Disciplinary Discourses: Social Interactions in Academic Writing [Paperback]

Ken Hyland (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0472030248 | ISBN-13: 978-0472030248 | Publication Date: July 22, 2004

Why do engineers "report" while philosophers "argue" and biologists
"describe"? In the Michigan Classics Edition of Disciplinary Discourses: Social Interactions in Academic Writing, Ken Hyland examines the relationships between the cultures of academic communities and their unique discourses. Drawing on discourse analysis, corpus linguistics, and the voices of professional insiders, Ken Hyland explores how academics use language to organize their professional lives, carry out intellectual tasks, and reach agreement on what will count as knowledge. In addition, Disciplinary Discourses presents a useful framework for understanding the interactions between writers and their readers in published academic writing. From this framework, Hyland provides practical teaching suggestions and points out opportunities for further research within the subject area.

As issues of linguistic and rhetorical expression of disciplinary conventions are becoming more central to teachers, students, and researchers, the careful analysis and straightforward style of Disciplinary Discourses make it a remarkable asset.

The Michigan Classics Edition features a new preface by the author and a new foreword by John M. Swales.

Editorial Reviews

From the Back Cover

Applied Linguistics and Language Study

General Editor: Christopher N. Candlin,
Chair Professor of Applied Linguistics,
Centre for English Language Education & Communication Research
Department of English
City University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong.

Since it was first established in the 1970's the Applied Linguistics and Language Study series has become a major force in the study of practical problems in human communication and language education. Drawing extensively on empirical research and theoretical work in linguistics, sociology, psychology and education, the series explores key issues in language acquisition and language use.


Disciplinary Discourses: Social Interactions in Academic Writing presents a series of innovative studies focusing on eight disciplines and a variety of key genres to examine the relationships between the cultures of academic communities and their discoursal practices. It proposes a framework to account for the interactions between writers and their readers in published academic writing, draws clear teaching suggestions, and offers detailed methodological principles and suggestions to support further research.

Drawing on discourse analysis, corpus linguistics, and the voices of professional insiders, Ken Hyland explores how academics use language to organise their professional lives, carry out intellectual tasks and reach agreement on what will count as knowledge. Through its focus on the features of key genres, this book shows what close textual analyses can reveal about the social practices and institutional ideologies of different academic communities, and at the same time provides a clear basis for further research. The theoretical and descriptive accounts have strong practical implications for the understanding of academic writing and disciplinary communities. It will therefore be of great interest to teachers and students of academic writing, English for Specific Purposes, and discourse analysis more generally.

Ken Hyland is an Associate Professor in the Department of English, City University of Hong Kong.

--This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

Product Details

• Paperback: 232 pages
• Publisher: University of Michigan Press/ESL (July 22, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0472030248
• ISBN-13: 978-0472030248
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.1 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.1 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #654,239 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars GOOD REFERENCE, October 28, 2008

By 

LES MOTS (Australia) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Disciplinary Discourses: Social Interactions in Academic Writing (Paperback)

Hyland has done enormous work on Academic Literacy(ies) and this is a very helpful reference.