A context-based approach to the identification of hedging devices and features of writer-reader relationship in academic publications

• Published in: Second Language Learning and Teaching
• Main Author: Mohd Noor M.; Mulder J.; Thompson C.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Springer Verlag 2014
• Online Access: https://www.scopus.com/inward/record.uri?eid=2-s2.0-84985894882&doi=10.1007%2f978-3-319-02526-1_5&partnerID=40&md5=0845b88398d75f56148f1d1d24cf3f28
• ISSN: 21937648
• DOI: 10.1007/978-3-319-02526-1_5

Studies into stance-taking in scholarly publications remain inconclusive. Using software programs that employ predetermined lists of items to analyze data from large corpora fails to account for the role played by context in stance-taking and limits the possibility of discovering new items. Academic writers’ experience and knowledge, as well as their attitudes towards their subject matter and readers have also tended to be ignored. This paper reports on the development and application of two instruments for identifying hedging devices and features of writer-reader relationship that adopt a broader, context-based approach to the analysis of these aspects of stance. We suggest that these tools enrich our understanding of stancetaking, thus making an innovative and valuable contribution to the field of academic discourse analysis. © Springer International Publishing Switzerland 2014.