Genre-based Analysis of Travel Guides: A Study on Malaysia, Thailand and the Philippines

Authors

  • Bashar Abdulkareem Alali Kulliyyah of Languages and Management, International Islamic University Malaysia
  • Afiza Mohamad Ali Kulliyyah of Languages and Management, International Islamic University Malaysia. http://orcid.org/0000-0001-5239-9234
  • Afida Mohamad Ali Faculty of Modern Languages and Communication, Universiti Putra Malaysia

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.11113/lspi.v6n2.86

Abstract

The language of travel guides can help highlight the importance of modelling the mind of the readers and changing them from readers to actual clients. This paper reports a genre- based analysis study of a move-structure of online tourist travel guides of three Asian countries: Malaysia, Thailand and the Philippines. Kathpalia’s nine-move structure (1992) for advertising is adopted as a framework to analyse the selected travel guides using Atlas ti (a qualitative data analysis software). Data selection is based on the latest edition of Asian online travel guides. The main purposes of this study are to analyze the move structures, their strategies and communicative purposes, identify the prevalent move(s) in the selected travel guides, as well as to find out whether the selected travel guides have the same move structures. The findings of this study show that the travel guides have different quantity of moves. The prevalent moves in these three travel guides were also identified. Results highlight the diversity and strategies of moves in the online travel guides which are related to the nature of the country, perception and aims of the writer to promote or persuade readers. A brief discussion on these categories, and teaching implications follow these findings.

Author Biography

  • Afiza Mohamad Ali, Kulliyyah of Languages and Management, International Islamic University Malaysia.
    Afiza Mohamad Ali received her Phd in Applied Linguistics at Lancaster University, United Kingdom. Her research interests include critical reading/thinking, and learner identity in Applied Linguistics, English as a Second Language and English for Specific Purposes. Upon returning from the UK, she served as the Director of Centre for Foundation Studies, Universiti Kuala Lumpur for almost 20 years. She has presented papers at numerous conferences and published in journals. She has been involved in various consultancy projects to develop and deliver modules and programmes related to ESL, ESP as well as workplace communication and delivered them on  training platforms for companies and organisations.  Currently, she is an Associate Professor at the Kulliyyah of Languages and Management,  International Islamic University Malaysia, and holds the post as the Deputy Dean of Academic Affairs and Insdutrial Linkages.

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Published

2019-12-05

Issue

Vol. 6 No. 2: December 2019

Section

Articles

How to Cite

Genre-based Analysis of Travel Guides: A Study on Malaysia, Thailand and the Philippines. (2019). LSP International Journal, 6(2). https://doi.org/10.11113/lspi.v6n2.86