\ Teaching of English to Speakers of Other Languages curriculum in Australia has
features of text types that highlight how one text-type is different from another Feez, 2002: 84. For example, recounts tend to use the past tense and make more
use of action verbs while descriptions tend to use the present tense and make more use of the verbs ‘to be’ and ‘to have’ Feez, 2002: 84. It is clear that genre of
recount is different from descriptive genre. The differences are comprised of each genre’s characteristic patterns. These characteristic patterns are actually the
generic structure and linguistic elements, as Nunan 1999: 280 mentions “linguists are studying different text and discourse types in an effort to identify
their underlying generic structure, and the linguistic elements that characterize them.” In brief, every genre has its features or characteristic patterns, which are
the genre’s generic structure and linguistic elements, which make one genre differ from another.
c. Contextual Factors of a Text
According to Hardy and Klarwein 1990: 7, contextual factors include: What is being spoken or
written about?
Who is involved in the interaction?
By what means is the message conveyed?
The objects, people, events, ideas and
feelings being
referred to
subject matter; The social roles and relationships of
the people
involved roles
and relationship;
The choice of spoken or written channel and of print, sound, stage or
screen media mode 10
\ It is clear that contextual factors of a genre are 1 what is written or subject matter
concerning the objects, people, events, ideas and feelings, 2 who are involved in the interaction or roles and relationship and 3 mode or by what means the
message is conveyed. Department of Education, Training and the Arts of Queensland http:
education.qld.gov.au2007 also describes contextual factors, which are usually similar to Hardy and Klarwein’s theory, and some plain examples:
The Context Contrasting Examples
What is the purpose? to informto persuade
Who or what is being written about?
people and their feelingsobjectives facts Who is being written to?
a letter to the editora letter to your friend What medium is the
writing for? a speech in a playpamphlet
According to the Department of Education, Training and the Arts of Queensland, contextual factors include: 1 the purpose of the text, 2 what is written in the text,
3 to whom is the text is written and 4 the medium of the text. To conclude, referring to Hardy and Klarwein and the Department of
Education, Training and Arts of Queensland, contextual factors include: 1 the purpose of the text, 2 what andor who is written in the text subject matter, 3 to
whom the text is written and 4 by what means the message is conveyed.
d. Textual Features of a Text
The term “textual” means connected with or contained in the text Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary
, 2000: 1397. Therefore, textual features refer to 11
\ important parts that are connected with or contained in a text. According to Hardy
and Klarwein 1990: 7, those important parts include:
the selection and sequencing of subject matter generic structure;
the linking words and phrases within and across sentences which make clear or imply the logical relationships amongst items of subject
matter cohesive ties;
the words appropriate to the contextual factors and sentences, including forms of questions, command and statements, and
placement of auxiliary verbs grammar;
… the paragraph markers and punctuation;
… the spelling and handwriting;
… the illustrations, tables and photographs, screen images, print size and texture of paper paralinguistic features.
In brief, textual features are interrelated to a text’s generic structure, linking words and phrases that make the text cohesive, vocabulary, grammar, punctuation,
spelling, handwriting and paralinguistic features. In this study, the writer would describe the textual features that
characterize a genre. It is stated before under The Importance of a Genre in Developing a Text section that what characterized a genre are generic structure
and linguistic features. Therefore, punctuation, spelling, handwriting and paralinguistic features of a text are not taken into account in this study. Thus, the
textual features that are taken into account are generic structure, linking words and phrases that make the text cohesive, vocabulary and grammar. The linking
words and phrases that make the text cohesive are included in the scope of grammar. Hence, the textual features that are taken into account are generic
structure, vocabulary and grammar. 12
\
2. Applying Textual Features of a Narrative Text
