理工科博士生学术英语写作中的作者自我指称语研究

Study on the self-mentions in the academic English writing of the Chinese PhD students of science and engineering

自我指称作为元话语互动资源之一,能够帮助作者确立自我显现度,构建作者与读者的关系并实现特定的交际功能。本研究运用定性定量相结合的方法,基于两个自建语料库探讨中国理工科博士生在学术英语写作中的自我指称语使用特征。研究结果显示:中国博士生学术英语论文中的自我指称语在词汇特征、学科分布与功能类型上与国际期刊论文均有差异,并存在有意弱化作者身份和贡献的现象;相较而言,理科博士生比工科博士生更多使用自我指称语。这一研究对于中国语境下的英语学术写作教学具有借鉴启示作用。

Self-mentions, as one of the metadiscourse resources, enable the writer to manipulate appropriate authorial stance, and help construct the relationship between the writer and the reader to fulfil particular communicative pur- poses. Based on two self-compiled corpora and with qualitative and quantitative methods, this study investigates the characteristics in the use of self-mentions in the Chinese PhD students＇ academic English writing. The findings reveal differences in linguistic patterns, disciplinary preferences and discourse functions of self-mentions between the Chi- nese PhD students＇ texts and the international journal articles. The Chinese PhD students intend to avoid presenting authorial identities and contributions in their writing. Comparatively speaking, the PhD students of science use more self-mentions than those of engineering. The study has some pedagogical implications for academic English writing in the Chinese context.