Related Papers
English For Specific Purposes
Hedging in Academic Writing and EAP Textbooks
1994 •
Ken Hyland
Academic writing is rich in hedged propositions. By allowing writers to express their uncertainty concerning the factuality of their statements or to indicate deference to their readers, epistemic devices are a significant characteristic of academic writing. While there is clear pedagogical justification for assisting learners to develop an awareness of the significance of hedging and the principles of its correct use, tentative language continues to be an important source of pragmatic failure in the writing of second language science students. This paper discusses the importance, functions and expression of epistemic modality in scientific discourse in order to evaluate the treatment given to hedging devices in a range of EAP and EST writing textbooks. It is suggested that despite the interest hedging has attracted in the research literature, a number of widely used texts display an ignorance of empirical usage and that pedagogic writing materials would benefit from revisions based on authentic data.
Attitudes towards and Frequency of Multiple Hedging in Written Academic English
Sabahuddin Mujahid
Hedging In Academic Writing: A Pragmatic Analysis Of English And Chemistry Masters’ Theses In A Ghanaian University
Kodwo Adam-Moses
Abstract Academic texts are no longer perceived as mere neutral accounts of factual information; they are currently viewed as socially constructed rhetorical artefacts which aim at negotiating and persuading the reader. As a result, there has been growing interest in hedging as a useful rhetorical resource used to realize this communicative function within academic writing. However, despite the plethora of studies on hedging in the various academic genre types (e.g. textbooks, conference paper presentations, examiners’ reports), it is probably the research article (henceforth, RA) which has been explored most extensively in the literature. Secondly, largely focusing on RAs, the literature on hedging primarily discusses how the concept is organized (i.e. the lexico-grammatical forms) in different disciplines and across different rhetorical sections, paying little or no attention to its discourse functions though the underlying motivation for the use of hedging in the enactment of academic texts has been well articulated. Thus, using Hyland’s (1998) Poly-pragmatic Model, the present study investigates the discourse functions of hedges in English and Chemistry Masters’ Theses in the University of Cape Coast. It further explores the differences regarding the discourse functions hedges perform in both disciplines. The study, which is both qualitative and quantitative in nature, reveals that hedging in English and Chemistry Masters’ Theses perform three pragmatic functions and that the preference for these functions, to some extent, varies in both disciplines due to a number of factors. The study has a pedagogical implication. Key Words: Hedging, Academic Writing, Pragmatics
TYPES OF COHESION AND HEDGING DEVICES IN SCIENTIFIC TEXTS – A CLASSROOM PERSPECTIVE
Nataša Milivojević, Stanka Radojičić
A contrastive study of hedging in English and Farsi academic discourse
Reza Falahati
Hedging is a basic feature in academic discourse that enables writers to show their certainty and doubt concerning the truth value of a proposition, to show the amount of confidence they put on their claim, and to start a dialogue with their readers. The purpose of this study is to examine the distribution of forms and functions of hedging in academic research articles (RAs) in English and Farsi. The data of the study consist of 24 research articles, 12 in English and 12 in Farsi. The RAs were in three disciplines: medicine, chemistry, and psychology (four RAs in English and four in Farsi from each discipline). Data were analysed in terms of both forms and functions of hedges. Findings showed that the English RAs were 61.3 % more hedged than Farsi RAs. The results also showed that accuracy-oriented and writer-oriented hedges, as the two functions of hedges, are distributed differently in English and Farsi RAs. Moreover, the distribution of hedging devices was shown to be different across disciplines. The English psychology and Farsi medicine RAs were found to be the most heavily hedged disciplines.
Hong Kong Papers in Linguistics and Language Teaching
The Author in the Text: Hedging Scientific Writing
1995 •
Ken Hyland
Lingual: Journal of Language and Culture
Hedges in Scientific EFL Writing
2018 •
Yogi Widiawati
PEDAGOGICAL IMPLICATIONS OF HEDGING IN THE DISCUSSIONS OF MEDICAL RESEARCH DISCOURSE
BEST Journals
Academic discourse is written to cater for a particular audience and like any other text contains the author's interpretation of his discourse. The author negotiates and persuades the reader to accept his interpretation of the text in discussion. One of the strategies used to convey messages in academic writing is the use of hedging. Hedging is used as a rhetoric strategy to modify the definiteness of an utterance, or to modify the commitment of the author to the propositions he puts in a text. The use of hedges has the interpersonal aspect in that they are used to indicate that the speaker does not want to impose upon the hearer's desires or beliefs. The present study investigates the types of hedging used in the discussion of medical research discourse. It also establishes the functions hedges perform in these discussions and the frequencies of particular hedges. The study which is quantitative in nature established that hedging is used frequently in the discussions of medical research findings and that it has various functions as the authors present their claims with caution, precision and humility. The study has a pedagogical implication and concludes that hedging is an essential writing feature in medical genres that needs to be given attention when teaching communicative skills to medical students.
Epistemic Modality in Academic Writing: A Discipline-Based Analysis
Havva Kurt Taşpınar
Hedges and boosters, as significant indicators of epistemic modality, have recently grasped the attention of scholars conducting research to explore the language use in academic discourse. Hence, the study aims to reveal the hedges and boosters that are utilized in academic articles and the frequency of the use of these linguistic devices. The article presents findings from both education and engineering. Twenty-four journal articles retrieved from leading research journals were analysed. The results were in line with the previous studies indicating similarities as well as differences between the selected journals in terms of the use of hedges and boosters.
GEMA Online® Journal of Language Studies
Hedging in the Discussion Sections of English and Malay Educational Research Articles
Professor Jason Miin-Hwa Lim
