3 Activity: Language Use Exploration

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For each section of the research article, you will be completing a corpus exploration task. Again, you can complete this task manually with your corpus of articles, or in Dissemity. You can submit Language Use patterns to Dissemity’s TOOLBOX in the top right corner of Dissemity. You are going to focus on the EXPLORE module for this task, but the previous corpus annotation task may also be useful.

The objective of this task is to:

• discover how language helps to create meaning,
• explore explicit Language Use patterns that can make your communicative intent salient;
• help you form a language toolbox with patterns that can help you overcome writer’s block.

Here are the steps for completing the task in Dissemity:

Step 1. Revisit the Model Article Annotation Activity and continue to explore your corpus of articles from the “Choose a Model Article and Compile a Corpus” activity. Search closely for Language Use patterns that help researchers communicate Goals and Strategies.

Step 2.  Go to Dissemity and watch the EXPLORE module tutorial for help.

Step 3.  Go to the EXPLORE tab and search for some of the language patterns that you found in your model articles. For example, if you noticed the pattern heightened interest in your model to help Claim Centrality, you might search for “interest” in the EXPLORE module to see if additional patterns emerge.

Note: You should really shy away from using Language Use patterns from articles that you consider to be models because you want your writing to be distinct. You want to find your own voice and not mimic someone else’s voice. Therefore, the next step is critical for discovering a range of language use patterns to help you express a similar communicative intent as the researchers in your model articles.

Step 4. Record your findings in Dissemity’s TOOLBOX (found in the top right corner). You should find a minimum of three (3) templates per writing Strategy (e.g., three from Claim Centrality, three from Provide Background). If you cannot find any, that may be because your discipline does not use that strategy often. Just take note of this discipline-specific variation by adding a pattern that says “Not found in my discipline” rather than adding a language template.

Note: We are not looking for full sentences. We are looking for Language Use patterns that are not discipline specific and can be used across all disciplines. For example, we are looking for #1 below but not #2.

1. have been of increased interest in  (YES)
2. These subcomponents of language performance have been of increased interest in second language development. (NO)