Colonization: Specification And Variation

Along with the rise of textual linguistics and discourse analysis, the major concern of linguistics is experiencing a gradual shift from texical-grammatical layer to such higher-level units as text, discourse, genre, etc. An essential effect of that prevailing trend is that the concept of genre representing text types has drawn great attention from a considerable number of linguistics, functional or formal, and gradually emerging as a new highlight in linguistic study. The thesis demonstrates the relationship between convention and variation by introducing the theories of convention and variation. And then call for a socio-functional perspective of variation study. At the same time, it provides a new angle of sdudying genre and defining it. Considering the function and purpose of genre, genre variation leads to genre colonization. Genre colonization, a new issue in genre studies responding to the dynamic and complex realities of discourse, refers to the process which involves invasion of the integrity of one genre by another genre or genre convention. In this thesis, a more comprehensive definition of genre is given and the mechanism of genre colonization is summarized. Meanwhile, this thesis serves as references to the design and innovation of the future genre study.