Sentence Subjects and Angle on Field: Mapping ideational meaning across subject areas and years of study in a corpus of assessed student writing

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Sentence Subjects and Angle on Field Mapping
ideational meaning across subject areas and years
of study in a corpus of assessed student writing

• Sheena Gardner, s.f.gardner_at_warwick.ac.uk
• WDHE 2006

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Paper Outline

• 1. The Larger Research Project BAWE
• 2. Disciplinary Differences Theme
• 3. Two Classifications of Grammatical Subjects
  Gosden and MacDonald
• Issues and Applications to BAWE
• 5. A tentative framework for ISS analysis

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Larger Research Project

• An investigation of genres of assessed student
  writing in higher education.
• Corpus of British Academic Written English (BAWE)
• Characteristics of proficient student writing
• Comparisons across disciplines
• Comparisons across years

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BAWE Corpus Grid
1 2 3 4
Arts Humanities
Social Sciences
Life Sciences
Physical Sciences
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Planned Corpus Size
8 assignments x 4 modules (32) from 4 years (32 x 4 128) from 24 main disciplines (3072), 64 from 4 () disciplines (256) 172 other assignments total 3500 assignments
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The current 24 ( 4) disciplines
O-Brookes Reading Warwick
AH English Studies History of Art Archaeology Classics Applied Linguistics History (Philosophy)
LS Health Social Care Plant Biosciences Food Sciences Agriculture Biological Science/ Biochemistry Medicinal Science (Psychology)
PS Computing Architecture Cybernetics Engineering Physics, Chemistry (Mathematics)
SS Anthropology Hospitality, Leisure Tourism Publishing Studies Law Sociology Business (Economics)
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2. Disciplinary Differences

• Becher Trowler (2001) sociological
• Sciences established paradigm
• Social sciences different methodologies and
  frameworks
• Humanities interpretations based on personal
  insight

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Disciplinary differences cont.

• Parry (1998)s analysis of thesis structure
• Sciences report explanation
• Social sciences explanation argument
• Humanities argument with recount narrative

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Disciplinary Differences Linguistic Analyses of
Field (Ideational Meaning)

• A. Theme (numerous SFL)
• B. Sentence subjects (MacDonald, Gosden)
• C. Initial Sentence Subjects (proposed here)

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Theme

• Numerous detailed studies of Theme show its
  ability to characterise disciplines
• E.g. North (2005), Hewings (2004), Whittacker
  (1995), McCabe (2004), Lewin, Fine Young
  (2001), Halliday Martin (1993), Martin Veel
  (1998), Ravelli Ellis (2004), Moore (2002).

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Significance of Theme

• E.g. Coffin Hewings (2004157)
• Theme is used to signal what a message is about
  and
• the writers angle on that message, and
• to signpost the development of the text

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Macro-Theme Martin (1992 437)

• Macro-theme sentence or group of sentences
  which predicts a set of hyper-themes
• Hyper-theme introductory sentence or group of
  sentences which is established to predict a
  particular pattern of interaction among strings,
  chains and Theme selection
• macro-Theme text
• hyper-Theme paragraph
• Theme clause

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Unmarked Topical Theme

• Subject in declarative sentences
• Marked themes are less frequent (e.g. McCabe,
  Gosden) From its formation in 1903, (H154)
• From a discourse perspective, marked Theme and
  unmarked Theme generally do different work
  marked Themes scaffolding phases/ stages of
  discourse (genre oriented), and unmarked Themes
  sustaining the angle on the field (field
  oriented) two complementary aspects of Fries
  method of development. (Martin sysfling list
  8/18/03)

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Angle on Field

• Unmarked topical theme Subject
• topical, unmarked Theme provides the texts
  angle on its field
• (Martin 1993244)
• Cf Schizophrenia and the pursuit of an
  acceptable definition of schizophrenia (PS55)

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Why Grammatical Subject?

• Conflates with unmarked topical theme in academic
  writing so gives angle on field
• Appears less technical than Theme for non SFL
  linguists (and RAs)
• Empirical findings in terms of disciplinary
  differences
• AND levels of study

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MacDonalds analysis of Sentence Subjects
Class Psychology History Literature
Phenomenal
1 Particulars 0.1 6.0 30.0
2 Groups 27.0 44.0 10.0
3 Attributes 11.0 26.0 44.0
Epistemic
4 Reasons 49.0 15.0 7.0
5 Research 12.0 6.0 5.0
6 Isms 0.1 0.0 0.2
7 Audience 1.0 3.0 4.0
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Levels of Study

• 1st year undergraduates in Geography use more
  unmarked topical Themes (Subjects) identifying
  people, places, things or abstract qualities, and
  thus their writing sounds more descriptive,
  whereas 3rd year students adopt a more critical
  stance and make more references to the
  literature. Hewings (2004140-2)

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Empirical applications to BAWE

• 1. Does student writing in English, History and
  Psychology exhibit features similar to those
  described by SPM for professional writers?
• 2. Does student writing in Sciences exhibit
  features similar to those described by Gosden for
  professional writers?

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BAWE data

• Student assignments
• 5 English (EN) essays,
• 5 History (HI) essay,
• 5 Intro to Psychology essays,
• 5 Psychology Practicals essays,
• 5 Biology (BS) essays.
• All chosen by module, by highest marks and where
  possible by same student

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English and History

• SPM found 75-85 Subjects in English and History
  from Phenomenal classes
• Student writing similar (e.g. Prince Arthur)
• SPM found History favoured Groups
• Student writing not similar reflects SPMs data
  on New England colonial migration and inheritance
  patterns.

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Psychology

• SPM found over 60 Subjects from epistemic
  classes
• Student writing similar e.g. the pursuit of an
  acceptable definition of schizophrenia
• C.f. other studies of student writing Witte
  Cherry (1986), Hewings (2004)

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Sciences

• Gosden found a predominance of real world
  subjects (77) and within this real world
  entities (56)
• BAWE data shows similar findings

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Participant Domain Discourse Domain Hypothesized and Objectified Domain Phenomenal Domain
Interactive Participant Barbara Lupini EN2 Anais Nin EN3 Max Weber HI3 John Robert Seeley HI3 Dion, Berscheid and Walster (1972) PS1 Participant Viewpoint Discourse Participant I EN1 (We EN1) Interactive Discourse Entity Recent literature reviews and meta-analyses PS1 The work of Jean Piaget (1896-1980) PS1 Research into PS1 Micro Discourse EntityTwo parts to this question PS3 Macro Discourse Entity This essay EN3 Discourse Process the conclusion Hypothesized Entity The soit-disant Age of Absolutism HI2 Time PH1 Qualia PH1 Memory PS1 The history of psy. Research PS1 Psychology PS1 The psychology .. PS2 The Right Shift theory of Annett (e.g. 1999) PS2 Russells theory of .. PH3 The liar paradox PH3 The development of the vertebrate limb BS3 Approaches to the study of eminence PS3 Objectivized Viewpoint Numerous factors PS3 Hypothesized Viewpoint The accepted view amongst historians .. HI2 The priority HI1 A large part of the aim of Kants .. PH2 A central Fregan introduction into PH3 Its status as a special case of .. PH3 The pursuit of an acceptable definition PS1 Entity Prince Arthur EN1 Edmund Spenser EN1 Tennyson EN2 William Blake EN2 Edward Grey HI2 Mohandas Gandhi HI3 The Canterbury Tales EN1 Blakes Songs .. EN2 Maud EN2 The epithet of Order and Progress HI1 This papal bull HI2 Ordinary people EN1 The British HI3 The Bolshevik Party HI1 Psychologists PS1 The Dutch Republic HI2 The o. m. s. group of cyanobacteria BS2 Viruses BS2 E.. coli O157H7 BS2 The C.. e organism BS3 H. Adenovirus . and Herpes. Virus . BS3 Music PS1 Hand preference PS2 Stimulus-response compatibility PS2 The Necker cube PS2 Post Traumatic Stress Disorder PS3 A requirement for packing of . DNA BS2 Event The Cold War HI1 The .. Revolution HI1 The SA war HI3 Material Process Examination of ..distribution ..BS2 The prevalence of eye-witness testimony PS1 Mental Process Plaths analysis of madness EN3 The construction of an expectancy-based model of melodic complexity PS3
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Different years of study

• English possible progression from Entities in
  the Real World Domain (individuals and semiotic
  entities) to Interactive Participants (e.g. Nin,
  Lupini)
• History possible progression from Real World
  Domain (individuals, semiotic entities and
  groups) to Hypothesised Entities in HI2 (?) to
  Interactive Participants HI3 (Weber, Seeley).
• Philosophy from Abstract Concepts time, qualia,
  memory in PH1 to specific viewpoints Kants
  Freges in PH2 to Theories theory, paradox in
  PH3

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Analysis of Sentence Subjects in BAWE shows

• Differences in how knowledge is construed, not
  the ontological status of genes or e-coli,
  across disciplines years
• Differences in linguistic choices writers make,
  not their level of thinking per se
• Cf The thesis I wish to argue is that Prince
  Arthur .

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Issues in SPM HG Analyses

• Disciplinary specificity of the classifications
• When does a real world author become an
  interactive participant Gosden
• Level of contextual understanding needed for
  sciences in particular was high
• Differences in analysis e.g. our data would be
  Participant Viewpoint (Gosden) and Reasons (SPM)
• VERY labour intensive for 3500 texts

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5. ISS Proposal

• Analysis of Initial Sentence Subjects only
• Aim to describe large numbers of texts and
  disciplines across 4 years
• Aim to provide a snapshot of differences in angle
  on field across the years and across the
  disciplines

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ISS Classification

• Draws on Australian work on academic language,
  particularly on published scientific writing, and
  academic language across the disciplines
• Esp. Wignell (1998) and
• Martin Veel (1998), Halliday Martin
  (1993), Ravelli Ellis (2004)

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ANGLES on field academic domain (fabricated
examples)
lt--------------------------Abstraction -----------------------------gt lt--------------------------Abstraction -----------------------------gt lt--------------------------Abstraction -----------------------------gt lt--------------------------Abstraction -----------------------------gt lt--------------------------Abstraction -----------------------------gt
Phenomena Perspectives / Viewpoints / Phenomena Scholarly / Meta- Phenomena Perspectives on Scholarly / Meta-Phenomena Discourse Phenomena
T E C H N I C A L I T Y Everyday language The Great Wall of China the importance of the Great Wall of China The history of the Great Wall of China Competing histories of the GWC this essay
T E C H N I C A L I T Y Post traumatic stress disorder
T E C H N I C A L I T Y Schizoprenia Possible schitzophrenia Greys theory of schizophrenia Approaches to the study of schizophrenia Figure 3
T E C H N I C A L I T Y Technical language escherichia coli O157
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Phenomena Perspectives/ Viewpoints on Phenomena Scholarly / Meta-Phenomena Perspectives on Scholarly / Meta-Phenomena Discourse Phenomena
Groups of Conscious Individuals Ordinary people EN1 The British HI3 Psychologists PS1 We EN1
Political Entities The Bolshevik Party HI1 The Dutch Republic HI2
Conscious Individuals Prince Arthur EN1 Edmund Spenser EN1 Tennyson EN2 William Blake EN2 Edward Grey HI2 Mohandas Gandhi HI3 Barbara Lupini EN2 Anais Nin EN3 Max Weber HI3 John Robert Seeley HI3 I EN1
Semiotic Entities The Canterbury Tales EN1 Blakes Songs .. EN2 Maud EN2 This papal bull HI2 The prevalence of eye-witness testimony PS1 A large part of the aim of Kants .. PH2 A central Fregan introduction into the philosophy of thought and language PH3 The epithet of Order and Progress HI1 The Right Shift theory of Annett (e.g. 1999) PS2 The work of Jean Piaget (1896-1980) PS1 Russells Theory of Descriptions. PH3 The liar paradox PH3 The history of psychological research PS1 Recent literature reviews and meta-analyses PS1 Two parts to this question PS3 This essay EN3
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Cognitive Entities Memory PS1 Plaths analysis of madness EN3 The accepted view amongst historians .. HI2 The priority HI1 Its status as a special case of logical consequence.. PH3 Research into PS1 The construction of an expectancy-based model of melodic complexity PS3 Examination of the subcellular distribution of molecules..BS2 The pursuit of an acceptable definition of schizophrenia PS1 Approaches to the study of eminence PS3
Material entities The development of the vertebrate limb BS3
Entities with duration The Cold War HI1 The .. Revolution HI1 The SA war HI3 The soit-disant Age of Absolutism HI2
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Abstract entities Time PH1 Qualia PH1 Music PS1
Psychological Entities Hand preference PS2 Stimulus-response compatibility PS2 Post Traumatic Stress Disorder PS3 Psychology PS1
Scientific entities Escherichia coli O157H7 BS2 The C.. e organism BS3 H. Adenovirus . and Herpes. Virus . BS3 A requirement for packing of genomic DNA BS2
Groups of Scientific Entities The o. m. s. group of cyanobacteria BS2 Viruses BS2
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Characterising Disciplinary Differences

• English, History and Philosophy can be
  characterised as progressing from year 1-3 in
  Abstractness (from left to right)
• Psychology can be characterised as progressing in
  Abstractness (from right to left) or at least
  spreading across all levels of abstraction
• Biological sciences construes phenomena in
  technical terms

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Mapping Business and Economics
Conscious Individuals Sam IB1 We EC1 I EC2 We EC1 I EC2 We EC1 I EC2
Groups of Cons.Inds The traditional accountants IB2
Semiotic Entities An important problem faced by financial economists IB4 The Law of One Price IB4 An event studyIB4 Agency theoryIB4 An analysis table as shown above IB1
Political/ Economic/ Social Entities A transnational company EC1 The yield curve EC2 CRT Technologies IB1 House prices EC2 South Koreas economy over the past half century EC3 World mergers and acquisitions IB 2 Collusion EC2 Weak form efficiency IB4
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Final Comments

• Demonstrated the potential of Initial Sentence
  Subject Analysis to capture disciplinary
  differences and differences across years of study
  in a corpus of student writing
• More work needed to establish categories through
  reactances in the grammar (e.g. participant
  roles grammatical metaphor)