A cross-disciplinary investigation of multi-word expressions in the moves of research article abstracts

10.26686/wgtn.13670599 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Taha Omidian ◽

H Shahriari ◽

Anna Siyanova

Keyword(s):

Mixed Methods ◽

Academic Disciplines ◽

Linguistic Features ◽

Mixed Methods Approach ◽

Communicative Functions ◽

Research Article ◽

Academic Genres ◽

Recurrent Word ◽

Science Disciplines

© 2018 Elsevier Ltd Conformity to the epistemological orientations of academic disciplines is often reflected in the ways in which knowledge is constructed and communicated through certain linguistic features in academic genres. This paper explores instances of such conformity in hard and soft science disciplines, as it is reflected in the use of recurrent word combinations in different rhetorical moves of research article abstracts. A corpus-driven approach was adopted to identify the most frequently occurring word combinations of different length in a corpus of 5910 abstracts from six disciplines. Following this, the identified sequences were classified according to their communicative functions in different moves of the abstract. A mixed-methods approach was then adopted through which the patterns of variation reflected in the use of the identified sequences were examined both quantitatively and qualitatively. It was found that members of different academic domains have different priorities for representing their research in academic abstracts.

Download Full-text

A Mixed Methods Genre Analysis of the Discussion Section of MMR Articles in Applied Linguistics

Journal of Mixed Methods Research ◽

10.1177/1558689816674626 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 13 (2) ◽

pp. 242-260 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Mohammad R. Hashemi ◽

Iman Gohari Moghaddam

Keyword(s):

Mixed Methods ◽

Mixed Methods Research ◽

Applied Linguistics ◽

Genre Analysis ◽

Discussion Section ◽

Mixed Methods Approach ◽

The Past ◽

Research Article ◽

Organizational Patterns ◽

Academic Genres

The research article, among other academic genres, has attracted researchers’ attention over the past decades. Although sections such as introduction, method, and results and discussion have been addressed in such studies, the mixed methods research (MMR) discussion genre remains underexplored. Thus, the present study aimed at exploring the generic organizational patterns in applied linguistics MMR articles. A qualitatively driven mixed methods approach was utilized to explore 38 MMR discussions. As a result, there emerged a five-move model for genre macro-organization and rhetorical move structure of the MMR discussions. The study concludes by presenting implications for writing effective MMR discussions.

Download Full-text

Markers of identification in Indigenous academic writing: A case study of genre innovation

Text & Talk - An Interdisciplinary Journal of Language Discourse Communication Studies ◽

10.1515/text-2020-2073 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 0 (0) ◽

Author(s):

Shurli Makmillen ◽

Michelle Riedlinger

Keyword(s):

Communities Of Practice ◽

Social Relations ◽

Academic Writing ◽

Genre Studies ◽

Linguistic Features ◽

Study Approach ◽

Research Article ◽

Rhetorical Genre ◽

Academic Genres

AbstractThis study contributes to research into genre innovation and scholarship exploring how Indigenous epistemes are disrupting dominant discourses of the academy. Using a case study approach, we investigated 31 research articles produced by Mäori scholars and published in the journal AlterNative between 2006 and 2018. We looked for linguistic features associated with self-positioning and self-identification. We found heightened ambiguous uses of “we”; a prevalence of verbs associated with personal (as opposed to discursive) uses of “I/we”; personal storytelling; and a privileging of Elders’ contributions to the existing state of knowledge. We argue these features reflect and reinforce Indigenous scholars’ social relations with particular communities of practice within and outside of the academy. They are also in keeping with Indigenous knowledge-making practices, protocols, and languages, and signal sites of negotiation and innovation in the research article. We present the implications for rhetorical genre studies and for teaching academic genres.

Download Full-text

A multi-dimensional contrastive study of English abstracts by native and non-native writers

Corpora ◽

10.3366/cor.2013.0041 ◽

2013 ◽

Vol 8 (2) ◽

pp. 209-234 ◽

Cited By ~ 15

Author(s):

Yan Cao ◽

Richard Xiao

Keyword(s):

Factor Analysis ◽

Noun Phrases ◽

Analytical Framework ◽

English Abstract ◽

Academic Disciplines ◽

Semantic Features ◽

Linguistic Features ◽

Contrastive Study ◽

Active Involvement ◽

Communicative Functions

This article takes the multi-dimensional (MD) analysis approach to explore the textual variations between native and non-native English abstracts on the basis of a balanced corpus containing English abstracts written by native English and native Chinese writers from twelve academic disciplines. A total of 47 out of 163 linguistic features are retained after factor analysis, which underlies a seven-dimension framework representing seven communicative functions. The results show that the two types of abstracts demonstrate significant differences in five out of the seven dimensions. To be more specific, native English writers display a more active involvement and commitment in presenting their ideas than Chinese writers. They also use intensifying devices more frequently. In contrast, Chinese writers show stronger preferences for conceptual elaboration, passives and abstract noun phrases no matter whether the two types of data are examined as a whole or whether variations across disciplines are taken into account. The results are discussed in relation to the possible reasons and suggestions for English abstract writing in China. Methodologically, this study innovatively expands on Biber's (1988) MD analytical framework by integrating colligation in addition to grammatical and semantic features.

Download Full-text

Discipline, Level, Genre: Integrating Situational Perspectives in a New MD Analysis of University Student Writing

Applied Linguistics ◽

10.1093/applin/amy005 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 40 (4) ◽

pp. 646-674 ◽

Cited By ~ 14

Author(s):

Sheena Gardner ◽

Hilary Nesi ◽

Douglas Biber

Keyword(s):

Academic Discourse ◽

University Student ◽

Academic Disciplines ◽

Student Writing ◽

Linguistic Features ◽

Four Dimensions ◽

Situational Variables ◽

Procedural Information ◽

Wide Range ◽

Academic Genres

Abstract While there have been many investigations of academic genres, and of the linguistic features of academic discourse, few studies have explored how these interact across a range of university student writing situations. To counter misconceptions that have arisen regarding student writing, this article aims to provide comprehensive linguistic descriptions of a wide range of university assignment genres in relation to multiple situational variables. Our new multidimensional (MD) analysis of the British Academic Written English (BAWE) corpus identifies clusters of linguistic features along four dimensions, onto which academic disciplines, disciplinary groups, levels of study, and genre families are mapped. The dimensions are interpreted through text extracts as: (i) Compressed Procedural Information versus Stance towards the Work of Others; (ii) Personal Stance; (iii) Possible Events versus Completed Events; and (iv) Informational Density. Clusters of linguistic features from the comprehensive set of situational perspectives found across this framework can be selected to inform the teaching of a ‘common academic core’, and to inform the design of programmes tailored to the needs of specific disciplines.

Download Full-text

Worlds of evidence

English Text Construction ◽

10.1075/etc.00042.can ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 14 (1) ◽

pp. 25-67

Author(s):

Patricia Canning ◽

Yufang Ho ◽

Sara Bartl

Keyword(s):

Mixed Methods ◽

Legal History ◽

Forensic Investigation ◽

Linguistic Features ◽

Mixed Methods Approach ◽

Form And Function ◽

Football Fans ◽

World Theory ◽

Witness Statements ◽

And Function

Abstract The Hillsborough football stadium disaster (1989) in Sheffield, UK, led to the deaths of 96 football fans and resulted in the longest jury case in British legal history (2016). This article examines the witness statements of two Sheffield residents who claim to have attended the match. Using a mixed-methods approach that incorporates a cognitive linguistic framework (Text World Theory) with visualisation software (VUE) we consider both form and function of a number of linguistic features, such as meta-narrative, evaluative lexis, syntax, and modality to investigate how institutional voices permeate and potentially distort layperson narratives. Our analysis casts doubt on the veracity of the statements and raises questions about what can be considered evidential in a forensic investigation.

Download Full-text