Genre is a specific type of fictitious composition, a category of music, an art that is categorized as artistic, musical, or literary composition characterized by a particular style, format, technique, or content. The type of genre depends on the classification. For example, in literature, we can have drama, fiction stories, nonfiction stories, and poetry as the main genres (Frow, 2014). This paper shall focus more on the academic genre. It will highlight the relevant aspects of stylistics applicable to the chosen academic genre utilize various relevant example from a text extracted from The Cambridge guide to literature in English, by Dominic Head (2006).

The academic genre is made up of all scholarly materials that are meant to aid in learning. It may include both the educational and non-scholarly work. Scholarly work generally refers to work carried out from formal research, and intellectuals from that particular field write the work. The work is meant to be used for academic purposes such as learning and research. Non-scholarly work is meant to give general information to the public and is not intended for a particular audience. The academic genre comprises several learning materials such as textbooks, journals, scholarly articles, essays, and reports. This paper will pay a keen look at textbooks and scholarly articles (Frow, 2014).

A textbook is an example of an academic genre containing knowledge meant for a specific audience. Textbooks serve the primary purpose of instructing and giving information. This information can be presented in different forms such as arguments, prose, and discussion, among others, with the main intention of presenting views on a particular subject or topic (Azar, 2012, pp.  147-166).

Textbooks come in different arrangements, and to some extent, things like simple text materials, workbooks, manuals, and books of reference can be categorized as textbooks. A textbook, therefore, is not a necessarily lengthy book (Azar, 2012, pp. 147-166). Textbook needs may also be different depending on factors such as long-distance learning, where tutorials may be more effective compared to the use of textbooks. A body or ministry also approves some textbooks as the formally allowed books for a particular discipline.

Textbooks can also be classified as a discourse genre. Discourse is a way of presenting something in an institutionalized form of thinking. Textbooks have a significant impact on both the professional practices and technical approach to issues. Textbooks can be classified as a discourse genre because of the sense that they are applied and used in the post-graduate and under-graduate level, in technical and tertiary institutions, as well as secondary and primary school levels (Cotter, 2015, pp.14). There is also a possibility of sub classifying textbooks into different genres, such as a poetic book or musical book, making a textbook genre a collection of various genres. For instance, The Cambridge guide to literature in English encompasses the elements in technical approach in creating understanding of different ideas. Additionally, the books can be used in different academic levels especially colleges and universities to help in the understanding of literature. To achieve that task it incorporate vivid examples of stylistic devices in its content to allow the learners comprehend different ideas. For instance, the book uses metaphors such as 'head of state' and 'table leg' (pg. 737).

A textbook becomes the second-largest genre classified in the PUCV-2006 Educational Body of Spanish when it comes to corpus description. The leading predominant genre is the disciplinary text genre (Flowerdew, 2014). Textbooks are widely used in every part of the world, right from the most basic educational level, the pre-school level, to the most advanced educational level. This genre has wide acceptability in the education sector and is acceptable in all the academic disciplines, making it dominant and popular.

The writing of textbooks has also been done in various styles and structures. Most of the writers will start by introducing the book and giving acknowledgment before describing the work and the purpose of the book. Some writers will also prefer to provide a more generalized summary of the book, including its content at the beginning. There is a tendency to put down or include the most current knowledge and new information that have never been explored before or build upon the books' existing data. A textbook should be arranged in contents, preface, chapters, appendixes, and index. However, some textbooks may follow a different arrangement. For instance, The Cambridge guide to literature in English also employs the formats of contents, preface, chapters, appendixes, and index in its style and structure.

A specific pattern is also followed and adhered to in the preface section of a textbook. A preface is the preliminary section of a textbook, which is done by the author of a particular book, usually at the start of the book giving precise and detailed information on the purpose and the reason for writing it. The preface section starts with the introduction of the work. In the first part of introducing the work, a field of work is laid down, mentioning the particular problem or reason for writing the book and a general evaluation of the book's content.

After giving the book's reason, the next step is to describe what is in the book. It starts with generally describing the format of the book. A chapter by chapter analysis is carried out to discuss what is contained in every chapter. The text's limitations are highlighted, and the methodology is clearly stated (Azar, 2012, pp. 147-166). A reference is also made to other sources that may be used by the author.

The author also expresses appreciation to various persons who helped in the writing of the textbook.  This is done through the acknowledgment   section, where other contributors appreciate their efforts to ensure the book's authorship was a success. In this section, the author recognizes other material sources, appreciates persons who were directly involved in publishing the book like the editors, acknowledges the basis of moral support, and dedicates the book to specific persons such as family, students in a particular discipline, professionals among others (Flowerdew, 2014)

The last stage in the preface section recognizes the possibility of any inadequacies in the book, which exhibits professionalism. A recommendation may be given for specific readers and herein attaching their expectations and indicating the possibility of future research. The author's signature is necessary and is indicated at the bottom of the page and the date and year of publication.

The academic genre has several genres, such as textbooks, scholarly articles, among others. The textbook is one of the commonest genres in the academia due to the wide usage and acceptability as an academic source. In linguistics, the textbook can be presented in various languages by English is the commonly used language in most textbooks due to its wide usage. Textbooks can be classified as a discourse genre because they have broad applicability and are used at different levels. The structure and arrangement are always essential, and a preface is necessary for any book. The author must acknowledge other reference sources and persons who helped in the authorship, maybe by assisting in the publication of giving moral support. The intended readership should also be indicated as textbooks may be addressed to a particular target audience. It should be noted that textbooks are managed by students and can also be addressed to professionals in a specific discipline. Manuals and basic texts can also be classified as textbooks, and thus restriction should not be attached to the lengthy books only.