Open AccessA New Link in a Chain of Genres?
Author(s) -
John M. Swales,
Henriette Jakobsen,
Christina Kejser,
Lena von Koch,
Joan Lynch,
Lone Mølbæk
Publication year - 2017
Publication title -
hermes
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.759
H-Index - 7
eISSN - 1903-1785
pISSN - 0904-1699
DOI - 10.7146/hjlcb.v13i25.25589
Subject(s) - character (mathematics) , composition (language) , link (geometry) , process (computing) , linguistics , computer science , mathematics , philosophy , programming language , computer network , geometry
Institutional genres often form dynamic systems or chains. In this paper we report on a possible expansion of the genre system that undergirds the appointment process of assistant professors in the U.S. This expansion consists of a “response letter” to a letter of recommendation. We first analyse a small corpus of these response letters by looking at the openings and closings and the bodies of the letters. The larger aim of this analysis is to explore the possible rationales that might underlie the composition, stylistic character and content of these texts.