中美学生硕士论文写作中立场标记语对比研究

Contrastive Study on Stance Markers in MA Theses in Applied Linguistics by Chinese and American Students

本文采用语料库研究方法对中美学生硕士论文中立场标记语的使用特征做对比分析。研究结果表明,中美两国学生都在学术论文中大量使用立场标记语,但中国学生的使用频率低于美国学生。就各类立场标记语来看,与美国学生相比,中国学生较少地使用模糊限制语、态度标记语和自我指称,而更多使用确定表达语。在论文的前言、研究方法、结果与讨论、结论各个章节中,各项标记语出现频率根据章节在论文中不同的交际目的也有所不同。

This corpus-based contrastive study compares the use of stance markers in MA theses in applied linguistics written by Chinese and American students.Based on Hyland’s(2005)classification of stance system,this study categorizes stance markers into four types:hedges,boosters,attitude markers,and self-mentions.Results show that both Chinese and American students tend to use stance markers extensively,but Chinese students use them less frequently than American students.Compared with American students,Chinese students use hedges,attitude markers and self-mention less frequently,but boosters more frequently.From a cross-sectional perspective,the frequencies of stance markers vary in different sections,which relates to the different communication purposes of the section in MA theses.The results suggest that Chinese students tend to express their stance and attitude more directly and clearly.Rather than negotiating with readers to reach an agreement,Chinese students stress the objectivity and the significance of the research itself and offer stronger commitment to statements.Thus they are inclined to write more assertively through greater uses of boosters and less hedges than American students.In contrast,American students are more interactive and pay more attention to the use of language resources to communicate with readers.They tend to create the feeling of solidarity with readers by expressing their epistemic and emotional attitudes explicitly.