Page 309 - Gabrijela Kišiček and Igor Ž. Žagar (eds.), What do we know about the world? Rhetorical and argumentative perspectives, Digital Library, Educational Research Institute, Ljubljana 2013
P. 309
ching the writing of argumentative genre through imitatio:
a solid basis for the ‘beginner’ writers 309
written in dialogic form, was taken from the novel My friend, the fil-
bert tree2 (1982: 72–73).
The selection of the text satisfied the basic criteria of an exemplum
for linguistic, stylistic, literary and active (ethical) imitation as pro-
posed by Lausberg (1998: 13; Papadopoulou, 1999: 49). The comprehen-
sible language, the vivacity of expression, the content explaining ecolog-
ical and citizenship issues and the use of common topics and sub-top-
ics made it appropriate for the research. In short, the text provided the
space for the connection of rhetorical and social features necessary for
learning the argumentative genre.
At a first level, the lecture of the text-model offered an alternative
approach to the examined issue and provoked in students an “inner di-
alogue”, relative to the post-hoc performance of their writing and to the
genre’s learning (Spencer, 1982: 43; Myers, 1983: 15; Stables, 2003: 9–10).
According to Winterowd “you learn to write by (usually) unconscious
imitation of what you read” (1975: 117–118).
The text was read twice: a) A read-aloud lecture was carried out by
the researcher. Then, a genre analysis of the segment was made by follow-
ing the labovean model (Labov, 1972) of questions about: a) the abstract
(what was the text about?), b) the orientation (who participated? where?
for what?), c) the complicating action (what will happen after the inter-
view?), d) the evaluation (why do you think this segment was interest-
ing?), e) the result (what do you think that will be the result of the inter-
view taken?). The segment, as a form of discursive interaction, was cor-
related with the social event that caused it, while the aims of the “strate-
gic action’ of the heroes (f.e. justification of an opinion, persuasion) were
emphasized (Fairclough, 2003: 65, 70–71).
Then, in an independent reading level, students underlined the ar-
guments presented in the text. The arguments provided, were character-
istic examples of two main categories of common topics and sub-topics
as presented in the taxonomy of Corbett and Connors (1999: 87):
a) The common topic of comparison (similarity, difference of degree). For ex-
ample:
- “We are attached to trees!” she told me. “We look alike. They live and re-
spire like us”. (similarity / metaphor) and
b) the common topic of relationship (cause and effect, antecedent and con-se-
quence, antithesis/contraries). For example:
2 The book of Angeliki Varela was chosen to represent Greece at the international competition of
books for children, and it was awarded one of the three “Honourable Mentions” from the Interna-
tional Award, JANUSZ KORCAC in 1985.
a solid basis for the ‘beginner’ writers 309
written in dialogic form, was taken from the novel My friend, the fil-
bert tree2 (1982: 72–73).
The selection of the text satisfied the basic criteria of an exemplum
for linguistic, stylistic, literary and active (ethical) imitation as pro-
posed by Lausberg (1998: 13; Papadopoulou, 1999: 49). The comprehen-
sible language, the vivacity of expression, the content explaining ecolog-
ical and citizenship issues and the use of common topics and sub-top-
ics made it appropriate for the research. In short, the text provided the
space for the connection of rhetorical and social features necessary for
learning the argumentative genre.
At a first level, the lecture of the text-model offered an alternative
approach to the examined issue and provoked in students an “inner di-
alogue”, relative to the post-hoc performance of their writing and to the
genre’s learning (Spencer, 1982: 43; Myers, 1983: 15; Stables, 2003: 9–10).
According to Winterowd “you learn to write by (usually) unconscious
imitation of what you read” (1975: 117–118).
The text was read twice: a) A read-aloud lecture was carried out by
the researcher. Then, a genre analysis of the segment was made by follow-
ing the labovean model (Labov, 1972) of questions about: a) the abstract
(what was the text about?), b) the orientation (who participated? where?
for what?), c) the complicating action (what will happen after the inter-
view?), d) the evaluation (why do you think this segment was interest-
ing?), e) the result (what do you think that will be the result of the inter-
view taken?). The segment, as a form of discursive interaction, was cor-
related with the social event that caused it, while the aims of the “strate-
gic action’ of the heroes (f.e. justification of an opinion, persuasion) were
emphasized (Fairclough, 2003: 65, 70–71).
Then, in an independent reading level, students underlined the ar-
guments presented in the text. The arguments provided, were character-
istic examples of two main categories of common topics and sub-topics
as presented in the taxonomy of Corbett and Connors (1999: 87):
a) The common topic of comparison (similarity, difference of degree). For ex-
ample:
- “We are attached to trees!” she told me. “We look alike. They live and re-
spire like us”. (similarity / metaphor) and
b) the common topic of relationship (cause and effect, antecedent and con-se-
quence, antithesis/contraries). For example:
2 The book of Angeliki Varela was chosen to represent Greece at the international competition of
books for children, and it was awarded one of the three “Honourable Mentions” from the Interna-
tional Award, JANUSZ KORCAC in 1985.
