The Use of Metadiscourse Markers in English Applied Linguistics Research Proposals by Vietnamese Postgraduate Students

Tran Quoc Thao, Nguyen Chau Hoang Long

Abstract


Metadiscourse (MD) markers are of great importance in expressing the writers’ stance, and the use of MD markers can be diverse in different genres of writing. This study endeavors to scrutinize the use of MD markers (major groups: interactive markers and interactional markers) in research proposals by Vietnamese postgraduate students in English Applied Linguistics (EAL). A cohort of 20 EAL research proposals was analyzed using AntConc software and descriptive statistics. The results unravel that regarding interactive markers, transition markers are the most used in EAL research proposals while endophoric markers are the least commonly used. Concerning interactional markers, self-mentions markers are the most popular MD markers while attitude markers are the least popular ones used in EAL research proposals. It is further found out that the most common functions of MD markers used in EAL research proposals are to link ideas in texts and texts to readers and show the writer’s presence in the text.

Received 1th August 2020; Revised 2nd June 2021; Accepted 20th August 2021


Keywords


Applied Linguistics; English; Metadiscourse Marker; Research Proposal; Postgraduate

References


Annelie, Adel. 2006. Metadiscourse in L1 and L2 English. Amsterdam: John Benjamins Publishing Company.

Crismore, Avon. 1989. Talking with readers: Metadiscourse as rhetorical act. New York: Peter Lang.

Halliday, Michael. 1994. An introduction to functional grammar. London: Edward Arnold.

Harwood, Nigel. 2005. “We do not seem to have a theory; the theory I present here attempts to fill this gap: Inclusive and exclusive pronouns in academic writing.” Applied Linguistics 26(3): 343-75.

Hinkel, Eli. 2002. Second language writers' text. Mawah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.

Hui, Jiang and Na, Bian. 2008. “Use of metadiscourse in allocating SLA learners’ attention.” Sino-US English Teaching 5(11): 1-5.

Hyland, Ken. 2002. “Authority and invisibility: Authorial identity in academic writing.” Journal of Second Language Writing 34(8): 1091-1112.

Hyland, Ken. 2005. Metadiscourse: Exploring interaction in writing. London: Continuum.

Hyland, Ken and Tse, Polly. 2004. “Metadiscourse in academic writing: A reappraisal.” Applied Linguistics 25(2): 156-177.

Livingstone, Kerwin Anthony. 2019. “Examining the use of metadiscourse markers in academic writing.” International journal of literature, language and linguistics 5(3): 244-254.

Tang, Roman and John, Suganthi. 1999. “The ‘I’ in identity: Exploring writer identity in student academic writing through the first-person pronoun.” English for Specific Purposes 18(1): S23- S39.

Tran, Tu Ngoc Phan and Tran, Thao Quoc. 2019. “The use of phrasal verbs in English language research proposals by Vietnamese MA students.” VNU Journal of Foreign Studies 35(4): 114-129.

Tran, Thao Quoc and Duong, Tham My. 2016. “Hedging: A comparative study of research article results and discussion section in Applied linguistics and chemical engineering.” English for Specific Purposes World 41(14): 1-13.

Vande Kopple, William John. 1985. “Some exploratory discourse on metadiscourse.” College Composition and Communication 36: 82-93.

Yan, Xiao-Min, Li, Si-Qi and Liu, Ying-Liang. 2019. “An analysis of metadiscourse in Chinese EFL argumentative writing.” Presented at International Conference on Advanced Education and Management (ICAEM), Chengdu, China.


Refbacks

  • There are currently no refbacks.


=====================================================

TẠP CHÍ KHOA HỌC XÃ HỘI VÀ NHÂN VĂN

Trường Đại học Khoa học Xã hội và Nhân văn

Đại học Quốc gia Hà Nội

ISSN 2354-1172