Language, Context and Text - Current Issue

Abstract

Active-passive voice alternation is central to scientific writing, addressed both in journal style guidelines — often simplistically — and in academic writing instruction, which highlights its rhetorical complexity. Despite existing linguistic descriptions of the passive’s discourse functions, more applied research is needed on how novice writers use it in developing academic writing. This study examines how medical students employ the passive in research article introductions, using systemic functional linguistics theory to analyse variation according to process type, Agent role and rhetorical move. Results show that in Introduction sections, passives are mostly Agent-less relational processes with categorising or literature-review functions and that ergativity — rather than transitivity — better explains passive use in scientific English. They also show how writers align with discourse conventions while simultaneously displaying individual stylistic variation.

Abstract

The application of genre-based pedagogy (GBP) has a long tradition both in L1 educational contexts and more recently in L2 contexts, such as Content and Language Integrated Learning (CLIL) programmes. In these CLIL contexts, oral and written interaction are not always carried out through full genres. Thus, the concept of Cognitive Discourse Functions (CDFs) (Dalton-Puffer 2013) has been proposed to characterize frequently occurring functional units necessary for learning in classrooms across different disciplines. This paper addresses the roles of genres and CDFs in the analysis of student literacy performance and explores their interplay. Results show that some CDFs are closer to genres than others; for example, the CDF define demonstrates complete stages or functional component, approximating a genre. In contrast, the CDF evaluate, appears in more wave-like structures and is used across genres. We discuss the benefits for educational research of both constructs as tools for analysis and teaching.

Abstract

The adherence to the discursive particularities imposed by the communicative and cultural situations of discourse is essential for conveying a message both intralingually and interlingually. As such, the concepts of genre and register are taught from a systemic functional perspective to the Translation and Interpreting and Communication and Public Relations students pursuing a bachelor’s degree at Politehnica University of Timișoara (Romania). The present study focuses on their opinions expressed through an online anonymised survey regarding a final project in which they analysed the register of a genre-relevant text. The survey findings revealed the students’ perceptions and attitudes towards learning about genre and register through project-based activities, highlighting that these supported their better understanding of the concepts and helped them develop essential professional soft skills.

Abstract

In multilingual societies, language choice is a pragmatic act rather than a neutral reflection of competence. This article examines how speakers in historically multilingual regions (Transylvania and Banat) and administratively multilingual Switzerland use language choice to perform social actions such as negotiating identity, authority, solidarity, and access. Drawing on long-term qualitative observation, the study contrasts two regimes: locally co-constructed congruency, which tolerates asymmetric production with mutual understanding, and policy-driven territoriality, which ties linguistic legitimacy to institutional norms. Using a systemic functional perspective, the article argues that language choice operates primarily at the discourse-pragmatic level and reveals how English increasingly mediates interaction through everyday preference rather than explicit imposition.

Abstract

This article presents an analysis of the code of conduct and ethics of the second most prestigious public university in Mexico, the Benemérita Universidad Autónoma de Puebla (BUAP). These regulations are meant to officially represent the ethical stance of the entire university with more than 95,000 members. The study aims to identify prevalent textual characteristics of the document through a systemic functional linguistic (SFL) analysis of the textual metafunction, including the identification of tendencies in Marked and Unmarked Themes and MOOD (Halliday and Matthiessen 2014). The findings could provide an insight into the nature of such regulatory texts as well as providing guidance towards their improvement as the university moves towards the new 2030 Agenda of the United Nations (Naciones Unidas 2018).

Abstract

This paper analyses the presence of appraisal in teachers’ discourse during interaction with pupils in a joint rewriting activity. This activity is part of the SFL-based genre pedagogy programme Reading to Learn (Rose and Martin 2012). The study is based on the appliability of SFL, specifically appraisal theory (Martin and White 2005), as a tool for constructing pedagogical action aimed at the appropriation of linguistic resources. The analysis focuses on the manifestations of appreciation, graduation, and engagement from appraisal theory, as well as the dimension of justification, added to the appraisal framework. The results show the presence and relevance of appraisal theory as “capable of and designed for being applied” (Halliday and Burns 2006: 124) in pedagogical action.

Abstract

This paper explores the use of multimodal tools in the undergraduate classroom to learn Systemic Functional Grammar (SFG). SFG helps students understand how language creates meaning, fostering their ability to analyse different types of texts. However, SFG’s complex concepts often present teaching challenges. This case study proposes a multimodal approach integrating resources such as conceptual maps, songs, and memes, to make SFG concepts more accessible. It draws from an undergraduate course at a university in Spain, which uses a practical learning approach to help students actively engage with multimodal artefacts, reinforcing their understanding of SFG concepts. The paper illustrates how multimodal resources can support students’ comprehension of the appliability of SFG as a theory of language, with a prosumer approach.

Abstract

This study traces changes in the use of modal verbs in women’s instructive writing between 1700 and 1900, examining how these forms shaped interpersonal meaning within the systemic functional framework. Drawing on the Corpus of Women’s Instructive Texts in English (CoWITE), the analysis explores shifts in modalisation and modulation in recipe writing as an example of technical discourse of the period. The findings reveal a move away from strong obligation markers (must, shall) towards more advisory modals (may, might, should), suggesting a shift in rhetorical strategies to engage readers in a more consultative manner. Statistical analyses highlight significant changes in modal preferences, particularly a growing reliance on modalising forms in the 19th century. These patterns suggest that women adapted their instructive writing to balance authority with accessibility in an attempt to make their discourse both authoritative and engaging for their readership.

This article reviews The language dynamic

This article reviews Reading to learn, reading the world: How genre-based literacy pedagogy is democratizing education

This article reviews A life in style: In honour of Donna R. Miller

This article reviews Systemic functional linguistics: A complete guide