Guide books
have a very specific role among informative materials: they have to give us
information about and make us interested in visiting foreign places, far away
lands, and countries quite different from our own. For these purposes I assume
that guide books have a very specific discourse structure with fixed elements
which work similarly in every English guide books. In my essay I will examine
two guide books from the publisher Lonely Planet (Norway[1]
and Switzerland[2]),
and analyse the similarities and occasional differencies between their tactics
in order to give us information about their topic and to encouredge the reader
to visit these places. In the end I will sum up my finding is a final
conslusion and I will provide ideas for further researches.
As a text, a guide
book obviously falls into the written cathegory: the participants of the
discourse are the author and the reader. The writer provides for us, the
readers, information about a country or city, and we have no, or at least very
little, tools to reply, ask, or start a communication with the author of the
guide book. (The only possibility is writing an e-mail or a letter for the
publisher, so they can forward it to the writer, or they may not.) The main
goal of the author is to get us excited about the city or country, and to
provide reliable and relevant information about the subject, since the guide
book was written to popularize that particular country, plus usually tourists
tend to bring guide books with themselves for their journeys, this is also one
of the major purposes of such a text.
In order to provide rational information to the reader, guide books have
to contain linking elements, different linguistic devices to ensure that the
whole text is coherent and cohesive. Here is a short passage from Lonely
Planet Norway:
Hemmed by a 'fjord' and kilometres of
woodland, Norway's capital is an easy-going city with and eclectic
architectural mix of old, new and just plain 1960s that is hard not to like.
The perfect size for exploring on foot, the city boasts world-class museums, a
lively nightlife and plenty of outdoor activities for the energetic.
Most visitors will find
themselves struggling to choose betwen Oslo's numerous museums, which offer
something for almost every taste: a face-to-face with the haunting image of
Edvard Munch's The Scream at the National Gallery, a chance to stand in the
shoes of an Olympic ski-jumper at the Holmenkellen Museum, or a window into
history and culture at the unforgettable Viking Ship, Polarship Farm or Folk
Museums on Bygdoy. And Oslo is certainly the cosmopolitan heart of Norway, with
a rapidly growing café and bar culture, top-notch restaurants, and nightlife
options ranging from the world-class opera and jazz to indie rock.[3]
In the
introduction of Oslo's description the author declairs that what the text will
further detail in the next few paragraphs. Words like 'easy-going city',
'eclectic architectural mix', 'world-class museums', and 'lively nightlife' immediately
grab the attention of the reader. These colourful expressions rapidy raise the
interest in the audiance; furthermore, they also provide a little sum up from
the information the text will give us. If we were looking for something else, we
can quickly search for the desired information in another passage.
In the next
paragraph, the writer further details the cultural variety of the city: several
examples ('National Gallery', 'Holmenkellen Museum', etc.) prove that the
previous information about Oslo's world-class museums was relevant. It also
helps to make the whole text a coherent reading for the audience. Later the
lively nightlife of the city is also verified by the spreading cafés, bars,
taverns of Oslo; the added details about the opera and music fortifies the
previous assumptions about the capital's role as a cultural centrum of this
region.
The two
paragraphs are also co-ordinated from the perspective of the 'mixture of old
and new' historical and cultural elements of Oslo. While the visitors can view
Edvard Munch's modern painting, The Scream, lovers of the ancient times
can visit the Viking Ship which provides traditional Scandinavian
entertainment. Everyone will be amazed by the possibilities of Oslo, suggests
the text. These techniques within the paragraphs make sure that the inquiry of
the reader remains still and the text is cohesive and coherent.
Lonely Planet Switzerland guide book uses structurally similar approach in
its introduction, this time for Zürich:
(…) Contemporary Zürich
might still be home to the world's fourth biggest stock exchange and remain
Switzerland's financial engine, but it's also (whisper it softly) surprisingly
vibrant and trendy. Located on a picturesque river and lake whose water you can
drink, easy to get around and a stranger to the hassled lifestyle that defines
bigger cities, this affluent, fashion-conscious place enjoys the finest things
in life. (…)[4]
Later the text
further details the new, trendy features of Zürich which are in quite a
contrast with its banker heritage. The beginning paragraph provides us a little
summary about the rest of the introduction: 'vibrant and trendy',
'fashion-conscious', and 'easy to get around'. It immediately excites our
attention; the reader cannot help to focus on the text. From the perpective of
effectivness, guide books seem to work like any other journalist work: certain
words and expressions have more effect on the audience then others.
In the next
paragraph the contrast of the old banker tradition and the new lifestyle is
further detailed: 'hundreds of new bars, restaurants and clubs' prove that it
is really easy to get around the city's modern lifestyle. Interestingly this
text about Zürich does not mention museums and cultural feats, although, Zürich
is clearly devestating culturally as well. I have checked several other Lonely
Planets too, and city introductions tend to start with cultural advices and
tips, containing descriptions of famous and interesting museums and
exhibitions. On the other hand, the compulsory mentioning of nightlife and
various festivals appears here: clubs, bars, and street parties entertain the
visitors every time during the year.
After examining
several guide books from the Lonely Planet series, it seems that most of these
English travel guides work with similar patterns (for at least the introduction
of various cities around a country). The first paragraph usually serves as an
intro for the further details of the cities: the standard topics here are the
cultural variety of the city (mostly represented in contrast with the past) and
the entertainment of the various bars, cafés, clubs. Several linking elements
(the topic, the anaphoric-cataphoric linguistic device for instance) further
support the coherence and cohesion of guide books.
To fullfill the
main purposes of a guide book (grab attention and influence you in your holiday
plans, provide relevant and trustworthy information about the cities) Lonely
Planet's travel guide's use the techniques and tools mentioned previously. In
my research I have also examined guide books from National Geography and
Eyewitnesses, and I have concluded that they build their city introductions
similarly. This topic could be further detailed with the comparison of
Hungarian guide books and the English ones (preferably from the same
publishers.) It is an interesting topic to research and deserves further research.
[2]
Williams., Christiani., O'Brien.,
& Simonis. (2012). Lonely
Planet Switzerland (Travel Guide). : Lonely Planet.
[4]
Williams., Christiani., O'Brien.,
& Simonis. (2012). Lonely
Planet Switzerland (Travel Guide). : Lonely Planet. p. 87.
Work consulted:
- Matthiessen., McCarthy., Slade. Discourse Analysis. An introduction to Applied Linguistics. web. <http://theweekendstartshere.mixxt.at/networks/files/file.166250>
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