The Concise Encyclopedia of Applied Linguistics

GGenre‐Based Language Teaching

CHRISTINE M. TARDY

The basic principle of genre‐based language teaching is that awareness of the forms, purposes, and social contexts of texts will aid in writing development. In applied linguistics, the term “genre” is used to refer to forms of communication that have become conventionalized through repeated use. Genres are created by social groups, such as academic or professional communities, to carry out various goals of the group. Common genres in academic disciplinary contexts include, for example, research articles or book reviews, while common genres in business contexts may include memos or project proposals. Learning such genres involves learning the socially preferred “ways of doing” within the community. Because key modes of communication within communities are often generic, learning to engage in these genres receptively and productively can be essential to success as a group member. The goal of genre‐based language teaching is to facilitate this process.

Beyond this general shared goal, approaches to genre‐based language teaching vary somewhat. One prominent approach to genre‐based teaching draws on principles of systemic functional linguistics (SFL). This approach was developed largely out of early work by James Martin, Francis Christie, and Joan Rothery, who proposed genre‐based pedagogy as an alternative to the process approach and its emphasis on student centeredness and personal genres, arguing that process pedagogy further marginalized ...