Chris Gledhill, Paris Diderot 2013

M1 Langues Appliques ILTS Rdaction Technique

Technical Writing and Text Analysis

The Field Tenor Mode framework for analysis

The framework for analysis given below can be used to contextualise a written or spoken genre
and account for its linguistic realisation.
In the class today you will have an opportunity to apply the framework to a set of example genres
from EAP and other settings. Having done a more detailed analysis of the linguistic features of
exemplars of genres in Week 1, use this opportunity to focus on the context features of the genres
in question.

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CONTEXTUAL
Analysis
GENRE
FIELD

TENOR

MODE

1.

Name

2.

Social context

3.

Communicative
purpose

4.

Roles

5.

Cultural values

6.

Text context

7.

Formal text
features

What is the name of the genre of which this

text is an exemplar?
In what social setting is this kind of text
typically produced? What constraints and
obligations does this setting impose on
speakers and listeners / writers and readers?
What is the communicative purpose of this
text (this may involve explicit and implicit
factors)?
What roles may be required of writers and
readers in this genre?
What shared cultural values may be required
of speakers and listeners / writers and readers
in this genre?
What knowledge of other texts may be
required of speakers and listeners / writers
and readers in this genre?
What shared knowledge of formal text
features (conventions) is required to
participate effectively into this genre?

LINGUISTIC / FUNCTIONAL Analysis

FIELD

8.

IDEATIONAL:
experiential /
logical
metafunction
INTERPERSONAL
metafunction

TENOR

9.

MODE

10. TEXTUAL
metafunction

Focus on lexico-grammar: what is the text

about? How are the logical relationships in
the text signalled
How is the relationship between the writer
and reader constructed? How is the power
relationship between writer and reader
signalled? How does the writer signal
evaluations (approval / disapproval,
acceptance / rejection, certainty / uncertainty
etc.)
How is the text organised at a micro level
(Theme / Rheme) and as a series of larger
units of meaning (e.g. discourse moves such as
SPRE, Reason > Result, General > Particular,
Time sequence)?

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Textual metafunction : a note on Coherence vs. Cohesion:

Example text:

Initial Order

I had started the war

I shot at him

I was on guard duty

I saw an enemy soldier

Best Order

Discourse function

Coherence = (implicit) structure / organisation of the text in terms of discourse functions.

Cohesion = (explicit) grammatical and lexical links with which bind the text together.
Discourse function = (in Narratives) Situation, Problem, Resolution, Evaluation (SPRE)

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EXAMPLE ANALYSIS [Misc unpublished Lothian Council documents BNC ref.HPL]]

An example analysis of a short text is provided below. This might help you see what's going on
If you intend to continue storing petroleum spirit you must complete the enclosed renewal
application form and return it to this address before the date of expiry of your existing licence.
If you intend to discontinue storage you must notify your intention in writing to this office, in
accordance with the conditions of your existing licence, in order that the necessary safety
measures may be seen to.
FAILURE TO DO EITHER OF THE ABOVE THINGS MAY MEAN THAT YOU WILL BE
CONTRAVENING THE PROVISIONS OF THE ABOVE LEGISLATION.
NO FURTHER REMINDER WILL BE ISSUED.

CONTEXTUAL Analysis
1. Name
2. social context

Safety leaflet or letter addressed to a license holder (storage of

petroleum spirit)
Government / administration (Health and Safety)

3. communicative
purpose

Advice and instruction (with an element of warning)

4. roles

Regulator > Regulated. There is an unequal power relationship

between the author and audience of the text
Mutual acceptance of legal constraints on social behaviour.
Assumed authority on the part of the author to issue
imperatives and threats. Willingness of audience to accept and
respond to imperatives
Public notices and legal documents

5. cultural values

6. text context
7. formal text
features

Single sentence paragraphs. Use of capital letters for emphasis

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LINGUISTIC ANALYSIS IDEATIONAL (experiential / logical)

8. Experiential metafunction
1. If you intend to continue storing petroleum spirit you must complete the enclosed
renewal application form and return it to this address before the date of expiry of
your existing licence.
2. If you intend to discontinue storage you must notify your intention in writing to this
office, in accordance with the conditions of your existing licence, in order that the
necessary safety measures may be seen to.
3. FAILURE TO DO EITHER OF THE ABOVE THINGS MAY MEAN THAT YOU WILL BE
CONTRAVENING THE PROVISIONS OF THE ABOVE LEGISLATION.
4. NO FURTHER REMINDER WILL BE ISSUED.

word
ABOVE THINGS
address
application form
date
enclosed
office
return
writing

class
administrative
administrative
administrative
administrative
administrative
administrative
administrative
administrative

word
ABOVE LEGISLATION
accordance
conditions
CONTRAVENING
existing licence
expiry
FAILURE
intend
intention
ISSUED
necessary safety measures
NO FURTHER REMINDER
PROVISIONS
renewal

class
legal
legal
legal
legal
legal
legal
legal
legal
legal
legal
legal
legal
legal
legal

word
storing
petroleum spirit
discontinue storage

class
topic
topic
topic

Logical metafunction
1. If you intend to continue storing petroleum spirit you must complete the enclosed
renewal application form and return it to this address before the date of expiry of
your existing licence.
2. If you intend to discontinue storage you must notify your intention in writing to this
office, in accordance with the conditions of your existing licence, in order that the
necessary safety measures may be seen to.
3. FAILURE TO DO EITHER OF THE ABOVE THINGS MAY MEAN THAT YOU WILL BE
CONTRAVENING THE PROVISIONS OF THE ABOVE LEGISLATION.
4. NO FURTHER REMINDER WILL BE ISSUED.

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9. Interpersonal metafunction
1. If you intend to continue storing petroleum spirit you must complete the enclosed
renewal application form and return it to this address before the date of expiry of
your existing licence.
5. If you intend to discontinue storage you must notify your intention in writing to this
office, in accordance with the conditions of your existing licence, in order that the
necessary safety measures may be seen to.
6. FAILURE TO DO EITHER OF THE ABOVE THINGS MAY MEAN THAT YOU WILL BE
CONTRAVENING THE PROVISIONS OF THE ABOVE LEGISLATION.
7. NO FURTHER REMINDER WILL BE ISSUED.

Second person address

Implied imperative indicated with modal of obligation
Implied risk of committing an offence indicated with modal of possibility
Use of CAPS signals urgency
Absence of agency in sentence 3 and 4 increases the personal obligation of the reader to
comply.
Lexical density:
{P1} [C1] If you 1_intend_S1 to 2_continue 3_storing 4_petroleum 5_spirit_S2 [C2] you
must 6_complete_S3 the 7_enclosed_S4 8_renewal_S5 9_application_S6 10_form_S7 and
[C3] 11_return it to this 12_address before the 13_date of 14_expiry_S8 of your
15_existing_S9 16_licence_S10.
{P2} [C4] If you 17_intend_S11 to 18_discontinue_S12 19_storage_S13 [C5] you must
20_notify_S14 your 21_intention_S15 in 22_writing to this 23_office, in
24_accordance_S16 with the 25_conditions_S17 of your 26_existing_S18 27_licence_S19,
[C6] in 28_order that the 29_necessary 30_safety 31_measures_S20 may be 32_seen to.
{P3} [C7] 33_FAILURE TO DO EITHER OF THE ABOVE_S21 34_THINGS MAY 35_MEAN [C8]
THAT YOU WILL BE 36_CONTRAVENING_S22 THE 37_PROVISIONS_S23 OF THE ABOVE
38_LEGISLATION_S24.
{P4} [C9] NO 39_FURTHER 40_REMINDER_S25 WILL BE 41_ISSUED_S26.

Clauses = 9
"Content" words = 41
Lexical density = 4.5

LOW lexical density implies a conversational orientation

But there is a tension between this orientation and the legal / directive oriention that is
signalled in the experiential component.

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10. Textual metafunction

1. If ||you intend to continue storing petroleum spirit you must complete the enclosed
renewal application form and return it to this address before the date of expiry of
your existing licence.
2. If ||you intend to discontinue storage you must notify your intention in writing to
this office, in accordance with the conditions of your existing licence, in order that
the necessary safety measures may be seen to.
3. FAILURE TO DO EITHER OF THE ABOVE THINGS || MAY MEAN THAT YOU WILL BE
CONTRAVENING THE PROVISIONS OF THE ABOVE LEGISLATION.
4. NO FURTHER REMINDER WILL BE ISSUED.

Lexical repetition maintains cohesion (you / license)

Anaphoric reference to maintain cohesion (it / above)

Nominalisations unmarked themes in emphasises impersonality FAILURE TO DO EITHER OF

THE ABOVE THINGS / NO FURTHER REMINDER .

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PRESENTATION OF THE ANALYSIS

Contextual analysis
This text is a safety leaflet or letter addressed to a license holder (storage of petroleum spirit). It is
written within a framework of shared responsibilities that of the government agency which
issues the license and the license holder who stores a dangerous fluid (Regulator > Regulated).
The text realises an un-equal power relationship and the author is allowed to use imperatives as a
primary mode. Proper interpretation of this text requires an awareness of other administrative /
legal documents and could present significant challenges to readers with limited literacy.
Linguistic analysis

Ideational

The legal / administrative focus of the text is made clear by the three main lexical sets which can
be identified:
word
ABOVE THINGS
address
application form
date
enclosed
office
return
writing

class
administrative
administrative
administrative
administrative
administrative
administrative
administrative
administrative

word
ABOVE LEGISLATION
accordance
conditions
CONTRAVENING
existing licence
expiry
FAILURE
intend
intention
ISSUED
necessary safety measures
NO FURTHER REMINDER
PROVISIONS
renewal

class
legal
legal
legal
legal
legal
legal
legal
legal
legal
legal
legal
legal
legal
legal

word
storing
petroleum spirit
discontinue storage

class
topic
topic
topic

The logical structure of the text is established through a series of explicit IF > THEN statements

Interpersonal

Although the text makes use of second person address, the power relationship between the
author and audience is unequal, with the author expressing some statements as imperatives
(through the use of modals of obligation), as well as expressing threats (through modals of
possibility). The absence of agency in sentence 3 and 4 increases the sense of personal obligation
to comply with legal requirements which are beyond the control of the author of the text. The use
of capital letters in the last two statements signals a high level of urgency.
With its low lexical density (4.5) the text is close to conversational production, but, because of its
use of imperatives and its dependence on a restricted set of lexis and collocations, it is closely
aligned with legal texts. It would seem that there is a tension between a desire to present a low
processing load on the reader (low lexical density) and the need to use unambiguous legal terms
which will be less accessible to the reader.

Textual

P1 and P2 stress the repercussions of failure to comply by thematising the conditional conjunction
IF. P3 and P4 thematise two nominal structures in a way which distances the actors from the
actions. The whole text is organised around a series conditional time sequence statements using IF
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> THEN logic...

References
Bhatia VK (1993) Analysing Genre: Language use in professional settings Longman Harlow
Gledhill, C. (2000). Collocations in Science Writing. Gunter Narr: Tbingen.
Flowerdew J (1993) "An educational or process approach to the teaching of professional genres"
ELTJ 47/4305-316 Oxford University Press Oxford
Johns AM (1997) Text, role and context: developing academic literacies Cambridge University
Press Cambridge
Swales J (1990) Genre Analysis Cambridge University Press Cambridge
Tribble C (2002) "Corpora and corpus analysis: new windows on academic writing" in Flowerdew J
(ed.) Academic Discourse Addison Wesley Longman Harlow

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Reporting format
Example # _______
CONTEXTUAL Analysis
name

social context

communicative
purpose
roles

cultural values

text context

formal text
features
LINGUISTIC Analysis
IDEATIONAL:
experiential /
logical
INTERPERSONAL
TEXTUAL

COMMENTARY
Contextual analysis
Linguistic analysis

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