Lead supervisor:
Dr Lise Fontaine
Start date: October 2013
Award: General
Subject Pathway:
Linguistics and Bilingualism
Thematic Cluster:
Language, Learning and Behaviour Cluster
The development of academic writing in the digital age
My thesis explores the dynamics of choice in digital text construction. Specifically, it focuses on the development of academic writing from a social semiotic viewpoint, drawing on Systemic Functional Linguistics (e.g. Halliday), semiotic sociology (e.g. Bernstein), and sociogenetic psychology (e.g. Vygotsky). Its primary aims are: (i) To contribute to the dearth of longitudinal studies that provide an emic understanding of the development of academic writing practices, particular with regard to L2 writers; (ii) To illustrate how the logogenesis of texture can reveal the ontogenetic development and potential of the individual with regard to context and co-text; (iii) Demonstrate how a more holistic approach to the study of writing development can be beneficial to advancing theory, educational practice, and interdisciplinary knowledge.