Linguistic Tools for Written Communication: An Applied Approach

by Reshmi Dutta-Flanders

Overview

This book uses a linguistically and stylistically grounded analytical approach to written discourse to explain the patterns that appear when evaluating academic essays, and to explore the potential of ‘nativized’ linguistic tendencies as strategies in written communication. As 'linguistic behaviour', these strategies constitute a multinorm, and the author argues that comprehensive awareness of a written norm in a multilingual context is not about language rules for ironing out inequalities, but rather about varieties of linguistic practices that construct alternative strategies and patterns in written discourse. The book combines topics such as study skills, English as a Second Language and English for Academic Purposes, but grounds them within a World Englishes and syntactic paradigm, exploring why students write in a certain way due to their linguistic instincts, as well as helping students to see practical examples of what this means from the immediate perspective of sentence construction. It will be of interest to scholars of Education, Language and Linguistics, Study Skills, EAP and World Englishes, as well as students across disciplines who are encountering the academic essay as a form for the first time.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9783031601651
Publisher:	Springer International Publishing
Publication date:	07/03/2025
Pages:	217
Product dimensions:	5.83(w) x 8.27(h) x 0.03(d)

About the Author

Reshmi Dutta-Flanders is an Honorary Research Fellow at the University of Kent, UK.

Table of Contents

Chapter 1 Introduction.- Part I Functional Perspective at Micro Level.- Chapter 2 Deviation:Parameter Setting.- Chapter 3 Deviation: Communicative Dynamism.- Part II Functional Perspective at Macro Level.- Chapter 4 Thematization:Point of view analysis.- Chapter 5 Thematization:The Staging Process.- Chapter 6 Conclusion.

What People are Saying About This

From the Publisher

“In this groundbreaking interdisciplinary study, Reshmi Dutta-Flanders examines the ways in which the linguistic deviations of non-native speakers inform and shape the writing of academic essays in English. By following the processes set out across this book, teachers and markers will be able to adopt more inclusive methods and provide feedback that is more relevant to the needs of individual students. The methodological framework that Dutta-Flanders puts forward is thus an important one that reveals the cultural, social and psychological aspects of secondary language use in an academic context.” (Joanne Pettitt, University of Kent, UK)

“This book is a fascinating and highly informative analysis of the language styles applied by non-native speakers when writing academic essays in English. Set against a background of the nature of different English language varieties and their impact on the students’ cognitive processing, Reshmi Dutta-Flanders offers a detailed analysis of students’ linguistic practices and stylistic output at the micro and macro levels. This book is a must-read for students of linguistics, teachers of EAP writing and staff responsible for developing writing or linguistic analysis courses, particularly those working in multidisciplinary context.” (Judy Cohen, University of Kent, Canterbury, UK)