January 2009

KPG task analysis and linguistic description: A genre perspective  (in Greek) 
by Marianna Kondyli, University of Patras, and Christina Lykou, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens
[abstract] [html] [pdf]

This paper presents a model for the linguistic description of the KPG tasks and texts, developed within the framework of a larger research project aiming at the systematic description and analysis of the KPG tasks of all levels and languages. The model designed and implemented allows for the description of the genre of a text in relation to its lexicogrammatical features, and thus for the creation of ‘a linguistic syllabus’ for each exam level. Drawing on Systemic Functional Linguistics (Halliday & Hasan, 1976; 1985; Halliday & Matthiessen, 1999; 2004) and the generic approach of Knapp & Watkins (2005), this model treats genre in terms of the text type and the generic process. The paper argues for the combined description of the genre and the register features (field, tenor, mode) of a text with their lexicogrammatical realizations, which can be used for producing descriptors of distinct exam levels. The task parameters are presented in detail and illustrative examples from the KPG exams are provided. 

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