Chris Tribble, King's College, London University Knocking at the doors: gate keepers and authors in...

Chris Tribble, King's College, London University

Knocking at the doors: gate keepers and authors in research writing, a study of writing practices in the journal Acta Tropica.Chris Tribble

King's College, London [email protected] / www.ctribble.co.uk


overview

Is the notion of a NS model useful in teaching writing?

an example an attempt to extend the study


some connections for the seminar

Ramesh Krishnamurthy – the issue of which model to present to learners

Paul Thompson – clusters and collocates of clusters


some initial questions

What are the most appropriate examplar texts to use in academic instruction?

How important is the mother tongue status of the writers of these examplars?

What criteria should be applied when selecting exemplars?

What is the best way to use these exemplars in writing instruction?


native speaker or lingua franca?

Is this statement true? Is it useful?

"…in spite of the majority of non-native speakers or the non-inner-circle countries, many of whom use the language actively and regularly in institutional frameworks, the native speakers of the inner-circle countries retain the hold to the yardstick of linguistic correctness." (Ammon 2000: 112)


expert, not native …

[in the context of genre informed language teaching]… if teachers can choose relevant exemplars on the basis of the writers' expertise rather than on the basis of the accidental criterion of mother tongue status, Ammon's concern about fairness and unfairness becomes irrelevant, and students get the educational programmes that they need. Win, win. (Tribble 2006)


writing in the sciences: preliminary study

small collection of published research articles in biomedical science (from one year – 2004)

additional resources: Wordsmith Tools v5 / research article collection + British National Corpus


Acta Tropica, 2004

Acta Tropica (Elsevier) biomedical and health sciences with particular emphasis on

topics relevant to human and animal health in the tropics and the subtropics

Editors: Swedish + Latvian (2004) Editorial board 23 - 9 from English speaking countries Eight articles in the study

• 36 authors

• 29 from "outer-circle" countries (Kachru 1989)


Acta Tropica, 2004: authors

Authors Country Authors Country

6 Brazil. 1 France

4 Argentina 1 Switzerland

3 Kenya 2 USA

3 Central African Republic 2 Australia

3 Cameroon 3 India

3 Venezuela

2 China

2 Germany

1 Argentina


the structure of expertise

specialist lexis / noun phrase structure theme / rheme structure discourse structure … and some anomolies


linguistic competence: low frequency lexis & noun phrase structure

Cystic echinococcosis in Argentina: evolution of metacestode and clinical expression in various Echinococcus granulosus strains Eduardo A. Guarneraa, Alberto Parrab, Laura Kamenetzkya, Gustavo Garcíac and Ariana Gutiérreza

ABSTRACTEchinococcus granulosus hydatid cysts were examined in 41 patients from Neuquén and Tucumán provinces in Argentina. Sequencing of the mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase subunit 1 (CO1) revealed in 19 patients common sheep strain (G1), in 6 patients Tasmania sheep strain (G2), in 1 patient cattle strain, and in 15 patients camel strain (G6)…

175 words in the original / lexical density 1:14.5 (Halliday 1989)


linguistic competence: thematic structure

[S1] Echinococcus granulosus hydatid cysts were examined in 41 patients from Neuquén and Tucumán provinces in Argentina. [S2] Sequencing of the mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase subunit 1 (CO1) revealed in 19 patients common sheep strain (G1), in 6 patients Tasmania sheep strain (G2), in 1 patient cattle strain (G5), and in 15 patients camel strain (G6). [S3] In Argentina the only known is the domestic cycle that affects dogs and herbivorous, including ovine, swine, cattle and goats. [S4] These strains produced a total of 58.6% of primary liver infections, 29.2% primary in lung, 2.4% primary in spleen and 9.8% were multiorgan abdominal infections.

[S5] The metacestode was classified using the evolutive stages proposed by WHO-IWGE (from CE1 to CE5). [S6] We estimated that CE1 cyst has a duration of about 22 years, CE2 of 14 years, CE3 of 10 years, CE4 of 19 years and CE5 was not determined. [S7] The active types CE1 and CE2 reached 75% of all cases from all strains.


linguistic competence: specialist terms (extracted via WST Keywords)

mosquitoesinfectionlivercystsinfectedspleentropmortalityschistosomiasismalaria

laboratoryheightparasitefalciparumlarvaemosquitoinfectionsbruceibacillusgranulosus

quinquefasciatusteknartrypanosomaleishmaniasisdosagesmeanamphotericininstarsoocystvivax


linguistic competence: lexical knowledge (MI3)

WORD 1 WORD 2

diplonychus indicus

polymerase chain

chain reaction

pentavalent antimonials

peripheral branches

improve accuracy

diptera culicidae

egg rafts

polymerase reaction

triatoma infestans

WORD 1 WORD 2

branch wall

carried out

target organisms

lethal doses

received revised

oblique view

pupal recruitment

grass thatched

grass thatch

grass hut


linguistic competence: discourse expertise

MOVE TEXT

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8

title x x x x x x x x

authors x x x x x x x x

abstract x x x x x x x x

introduction x x x x x x x x

case_studies x

subjects_and_methods x

materials_and_methods x x x x x x

results x x x x x x x x

discussion x x x x x x x x

acknowledgements x x x x x x

references x x x x x x x x


a contrastGuardian 2007: lexis & noun phrase structure

The The vaccinevaccine contains a weakened virus that stimulates immunity against the "wild" virus, which can cause paralysis. On rare occasions, the vaccine virus can mutate to a more dangerous form, spread from person to person and cause a paralytic infection. This phenomenon, only recognised in the past decade, has caused outbreaks in 10 countries since 2000. This year, 7% of all polio cases worldwide were caused by vaccine-derived virus. 1:4.5


Guardian (2007) MI3

Word 1 Word 2 Word 1 Word 2

CLIMATE CHANGE YEAR OLD

AL QAIDA ZANU PF

LOS ANGELES AT LEAST

HUMAN RIGHTS SINN FEIN

TONY BLAIR WAL MART

WILL BE GORDON BROWN

HAD BEEN SUU KYI

YEARS AGO NEW YORK

HONG KONG SUCH AS

GLOBAL WARMING RATHER THAN

SAUDI ARABIA THERE IS

MIDDLE EAST SRI LANKA

moving towards pedagogy: top "discourse" word in AT wordlist

1. <S>This study was conducted in Mbita Point, Suba District, western Kenya in 2. <S>This study has shown that the natural fluctuations in indoor environmental 3. <S>Our study suggests that using wild type parasites in a natural set up is l 4. <S>The results of our studies also demonstrate the possibility that some wild 5. <S>In conclusion, our study has shown that the development of ookinetes and o

conduct / demonstrate / detect / determine / perform / provide / report / show / suggest

Verbs co-occuring with "study"


expert writers in AT:

can select and control and combine the technical and subtechnical lexis essential to the construction of knowledge in the disciplinary area

can select and control the grammar of extended noun phrases (particularly noun-noun pre-modification and of phrase post-modification)

can control theme / rheme structures in order to foreground discoursally significant information.

can control macro-structure in order to meet reader expectations within a disciplinary culture


the NNS issue - systematic or local patterns?

4. One of the characteristics of malaria parasite extrinsic cycle is its tem …

missing article

7. The experiments were conducted under live micro habitats described as: (1 …

collocation: in preferred

13. For enumeration of ookinetes, batches of live mosquitoes per experimental …

missing article

19. For the experiments done in the natural unregulated real village houses, a …

style - conducted or carried out more likely

21. Our study suggests that using wild type parasites in a natural set up is l …

style - in natural conditions more likely


a conclusion?

The critical point is that these local problems don't really matter. Editors and peer reviewers have accepted the articles for publication because they are good science, and meet the standards for clear expression and formal structure set by the journal. As we have seen, the texts are systematically remarkably harmonious. Local instances of infelicity, concord error, and the like remain that local. Critically, they are not treated as reason for disallowing these texts as contributions to a specific genre. They might be less acceptable if the texts were being submitted to a literary publisher but this is precisely the point. They are research articles not elegant belles-lettres essays. Teachers wanting to present consistent models of how the language works at clause or phrase level will still need to refer to the grammars and lexicons which are either required in national education systems, or which they find most useful for their students in their own professional judgement…


extending the study

larger text collection (1,101,749 words)

ethnographic study but hereby hangs a tale …


some simple differences

more articles, more words 1989/1991 (162 articles / 572,751 words) 2007 (102 articles / 528,998 words)

and some curious contrasts…


keywords: past forms

Key word 1989-91 Key word 2007

INFECTION MALARIA

WERE INFECTION

INFECTED WERE

TRYPANOSOMES CRUZI

CONGOLENSE INFECTED

PARASITES PARASITE

MALARIA PARASITES

MICE SAMPLES

PARASITE TREATMENT

INFECTIONS MICE


clusters and key-clusters

Clusters are words which are found repeatedly together in each others' company, in sequence. They represent a tighter relationship than collocates, more like multi-word units or groups or phrases. (I call them clusters because groups and phrases already have uses in grammar and because simply being found together in software doesn't guarantee they are true multi-word units.) Biber (2000) calls them "lexical bundles". (Scott, 2004)


clusters in AT (set 2): frequency

Cluster func. freq. texts

IN THE PRESENT STUDY text 208 127

RECEIVED IN REVISED FORM admin 188 188

IN THE PRESENCE OF text 177 82

ON THE OTHER HAND text 159 121

INFECTED WITH T CONGOLENSE content 118 24

AN GAMBIAE S L content 116 11

FOR THE PRESENCE OF text 112 67

FOR THE DIAGNOSIS OF text 110 61

THE END OF THE text 101 54

WERE FOUND TO BE text 95 61


in the present study

azar risk (Bern et al., 2005). In the present study, however, higher litinguishes species B, C and E. In the present study, the differences inat VDIV (Ohashi et al., 1992). In the present study, the ISS1 and ISS2 ome of respective populations. In the present study we demonstrate thatevels have a circadian rhythm. In the present study, they were measuredscussion 4.1. Thyroid function In the present study, signs and symptomsde (Dissanayake et al., 1992). In the present study we assayed a recomb 1997; Ferragut et al., 1998). In the present study, we monitored IgG-TZ and (3-d-glucan demonstrated in the present study seems to be in a go; Lu´zna-Lyskov et al., 2000). In the present study, we showed that trebinant fusion protein was used in the present study. Briefly, DNA seque 1997; Hr^ckova et al., 2007). In the present study, the effect of combmost important exposure factor in the present study. In conclusion, ou nd IgG4 isotypes were observed in the present study. Indeed, high levelntense mosquito bite exposure. In the present study, no direct estimateical conditions. 4. Discussion In the present study, we detected IgE ann more than 9% of mature eggs. In the present study, COPT was the serolong the retinoids investigated in the present study, it seems that 9cisl.,1999a,b, 2000, 2003, 2005). In the present study too, at least four equently induce growth arrest. In the present study we demonstrated thaween the rural and urban areas in the present study. In conclusion, CE


Acta Tropica clusters - detail

PAST_adv (1) In the present study with Trypanosoma b. gambiense isolates, a few modifications were introduced.

PAST_adv (1) In the present study we demonstrated that cis-DDP induced a stage dependent cell cycle arrest being the promastigotes and axenic amastigotes blocked at the S and G2 phase, respectively.

PAST_adv (2) However, it should be noted that the dosages of SP and chloroquine reported in the present study were based on self-report by the respondents…

PAST_pm (2) Temperatures in the mosquito cages in the present study were maintained at a mean minimum of 24^C …

PRES_adv (2) Thus, among the retinoids investigated in the present study, it seems that 9cisRA is the best JH-mimic tested.


BNC clusters (detail)

PRES_adv (1) In the present study we go beyond this result by making controlled B I -B II transitions involving most of the dinucleotide junctions of the dodecamer and discussing both the energetic and conformational aspects of such transitions

PRES_adv (2) Extrapolating these results to human diets, the lowest calcium concentration used in the present study (25 &micromol/g) reflects a daily intake of calcium of about 12.5 mmol (500 mg)

PRES_adv (2) There would, however, have been at least two problems with using this method in the present study.

PRES_pm (2) The percentages of children in the present study who had detectable neutralising antibody against poliovirus types 1, 2, and 3 after three doses of OPV are similar to percentages reported from other developing countries…


Acta Tropica: typology

TEXT Time %

PAST_adv Count 74 63.79

PAST_pm Count 5 4.31

PAST_total 79 68.1

PRES_adv Count 28 24.14

PRES_pm Count 8 6.90

PRES_total 36 31.04

NF_Count 1 0.86

Grand Count 116


BNC academic articles (mainly Lancet): typology

TEXT Time %

PRES_adv Count 18 22.58

PRES_pm Count 4 58.06

PRES_total 22 80.64

PAST_adv Count 7 6.45

PAST_pm Count 2 12.90

PAST_total 9 19.35

Grand Count 31


an ELF model?

There is a strong past tense association with an important discourse organising cluster such as "in the present paper".

The past form were is a keyword in the AT corpus. Is there an emerging ELF norm which accepts this

variant as a predominant form? If this is the case, which instances of language in use

should constitute acceptable models for use in English language instruction?


choosing the right exemplar

In the present study, none of the samples from healthy controls was found to be positive for anti-hydatid antibody response.

The presence of microfilariae in blood was independent of subject age in the present study.

In the present study, we monitored IgG-TES immuno-complexes, levels of which increased rapidly within 14 days p.i. and persisted in the similar concentrations in the sera of control mice.

Temperatures in the mosquito cages in the present study were maintained at a mean minimum of 24^C and a mean maximum of 28^C

In the present study too, at least four species of human protozoan parasites: E. histolytica/dispar, E. coli, G. lamblia, Cryptosporidium sp. were detected in various fly species collected.

Such analysis was not feasible in the present study


and a way forward?

Writing pedagogy then becomes a process which shifts from teacher-led to student-led analysis and description of expert performances, to student production of texts based on their work as disciplinary apprentices, and finally to their informed critiquing of these apprentice texts. At each stage in this process, with the teacher's support, students are forming hypotheses about the nature of the texts they are engaging with and the texts they are producing, and working towards the acquisition of the linguistic expertise that will be necessary if they are to establish full professional expertise within their profession.

(Tribble, 2006)


A hanging tale…

The following suggestion was made to the editors of Acta Tropica:

to clarify emerging models for lingua franca writing in the sciences, by: assessing the extent to which English language use in Acta

Tropica has changed over time describing and accounting for the impact of linguistic input

in the peer reviewing and editorial processes (guidelines / peer review feedback / author response)

profiling the extent to which language use in Acta Tropica varies in comparison with other large populations of edited text in English


a hanging tale #1

Dear Dr Tribble,I am the publisher responsible for Acta Tropica and other Parasitology journals within the Life Sciences division at Elsevier.

Your request to use Acta Tropica as a basis for your study into language usage in scientific communication has been passed onto me from Prof. XXX.

I have discussed this with the Director of Publishing within my area, but I am sorry to say that we will not be able to approve your request.I do apologise for the inconvenience that this may cause.With best regards,


a hanging tale #2

Dear Dr. Tribble,

Thank you for your interest in our journal Acta Tropica with regard to developments in English language use. As my colleague Mr. XX has informed you, unfortunately the journal will not participate in the research that you will be doing in this area due to the privacy and time constraints of their editors and reviewers. I would be more than happy to put you in touch with other colleagues at Elsevier who have experience working with the increasing influx of non-native English scientific article submissions and some initiatives that Elsevier has developed to adapt to these changes. Also, you can find quite a bit of information and guidelines on our website www.elsevier.com, for example here you can find the guidelines for authors:

http://www.elsevier.com/wps/find/authorsview.authors/howtosubmitpaper

for submitting a paper to an Elsevier journal.

If you would be interested in speaking with my colleagues, please do not hestitate to contact me. I hope that we can support you in your research in a relevant and meaningful way.


So what next?

studies of emerging micro genres

Cluster freq. text

THIS WORK WAS SUPPORTED 83 83

WORK WAS SUPPORTED BY 80 80

WE ARE GRATEFUL TO 75 75

WAS SUPPORTED BY THE 72 72


and further studies…

a bigger collection (now over 2 million words and rising)

and (somehow) an account of literacy practices in a narrow discourse community?


References

Ammon, U., (2000) "Towards more fairness in international English: linguistic rights of non-native speakers?" in Phillipson, R. (ed.) Rights in language. London: Lawrence and Erlbaum : 111-116

Biber, D., S. Johansson, G. Leech, S. Conrad and E. Finegan, (2000) Longman Grammar of Spoken and Written English, Harlow: Addison Wesley Longman

Halliday, M.A.K., (1989) Spoken and written language, Oxford: Oxford University Press

Scott, Mike. 1999. Wordsmith Tools version 4. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

Scott, M. and C.Tribble (2006) Textual Patterns: Key words and corpus analysis in language education, Amsterdam/Philadelphia John Benjamins

Tribble, C. (2006) "Written in, written out: who sets the standards for academic writing?" in Usó-Juan, E., and A. Martínez-Flor (eds) Current trends in learning and teaching the four skills within a communicative approach, Berlin : Mouton de Gruyter pps: 447-471

Chris Tribble, King's College, London University Knocking at the doors: gate keepers and authors in...

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