Modelling context: A crooked path of progress in contextual linguistics

Abstract

In this paper, I will try and review, hindsight permitting, the development of the research on text/context relations with which I have been involved in and around the Department of Linguistics at the University of Sydney over the past twenty years. This work has focused mainly on English texts, and has for the most part been funded with educational objectives in mind — reflecting the genesis of these ideas in my attemps to teach a course on functional language variation to MA students in our Applied Linguistics program. For recent accoutns of this research see Eggins and Martin (1997), Christie and Martin (1997), Martin and Veel (1998).