal) meaning
  (the pragmatic meaning of an utterance or text is context sensitive, being variable.) VS. (the semantic meaning is more fixed.)

Without contextual information, a text is open to a variety of interpretations.
Without context knowledge, the meaning of a text is difficult, if not impossible, to unpack.
*整体而言text和context关系较清晰，因为有一种文化下的共同知识 shared culture. *

2. context, text type, text三者关系

• Text中的语言选择(grammar&vocab)反应出了它的text type. (A-B)
• Text type也反应出context，如文本的field, tenor, mode. (B-C)

3. text function 功能

function: 一种contextual factor, 决定text语言选择。language is doing some job in some context.
macro functions: (分类方式多样)

1. referring -- using language to convey or solicit information.
2. expressing feelings -- e.g. say what you like or dislike.
3. regulating -- using language to influence people and get things done, such as requesting, ordering, giving or refusing permissions, promising, warning, etc.
4. interacting -- using language to establish and maintain social relations.
5. playing -- using language imaginatively and playfully.

(Of all the language functions, the regulatory one is the most sensitive. Risk of threaten other's face. Face-saving strategies. Indirect. )

4. text register 语域

field, tenor, mode三个contextual variables共同决定文本register，进而决定language choice, e.g. grammar & vocab

field: the what of the situation (kind of social activity, topic)
tenor: the who of the situation (participants and their relationship)
mode: the how of the situation (the means that the text is being created, e.g. email, face-to-face talk, broadcast talk, written monologue, etc)

5. genre

Genre: through repeated use, certain institutionalized register combinations become institutionalized and are called genres. (frequently occurring, culturally-embedded, social process which involve language)

genre analysis不需要太细，关键要能帮助学习者production.

Text type VS. Genre
Genre更多用于文学，不只描述文本结构generic structure, 还以social和cultural角度解释explanatory.

教学启示：

听力阅读课，要先关注文本的register，再关注细节。
When using texts in the classroom:

• situation the text firmly in its context before learners read or listen to it
• ask learners to guess the context after an initial exposure

读几行或略读，听几句，回答who wrote the text, what about, to whom and why? 【register: field, tenor, mode】【activate learners' schema】，然后问：what do you think is going to happen? 【predict】

schema:mental representations of how things happen, specifically where language is involved.

PPT展示阅读文本，一次放一句，不断放，一边猜和讨论。【交替gradual disclosure of a text & discussion】

口语和写作教学中，一定在题目里给予function和register，让学习者了解再写。他们基于自己的交流需求、兴趣去写更好。

Genre-based approach

先分析代表性text type例子，再让学习者Production（写或说）
genre analysis:

• macrostructures: how it is organized into obligatory and optional elements; how are they ordered.
• the texture: the way that the text is made cohesive by the use of linking devices.
• lower-level language features that leads to the register of text, e.g. field, tenor and mode.