Mapping the Rhetorical Moves in Self-Help Books: A Genre-Based Comparison of Expert and Non-Expert Authors | ||||
| مجلة کلية الأداب - جامعة السويس | ||||
| Articles in Press, Accepted Manuscript, Available Online from 17 March 2025 | ||||
| Document Type: المقالة الأصلية | ||||
| DOI: 10.21608/jfask.2025.359784.1209 | ||||
 View on SCiNiTO | ||||
| Authors | ||||
أفنان محمد علي حسن   1; Nagwa Younis2; Shaker Rizk Taky ElDin3
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| 1قسم اللغة الانجليزية، كلية الاداب، جامعة السويس | ||||
| 2Department of English, Faculty of Education, Ain Shams University | ||||
| 3Department of English, Faculty of Arts, Suez University | ||||
| Abstract | ||||
| This study dives deeply into rhetorical move-step structures across 20 bestselling self-help books, thoughtfully comparing texts authored by experts and non-experts from the 1980s to the 2020s. Using Swales’ (1990, 2004) genre analysis framework integrated with Koay’s (2015) approach, the research carefully examines obligatory, typical, and optional rhetorical moves within 265 body chapters. Findings reveal key differences between expert and non-expert authors, particularly highlighting moves related to establishing credibility, engaging readers, and practical applicability. Moreover, the diachronic analysis offers intriguing insights into how rhetorical patterns have evolved over these decades. By applying genre analysis, this study enhances the understanding of rhetorical structures within the self-help genre by explicitly mapping new rhetorical moves and steps across expert and non-expert-authored texts from the 1980s through the 2020s. It identifies distinct changes over time, highlighting how specific moves related to credibility-building, reader engagement, and practical application evolve differently depending on authorship. This structured analysis refines existing genre frameworks (Swales, 2004; Koay, 2015) and provides a systematic basis for future examinations of self-help discourse. | ||||
| Keywords | ||||
| Self-Help Books; Genre Analysis; Rhetorical Moves and Steps; Expert vs. Non-Expert Authors; Evolution of Self-Help Discourse | ||||
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Statistics Article View: 87 |
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