Exploring Sub-Disciplinary Variations and Generic Structure of Applied Linguistics Research Article Introductions Using CARS Model

This paper explores sub-disciplinary variations and generic structure of research article introductions (RAIs) within three sub-disciplines of applied linguistics (AL); namely, English for Specific Purposes (ESP), Psycholinguistics, and Sociolinguistics, using Swales’(1990) CARS model. The corpus consisted of 90 RAIs drawn from a wide range of refereed journals in the corresponding sub-disciplines. The results indicate sub-disciplinary variation in the structure of this genre in terms of Move 2 / step 1B that can be justified through the concepts of ‘established’ versus ‘emerging’ fields. The findings underline the need for further in-depth research into sub-disciplinary variation and generic structure of RAIs. The results also promise pedagogical implications for ESP/EAP practitioners, course administrators as well as material developers.