Visualization of Logogenesis in L2: A Functional Perspective

The current study was an attempt to develop a visualization of logogenesis, the process of meaning generation, during writing in second language. It was hoped that by making use of a linguistic theory, Systemic Functional Linguistics, for analyzing the patterns of meaning and a research methodology, keystroke analysis, the way for further research regarding the dynamics associated with generation of meaning in writing would be paved. To this end, a male post-graduate student at an Iranian university was required to write an argumentative essay, whose prompt was modelled after IELTS writing task 2, regarding the topic of coeducation. Pre-task activities were controlled, in order to minimize the pertaining potential effects. The keystrokes leading to the development of the essay were recorded using Inputlog. The analysis of the bursts leading to generation of T-units in the essay resulted in the development of streamgraphs depicting the patterns of logogenesis. It was revealed that, as mirrored in the streamgraphs, the participant was generally engaged in a significant amount of planning the essay in the initial paragraph, which affected the logogenesis in the subsequent paragraphs. Further implications of this study have been discussed in what follows

کلیدواژه ها:

logogenesis ، SFL ، keystroke logging ، streamgraph.