Which term best describes the study of categorising discourse types such as obituaries, abstracts and menus by their purpose and structure?

Which term best describes the study of categorising discourse types such as obituaries, abstracts and menus by their purpose and structure?

• A. Genre analysis
• B. Genre
• C. Formal schemata
• D. Global revision

Answer: (A)

The main concept is how writers’ different discourses are grouped by what they aim to do and how they are put together. This study is genre analysis. It treats texts like obituaries, abstracts, and menus as distinct genres, each with a purpose (for example, to inform, summarize, or guide) and with conventional patterns—typical openings, body organization, and endings—that readers recognize and expect. Genre analysis examines how language choices, structure, and moves align with each genre’s purpose, helping both writers adhere to expectations and readers anticipate how to read the text.

For comparison, a genre is the category itself, while formal schemata refers more narrowly to the expected structure within a single text type, not the broader cross-genre study. Global revision is about editing the whole piece for coherence and clarity, rather than categorizing discourse by purpose and structure.