Genre Relations

This valuable introduction to the genre theory of the Sydney School by Martin and Rose provides a theoretical and analytic framework to understand language as a form of social practice. ...One of the best aspects of the book is the way it integrates description and theory and links them to social practice and intervention. The authors are able to demonstrate that there need not be distinctions between contributions to theory and practice because their work has importance for both. Journal of Language in Society This book certainly gives analysts more tools for thinking about genres and genre relations than previous works on the subject. From paradigmatic relations among genres, the authors argue their way towards a notion of macro-genres and multi-generic and indeed multi-modal text, arriving at some very expansive claims in the final chapter. The authors invite readers to consider an all-encompassing view of genres as configurations of meaning that constitute a culture. This is a much bolder claim than we have seen in this field for some time, and it is one that should raise wide-ranging questions for scholars concerned with the relationship between language and culture. Hongyan Zhang, School of Foreign Languages, China University of Geosciences in Discourse Studies This book will be useful to researchers of genre and also to students and teachers who are using genre analysis for academic of professional purposes. BAAL News