Descriptive Genre in Japanese Setting An SFL Analysis of Text Structure and Language Features
Keywords:
Japanese descriptive genre, Systemic Functional Linguistics, Generic Structure Potential, genre analysis, Japanese language educationAbstract
This study investigates the generic structure and lexico-grammatical features of Japanese descriptive texts within the framework of Hasan’s Generic Structure Potential (GSP) of Systemic Functional Linguistics. Using a qualitative case study, the research analyzed 40 authentic Japanese descriptive texts describing people, places, objects, and concepts. The texts were purposively selected from government websites, textbooks, magazines, brochures, advertisements, newspapers, and cultural websites. The findings reveal that Japanese descriptive texts are systematically organized through stable obligatory and flexible optional elements. Identification and Description consistently function as the core obligatory stages across all text types, while Concept descriptions additionally require Cultural Interpretation. Optional elements, including Historical Background, Visitor Information, Procedural Explanation, Evaluation, and Illustrative Examples, are incorporated according to the communicative purpose of individual texts. Lexico-grammatically, the texts are characterized by the predominance of relational processes, supported by material and mental processes, extensive nominalization, passive constructions, adjective constructions, noun modifiers, copular expressions, relative clauses, and culturally specific lexical items. These linguistic resources enable writers to produce objective descriptions while simultaneously conveying cultural knowledge and values. The study concludes that Japanese descriptive texts are best characterized as a descriptive-explanatory cultural genre rather than a purely descriptive genre because they integrate factual description with cultural interpretation. The findings extend Hasan's GSP to Japanese descriptive discourse, contribute to SFL-based genre studies, and provide pedagogical implications for Genre-Based Pedagogy and the development of authentic instructional materials for Japanese as a Foreign Language.
Keywords: Japanese descriptive genre; Systemic Functional Linguistics; Generic Structure Potential; genre analysis; Japanese language education.