浅谈语类

A tentative study of genre

文章认为对语类的概念存在两种观点：把语类定义为“话语的类型”（Ｈａｓａｎ１９７７），或将其定义为“通过语域未实现的有步骤的、有一定目标的社会过程”（Ｍａｒｔｉｎ１９９２）。文章总结了语类的三个特点：１）与文化紧密相关，可能是文化语境的一个层面；２）任何语类都有一个总体目标；３）语类的实现与其语境配置或语域配置有关，而语境配置可用来预期该语类的结构潜势。在此基础上，文章将探讨语类结构潜势理论。文章还列出一个图表。

The paper argues that there exist two points of view on the concept of genre, one of which defines genre as a “type of discourse” (Hasan 1977), and the other as “a staged, goal oriented social process realized through register” (Martin 1992). The author of the paper has summarized three features of genre: 1) genre is closely associated with culture, possibly being as a plane at the stratum of the context of culture; 2) any genre would have an ultimate purpose or goal; and 3) the realization of a certain genre may be related to its contextual configuration (CC) /its register configuration, which can predict the GSP (Generic Structure Potential) of that genre. Based on this, the paper elaborates on the GSP theory and works out a diagram illustrating the relation between CC and GSP, and that between GSP and its possible texts.