An Analysis of the Texts using Swales' Moves
A genre analysis of the two news articles can also be analysed according to John Swales’ moves. According to Liu (2020, p. 427), "a move is primarily a linguistic unit performing rhetorical functions through text" and can, as Liu (2020) notes, vary in size such as by a clause or paragraph/s.
Paltridge (2014) notes that Swales introduced the term ‘genre’ into the area of second-language (L2) writing and in English for specific purposes (ESP) in the 1980s. He began his teaching in the UK where he analysed research articles.
As Devitt (2015, p. 44) states, John Swales “combined
rhetoric and linguistics to explain genre as grounded in shared communicative
purposes and discoverable through text analysis." As Devitt (2015, p.45) states, “Swales’
Create a Research Space (CARS) model describes rhetorical moves typical in
introductions to research articles.” Swales’ model can also be applied to other
genres, such as the news articles. Askehave and Swales (in Paltridge, 2014)
argue that genres have many purposes and are different for each person. The
genre which is similar linguistically may have a different communicative
purpose. The communicative purpose of the text can also change over time and
across cultures. This can be shown in the two analysed news articles, as
although they are the same genre with similar linguistics, they have a
different communicative purpose. Article 1 focuses on the success of the
curfew, whereas in article 2 both the positive and negative outcomes of the
curfew are presented by the journalist. The communicative purpose of the texts also differs according to the culture of the reader and their viewpoint on the topic, and may also change as time passes.
According to Swales (1990, in Fairclough, 2003, p.70), a genre “comprises a class of communicative events, the members of which share some set of communicative purposes.” As Fairclough (2003) notes however, even with this predictable generic structure texts of the same genre vary. Some stages may not occur such as the wrap up, as was shown in the news articles examined.
According
to Fairclough, (2003, p.84), “the narrative text is a written report, and the
narrator is …a journalist.” Furthermore, Fairclough (2003, p.84) continues, that “news is making
stories out of series of logically and chronically related events.” News stories order a
series of events, presented by the journalist from their point of view. According to Fairclough (2003, p. 85), "making news is a heavily interpretative and constructive process, not simply a report of the facts." The journalist chooses which events to include or exclude and
the order these events are presented to the reader. Allan (1999,
in Fairclough, 2003, p.85) states, “news stories are oriented to regulating and
controlling events, and the ways in which people respond to events.” The
relationship between the journalist and the audience is that the journalist usually has
authority or power over the reader.
According to Devitt (2015, p.45), Swales’ moves in genre
analysis were described as the following:
"Move 1 “Establishing a territory”, through “claiming centrality
“, making topic generalisations” and “reviewing previous research”-
establishing the research area
Move 2 “Establishing a niche” through “indicating a gap”-
summarise previous research
Move 3 “Occupying the niche” through ‘outlining purposes”. -
establish the need for their own study to rectify the problems”
Sutton (2000) notes however, that the order of these
steps may vary but are a basic pattern.
Swales’ moves can be applied to the genre of localised news
stories. According to Sutton (2000), these stories usually begin with a lead connecting the larger story
with a local angle. This was shown in both articles whereby the
general problem of crime and unrest by Aboriginal youth in Alice Springs is
given a local angle by interviewing the residents’ reactions to the imposed curfew
and the story.
These articles often follow Swales’s moves. Sentences in the
article summarise previous studies (move 2) and the significance of it (move 1).The article looks at an area not covered by a previous article (move 3). These
articles, as Sutton would explain (2000, p. 449), “test someone else’s’
large-scale generalisation for its application to a particular population, thus
creating a replication study with results of interest to a specialised group –
in this case local readers.”
Move 2 is shown in the two articles whereby the sentences in the articles summarise the cause of the unrest by Aboriginal youths in Alice Springs and the subsequent imposed curfews.
Article 1 begins with the
sentences:
“A ban on children entering the Alice
Springs CBD will be extended beyond the school holidays due to concerns easing
restrictions could lead to a flare-up in violence.
A two-week youth curfew was imposed on
March 27 when the Northern Territory government declared an emergency in
response to escalating violence in the red centre.
The declaration bans people under the age
of 18 from entering the town centre between 6pm and 6am without a valid reason.”
Article 2 begins with
a similar summary of the events leading to the curfew.
After almost three weeks, the Alice Springs youth
curfew is over. The emergency measure was introduced on March 27 in the wake of
a series
of violent incidents, including an attack on an Alice Springs pub and
a brawl involving up to 150 people. It meant between 6pm to 6am, young people
under the age of 18 couldn't enter the CBD without a "lawful
purpose".
This article also provides a link to a previous news
story on the violent incidents. This provides the reader with the choice of whether or not to read previous articles on the issue.
Move 1 is also shown in the two articles where they
show the significance of the curfew on the residents, researching the impact on
them.
In Article 2 the sentences describe:
“The measure has triggered mixed reactions, lauded as
a "circuit-breaker" by some and a "punitive", "knee-jerk"
response by others. Others said the curfew was "unfair" to young people, with some concerned it could further
criminalise children and teenagers. Residents and frontline organisations
consistently argued it was a "bandaid solution", calling for Calls
for longer-term solutions in Alice Springs after curfew to be prioritised.”
There are several links to previous articles on the
unrest embedded in this part of the article.
In Article 1 Move 1 is shown by the reaction of the
residents described in the article as follows:
“Ms Lawler said the curfew, intended as a
"circuit breaker", had been a "great success".
"The conversations on the ground
from Alice Springs residents is this has been the best thing that has happened
to Alice Springs," she told reporters on Tuesday.
Police Commissioner Michael Murphy said
officers had noticed a decrease in crime in the CBD since the curfew was
introduced.
"The main thing we've seen is really
the absence of youth coming in and showcasing their criminal behaviour in the
CBD and really decreasing the risk to them and their harmful behaviours,"
he said.
"But what's been different on this
occasion is the follow-up by (Department of) Territory Families in the
following days.
"The families are actually asking
for help about how they can better manage their children and then that leads to
pathways for education, schooling and the like."
Both articles are shown to end with Swales’ move 3
whereby they look at an area previously not covered in an article:
In Article 1 it
ends with:
“The extension came as the
government released a review into the NT police force that called for increased
resourcing, organisational restructuring and better support for front-line
officers.
The government accepted 15 of the
18 recommendations but rejected calls to reduce Police Auxiliary Liquor Inspectors
(PALI) from bottle shops.”
In Article 2 it ends with:
“Could
we see another curfew imposed in future?
It's
unclear, but the NT government has left the door open to calling another one in
future.
"If [a
spike in crime] happens again, I'm more than happy to bring in a curfew
elsewhere in the Northern Territory," Ms Lawler said.”
According to Devitt (2015, p.45), Swales made “powerful links between the linguistic patterns of genre and communicative purpose, discourse community and rhetorical moves.”
Article 1:
Article 2:
Fairclough, N. (2003). Analysing discourse: Textual analysis for social research. Routledge.
Paltridge, B. (2014). Genre and second-language academic writing. Language Teaching, 47(3), 303-318.
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