LSP as specialised genres

This chapter investigates the evolution of the concept of genre as applied to the field of LSP. After outlining its defining properties, the analysis discusses a few main generic conventions to illustrate the strict codification processes commonly adopted by specialised communities. The principal features of generic organisation are then analysed, together with a few cases of generic differentiation. The chapter also discusses the occurrence of intertextuality and interdiscursivity in specialised genres as well as the main changes brought about by recent technological innovations.