Text and genre: systemic functional perspectives for genre analysis and language teaching

Abstract

Based on (i) the concept of Genre (HASAN, 1989), its organization in obligatory, optional and recursive stages, (ii) on the concept of Register (HALLIDAY, 1989), its field, tenor and mode variables, and (iii) on the inter-relation between Genre/Register in contextual levels of culture and of situation, corporate image advertising texts are analyzed with the objective of pointing out to the fact that the study of contextual configuration (HASAN, 1989) and the stages which make up a text allows the understanding of textual organizational aspects and of the genres to which texts belong. It is also argued that the contextual configuration elements may be used in foreign language and mother tongue teaching for genre-based teaching-learning programs.