English in Thailand: Genre-based Cohesion Analysis of a Thai ELT Textbook

This study adopted a World Englishes perspective (Kachru, 1985, 1998) in examining an English language teaching textbook produced and distributed in Thailand. Its primary goal was to examine cohesive features in and across different text genres in order to identify discursive patterns that can be potentially classified as Thai English. The data included 15 reading texts from Projects: Play and Learn 6, the latest edition of a textbook for Grade 6 students published by the Ministry of Education, Thailand. Based on Systemic Functional Linguistics (Halliday & Matthiessen, 2004; Martin, Matthiessen, & Painter, 2010), the linguistic tools employed included genre analysis (Martin & Rose, 2008), and cohesion analysis (Halliday & Hasan, 1976; Hasan, 1984; Hasan, 1985). The texts were generically categorised based on their dominant linguistic features, and then cohesive devices employed were identified. Categorisation of cohesive resources was based on Hasan‘s (1985) work in which cohesive items are categorised into reference, substitution, ellipsis, conjunction, and lexical cohesion. Based on a language variation framework (Mahboob, 2014), key findings revealed locally-oriented discursive practices in standardised English model texts. Findings from genre analysis indicated that there was a shift of texts to more advanced generic structures towards the end of the textbook. Regardless, variations were not uncommon since certain linguistic features of some texts diverged considerably from those of its typical, globally-oriented counterparts. Concurring results were drawn from cohesion analysis. Detailed examination of sample texts showed how different linguistic resources of text binding were employed in different text genres. These cohesive features have a potential to be classified as Thai English. However, their presence in a standardised, officially-endorsed language teaching material is problematic, and questions the generalisation of Thai English itself.