Rebranding Speech Functions (Semantics) As Tendering And Rendering (Tenor) [2]

Doran, Martin & Herrington (2024: 189-90):

But in practice, tendering and rendering are often done together. This occurs when in response to what one person puts forward, someone else puts forward something that only implies their support or rejection. An adapted example from our classroom illustrates this when the teacher and a student go back and forth as to what is on a diagram:

Here, the student puts forward that the green things are spindle fibres. The teacher rejects this, not by saying explicitly that they are wrong, but by tendering an alternative suggestion (that they are microtubules). However the student is not convinced, and so counters by arguing they’re not moving – both rejecting the teacher’s characterisation and tendering a reason for it – a move which the teacher once more rejects by tendering an alternative position (they’re condensing).

Reviewer Comments:

To be clear, the tenor of this situation — 'who is taking part' — is student and teacher. What they say is language, not context. The tendering and rendering in their dialogue are speech functions in an exchange. Each response in an exchange potentially serves as an initiating move for the next response. The speech functions of the moves in the exchange are as follows:

• The first move in the exchange is a statement, rebranded here as 'tender'.
• As a response, the second move in the exchange is a contradiction, rebranded here as 'render: reject'.
• As an initiating move, it is a statement, rebranded here as 'tender'.
• As a response, the third move in the exchange is a contradiction, rebranded here as 'render: reject'.
• As an initiating move, it is a statement, rebranded here as 'tender'.
• As a response, the fourth move in the exchange is a contradiction, rebranded here as 'render: reject'.
• As an initiating move for a future response, it is a statement, rebranded here as 'tender'.

That is, the authors have simply rebranded statement as 'tender' and contradiction as 'render: reject', and misunderstood the interpersonal semantic system of speech function as the contextual parameter of tenor.