Considering two contexts encircling a text, not all the texts with complete RD can be regarded as accepted texts. The good RD of a text is only judged
through one of its contexts, context of culture; the other context, context of situation, has not been considered yet. This second context can be analyzed
through the text clauses, as explained in chapter three on pp. 115-118. After completing the clause analyses of all the reading texts, which can be
seen in the appendices, it is found that most of them can be model texts, meaning that the choices of lexicogrammar used in the clauses to realize the RD which
construct the reading texts have mostly been done based on the context of situation. Only eleven out of a hundred and fifteen reading texts proved to be
problematic in their RD realizations. Those problematic reading texts consist of the following genres:
Discussion, Recount, Spoof, Report, Description, Commentary, Explanation, Analytical
Exposition, and Hortatory Exposition. The findings are presented based on their respective genres.
4.2.1 Discussion
Two out of eight reading texts included in Discussion are problematic, they are reading texts numbers 51 and 84.
The RD analysis of this text is presented below.
No Talking whole Eating Element
Function Realization
Thesis Introducing a topic
and indicating the writer’s position.
A rule that a whole family must obey at the dinner table in most Indonesian custom is “no talking while eating”
Argument: - Point
Stating an argument for supporting the
topic. Father will usually get angry when one of the family
members talks or speaks when we are eating.
Element Function Realization
Elaboration Elaborating the
argument by providing a fact and a
happening in a given situation
No sound comes out from our mouth except the sound of fork and spoon tinkles when they hit the plate and sound of
our mouth chewing. Yesterday, my father had my mother bought lettuces. He
wanted fresh vegetables and fried chicken for dinner. As usual we sat on the chair and ate the food calmly. After
a few minutes my sister eager to say something and sat restlessly. She kept looking at my father who was eating
gluttonously. When my sister said’ “Dad”, my father eyes bulged out. His expression made her stop speaking. “Dad,
there is ….”. My mother asked her to be quiet and continue eating. Again my sister said, “Dad, I want to tell you
something. There is ….” Before she finished her sentence my father with loud voice shouted, “Stop talking and
continue your eating”. The clear sentence made her silent and continued eating without looking at father again.
84 Reading text number 84 is suggested by the textbook’s writer as included in
Discussion. Discussion should at least consist of two arguments; an argument for and an argument against, each of them should have an elaboration element.
In the analysis of the text above, it can be seen that the text has only one 1 point of view -- the argument for and its elaboration, without the differing
argument and no summary. Thus the RD of text 84 is: Thesis Argument consists of a point and its elaboration. The result reveals that the requirements of
being Discussion are not fulfilled and, therefore, the writer’s suggestion is proved
incorrect. Observing the RD’s elements this very text should have been included in the Analytical Exposition after its reiteration element is added.
Another reading text which is also found problematic in its RD is text number
fifty-one. The text, entitled The Old and the Young, is claimed by the textbook writer as included in Discussion. It is very likely that the suggestion is given by
only considering the title of the text; the words young and old may lead the writer to include it
into Discussion. The RD analysis on the next page proves that this text does not have the characteristics of Discussion at all. It does not have two arguments that
contradict each other as the important constituents of the RD of Discussion. All clauses in the text tend to support Katoen. The RD analysis result does not prove
that the text can be included in Discussion. The RD analysis of this text is presented on the next page.
The Old and the Young
Element 1 Function 2
Realization 3
News worthy event
Providing the news
Katoen in the Edogawa district of Tokyo is the home for elderly, so you might expect it be a gloomy place. However, the people who live there are always bright
and cheerful. The reason for this is the happy voices of children who attend Edogawa Nursery School located in the same building.
Back ground event
Elaborating what happened, to
whom, in what circumstance
The nursery school on the ground floor accommodates 80 pre school children aged one and a half for about 100 senior citizens.
Although many of the elderly residents live in the home by choice, they still long for family life.
Being in the same building allows them to visit the nursery school whenever they wish, while the children often go upstairs to play. In the morning both the old and
young gather outside for exercises. Special time, such as Christmas and sport day are always celebrated together
Source 1 Comments
given by the director
“We find the children learn how to care for others by talking and being with their older co residents,” explained Maeda Takini, the director of Katoen. “As for the
elderly, through their association with children, they become more alive and their health improves. Seeing these old people, many of whom we thought had forgotten
how to laugh or even express their thoughts, holding the children and happily talking with them, brings home just how important an affectionate relationship
between the very old and the very young.”
Source 2 Comments of the
writer. The success of Katoen has created a sensation in Japan and brought responses
from all over the country. The declining number of children now being born each year has left unused space at many nursery schools. It has therefore been
suggested that these surplus areas are utilized by the elderly. In this way, in spite of living in small nuclear households, children can experience the advantages of
close contact with people of much older generation.
51
Observing the analysis of the text, it can be inferred that the text has these following RD: News worthy event Background event Source 1 Source 2 .
This implies that text 51 should have been included in News Item. To sum up the two reading texts, text 84 and 51, are not qualified to be
model texts.
4.2.2 Recount
