scholarly journals Exploring Metadiscourse Use in Thesis Abstracts: A Cross-Cultural Study

2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Ardi Nugroho
Keyword(s):  
Academic Writing ◽  
English Language ◽  
Native Speakers ◽  
Writing Studies ◽  
Cultural Backgrounds ◽  
Efl Learners ◽  
Language And Culture ◽  
American Students ◽  
Integral Role ◽  
Native Speakers Of English

<p>The use of metadiscourse in academic writing has become a topic of interest in recent years. It can be defined as the words and phrases that writers use in their writing to express their ideas and thoughts to make it easier for readers to process the information presented. It is especially crucial in academic writing since writers are expected to present their arguments in an appropriate and acceptable manner. It has also been said that culture plays a role influencing how arguments and ideas are expressed, especially in academic writing. Although metadiscourse plays an integral role in academic writing, studies have shown how EFL learners often make mistakes in employing this linguistic device. From this, the writer would like to explore the metadiscourse produced by Indonesian EFL learners and compare it with how native speakers of English employ metadiscourse in their writing. In other words, this study is basically an attempt to find out whether the metadiscourse produced by the two groups with different cultural backgrounds are different or similar. The source of data for the current study is the metadiscourse markers from the thesis abstracts of students of the English Language and Culture Department at Bunda Mulia University and American students from a university in the U.S. In order to analyze the metadiscourse markers found in the thesis abstracts of the Indonesian and American students, the writer will make use of the AntConc software version 3.5.6 by Anthony (2018). The result of the study reveals that there are some differences and similarities in the way both group of students employed these markers.<strong></strong></p><strong>Keywords: </strong>metadiscourse, thesis abstracts, Indonesian and American students

Linking or delinking of ideas?

2020 ◽  
Vol 33 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Noelia Navarro Gil ◽  
Helena Roquet Pugès
Keyword(s):  
Foreign Language ◽  
Academic Writing ◽  
Native Speakers ◽  
Initial Position ◽  
American University ◽  
Efl Learners ◽  
Learner Corpus ◽  
Native Speakers Of English ◽  
Argumentative Texts ◽  
Linguistic Backgrounds

Abstract This paper explores the use of adversative Linking Adverbials (LAs) in the academic writing of advanced English Foreign Language (EFL) learners with different linguistic backgrounds. The learner corpus used in this study consists of 50 argumentative texts, which are contrasted with a native corpus: the American university students’ corpus (LOCNESS). Liu’s (2008) comprehensive list of adversative LAs has been used for the analysis. Findings reveal that both non-native (NNS) and native speakers of English (NS) use similar types of adversative LAs, but NNS place them regularly in sentence- and sometimes in paragraph- initial position, which often results in punctuation issues and misuse. A total of 9 LAs were found to be overused (e.g., nevertheless) and underused (e.g., actually) by NNS. The analysis performed according to L1 has yielded unexpected results in terms of preference, frequency, and placement of adversative LAs. The so-called ‘teaching effect’ is considered one of the main factors influencing the learners’ choices.

scholarly journals ANALYZING COMPLAINTS BY INDONESIAN EFL SPEAKERS

2014 ◽  
Vol 14 (1) ◽  
pp. 63
Author(s):  
Anna Marietta Da Silva
Keyword(s):  
Language Learners ◽  
English Language ◽  
Native Speakers ◽  
Initial Period ◽  
Pragmatic Competence ◽  
Language Competence ◽  
Efl Learners ◽  
Grammatical Competence ◽  
Pragmatic Transfer ◽  
Native Speakers Of English

The English language competence of an EFL learner can be reflectedin his pragmatic competence. Yet, for language learners and teachers a mastery of the pragmatic competence may unconsciously be neglected. In other words, it may not be taught in line with the grammatical competence since the initial period of learning. The article centers on two problems: (1) the similarities and differences of speech act of complaints among Indonesian EFL learners, Indonesian EFL teachers and American native speakers, and (2) the evidence of any pragmatic transfer in the complaint performance. DCT was used to gather the data, which was then analyzed using Rinnert, Nogami and Iwai?s aspects of complaining (2006). It was found that there were both differences and similarities of complaints performed by both the native and non-native speakers of English when power and social status were involved. Some evidence on pragmatic transfer was also tangible; mainly it was due to cultural differences

scholarly journals A Corpus-based Study on the Use of Three-word Lexical Bundles in the Academic Writing by Native English and Turkish Non-native Writers

2017 ◽  
Vol 10 (12) ◽  
pp. 28 ◽  
Author(s):  
Serpil Ucar
Keyword(s):  
Quantitative Analysis ◽  
Academic Writing ◽  
English Language ◽  
Native Speakers ◽  
Lexical Bundles ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
Native Speakers Of English ◽  
Lexical Bundle ◽  
Structure And Functions ◽  
Recurrent Word

The utilization of English recurrent word combinations –lexical bundles- play a fundamental role in academic prose (Karabacak & Qin, 2013). There has been highly limited research about comparing Turkish non-native and native English writers’ use of lexical bundles in academic prose in terms of frequency, structure and functions of lexical bundles (Bal, 2010; Karabacak & Qin, 2013, Öztürk, 2014). Therefore, this current research was conducted in order to investigate the most frequently used lexical bundles in the academically published articles of Turkish non-native and native speakers of English and to investigate whether there was a significant difference between native and non-native scholars with respect to the frequency, structures and functions of English language lexical bundles. The data were collected from two corpora; 15 scientific articles of native speakers and 15 scientific articles of Turkish advanced writers. The investigation included a quantitative analysis of the use of three-word lexical bundles and a qualitative analysis of the functions and structures they serve. To be more conservative, three-word lexical bundles which occur 40 times per million words and appear in 5 different texts were described a lexical bundle in this current research. The findings revealed that Turkish non-native writers showed underuse and less variation in the use of lexical bundles in their academic prose compared to native speakers.

Communication courtesy or condescension? Linguistic accommodation of native to non-native speakers of English

2017 ◽  
Vol 6 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Branka Drljača Margić
Keyword(s):  
English Language ◽  
Native Speakers ◽  
Language Skills ◽  
Native English Speakers ◽  
English Speakers ◽  
Cultural Backgrounds ◽  
Online Questionnaire ◽  
Linguistic Accommodation ◽  
Native Speakers Of English

AbstractThis paper draws on the perception of English as a lingua franca (ELF) as an activity, rather than a variety, whereby speakers of different lingua-cultural backgrounds respond to the needs of the immediate communicative environment. Such dynamic and context-related nature of ELF involves collaboration and accommodative behaviour of all interlocutors. As the main focus of research on ELF has been interaction predominantly among non-native speakers of English, the present study investigates how native English speakers behave in ELF interaction, that is, whether/how they accommodate their English and what their stance is towards linguistic accommodation. Responses were collected by means of an online questionnaire, yielding 377 respondents in total, who report making adjustments when communicating with non-native speakers, most frequently by enunciating clearly, using fewer idioms and speaking more slowly. The main reasons native speakers give for adjusting their language are promoting mutual intelligibility, showing courtesy and helping the interlocutor hone their English language skills. A fifth of the respondents, however, worry that accommodation might prevent the improvement of non-native speakers’ English proficiency, be perceived as being patronising, and reduce the quality of conversation.

scholarly journals Pragma-linguistic and Socio-pragmatic Transfer among Iraqi Female EFL Learners in Refusing Marriage Proposals

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tabarek Ali Qassim ◽  
Nawal Fadhil Abbas ◽  
Fatima Falih Ahmed ◽  
Sura Hameed
Keyword(s):  
Native Speakers ◽  
Target Language ◽  
Slight Variation ◽  
Efl Learners ◽  
Language And Culture ◽  
Pragmatic Transfer ◽  
Lower Status ◽  
Native Speakers Of English ◽  
Linguistic Transfer ◽  
Refusal Strategies

In the framework of this study, the phenomenon of transfer is probed pragma-linguistically and socio-linguistically concerning marriage situations among Iraqi EFL learners. The study also strives to look at the refusal strategies most commonly employed by Iraqi female English as a foreign Language (EFL) learners compared to their counterparts, American native speakers of English. The study involved 70 female participants who answered a Discourse Completion Task (DCT), which contained ten marriage proposals to be refused. Each situation entailed refusal of a person from a higher, an equal, and lower status. The researchers adapted Beebe, Takahashi, and Uliss Weltz’s (1990) taxonomy of refusal for analyzing the data comprehensively. The study’s findings indicated that Iraqi female EFL learners followed similar patterns of refusing marriage situations to American speakers. The most prevalent strategies used by the two groups were “reasons/ excuses and explanations,” followed by “statements of regrets,” and then “non-performative statements” with slight variation in frequency. However, the Iraqi learners’ native language and culture affected how they formulated their refusal; hence they manifested pragma-linguistic and socio-pragmatic transfer in particular areas. The areas of pragma-linguistic transfer included the literal translation of words, expressions, and structures into their refusal in English. As for the socio-pragmatic areas, the transfer occurred in certain Arabic culture features like elaboration, exaggeration, repetition, endearing terms, and many others in expressing the target language, English.

Vocabulary Fluency and Writing Skill: A Case Study on Kurdish Students in Learning English Vocabulary

2019 ◽  
Vol 7 (2) ◽  
pp. 10
Author(s):  
Areen Ahmed Muhammed
Keyword(s):  
Academic Writing ◽  
English Language ◽  
Native Speakers ◽  
Male Dominance ◽  
Discussion Section ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Native Speakers Of English ◽  
Low Efficiency ◽  
Vocabulary Problems

Currently, a wide range of papers have been conducted in the field of L2 learners’ vocabulary problems and difficulty in academic written texts; commonly, L1 processing routine over L2 learning brought problems in maintaining vocabulary fluency in academic writing for non-native speakers of English. The establishment of an initial form-meaning link should be regarded as early steps of vocabulary learning. The study investigates major problems of Kurdish learners of English Language in homogenous classes regarding the fluency use of vocabulary in their writings. Besides all those studies which have been carried out in the specified field; however, still, less progress can be seen, and still, students face obstacles when it comes to vocabulary fluency in English taught program.The study was conducted on Kurdish university students (n=33). English department of Charmo University was selected as the setting for the study. Moreover, 30 students who participated in the questionnaire were equally divided on both genders. Later, few students, in the range of 3, were tested from the same department. Though tests were considered as the main criteria for finding out students’ major problems in writing and especially vocabulary fluency, whenever the students were put in the position of the test, outer factors will take the bigger slice and main piece of the puzzle. Several essay writings were collected from them and different problems were carried out through those feedbacks that were given by the assigned program.As it can be seen in the discussion section personal desires and interest on the aforementioned language is not to the degree that they can improve their abilities; besides, each of culture, society, and family awareness plays a crucial part in common sense. Moreover, Sociology and psychology of the student, as each of culture, religion, gender differences, male dominance, and family motivation, have vital roles and effects on their use of low efficiency and contextually low frequent vocabulary when they compose in English.

Stance-taking: reporting verbs in citations in EFL undergraduate theses

2021 ◽  
Vol 37 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Pamela Olmos-Lopez
Keyword(s):  
Foreign Language ◽  
Academic Writing ◽  
Corpus Linguistics ◽  
English Language ◽  
Native Speakers ◽  
English Language Teaching ◽  
Mexican Students ◽  
Authorial Identity ◽  
Educational Implications ◽  
Native Speakers Of English

ABSTRACT L2 writers tend to have difficulties in using reporting verbs (Bloch, 2010) because the choosing of reporting verb needs some considerations: the stance of the author whose claims are being reported, the stance of the writer, and the interpretation of the writer (Thompson and Ye, 1991). This article explores stance-taking in reporting verbs in the context of citations in undergraduate theses written by Mexican students in English as a Foreign Language. The corpus consists of thirty undergraduate theses written by non-native speakers of English in the field of English Language Teaching. I use corpus linguistics tools, i.e., concordances for the analysis of stance-taking which makes the expressions observable in their context. The findings show that undergraduates use reporting verbs to express their stance in their theses and that this varies depending on the chapter. This paper suggests a category of reporting verbs that is commonly used in EFL academic writing within the ELT discipline. I propose some educational implications, stressing the need to make students and their instructors aware that the choice of reporting verbs is not just a matter of stylistic choice, but it can be an expression of authorial identity.

scholarly journals Pragma-linguistic and Socio-pragmatic Transfer among Iraqi Female EFL Learners in Refusing Marriage Proposals

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (2) ◽  
pp. 521-539
Author(s):  
Tabarek Ali Qassim ◽  
Nawal Fadhel Abbas ◽  
Fatima Falih Ahmed ◽  
Sura Hameed
Keyword(s):  
Native Speakers ◽  
Target Language ◽  
Slight Variation ◽  
Efl Learners ◽  
Language And Culture ◽  
Pragmatic Transfer ◽  
Lower Status ◽  
Native Speakers Of English ◽  
Linguistic Transfer ◽  
Refusal Strategies

In the framework of this study, the phenomenon of transfer is probed pragma-linguistically and socio-linguistically concerning marriage situations among Iraqi EFL learners. The study also strives to look at the refusal strategies most commonly employed by Iraqi female English as a foreign Language (EFL) learners compared to their counterparts, American native speakers of English. The study involved 70 female participants who answered a Discourse Completion Task (DCT), which contained ten marriage proposals to be refused. Each situation entailed refusal of a person from a higher, an equal, and lower status. The researchers adapted Beebe, Takahashi, and Uliss Weltz’s (1990) taxonomy of refusal for analyzing the data comprehensively. The study’s findings indicated that Iraqi female EFL learners followed similar patterns of refusing marriage situations to American speakers. The most prevalent strategies used by the two groups were “reasons/ excuses and explanations,” followed by “statements of regrets,” and then “non-performative statements” with slight variation in frequency. However, the Iraqi learners’ native language and culture affected how they formulated their refusal; hence they manifested pragma-linguistic and socio-pragmatic transfer in particular areas. The areas of pragma-linguistic transfer included the literal translation of words, expressions, and structures into their refusal in English. As for the socio-pragmatic areas, the transfer occurred in certain Arabic culture features like elaboration, exaggeration, repetition, endearing terms, and many others in expressing the target language, English.

scholarly journals Use of I in Essays by Japanese EFL Learners

2013 ◽  
Vol 35 (1) ◽  
pp. 61 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sayo Natsukari
Keyword(s):  
Academic Writing ◽  
Native Speakers ◽  
Personal Pronoun ◽  
Personal Pronouns ◽  
Efl Learners ◽  
American Students ◽  
Problematic Issue ◽  
Argumentative Essays ◽  
Japanese Learners ◽  
Almost All

A problematic issue in Japanese EFL learners’ academic writing is the overuse of the personal pronoun I. The use of personal pronouns is particularly important in academic writing because it determines the writer’s perspective and attitude toward the readership. This study investigates the extent to which Japanese EFL learners’ use of the first-person singular I in essays is different from the norms of native speakers. By using subcorpora in the International Corpus of Learner English and the Louvain Corpus of Native English Essays, the study compares the use of I in argumentative essays. The results indicate that Japanese EFL learners use I in a similar way to American students, but they overuse I in essays: Almost all essays by Japanese learners contain I and the number of I is excessive. The analysis also uncovers an excessive use of the phrase I think in their essays. 日本人英語学習者のアカデミックライティングにおける問題点のひとつとして主語のIの多用がある。本稿は、約20万語から成るICLE書き言葉コーパスを利用し、議論形式のアカデミックエッセーにおいて、日本人英語学習者の主語Iをどのように使用しているのか調査し、これをアメリカとイギリスの大学生が書いたアカデミックエッセーから構成されたLOCNESS書き言葉コーパスのデータと比較した。結果、日本人学生の人称代名詞のIの使用方法はアメリカ人学生のそれに類似していたが、全体的な過剰使用が確認された。特に、ほぼすべての学生がIを使用し、その量も過剰であった。I thinkというフレーズも母語話者の書き言葉に比べて過剰であった。本稿は、この過剰使用の問題点を議論する。

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