Interactive metadiscourse in dentistry research articles: Iranian vs non-Iranian academic writers
Vol.15,No.2(2022)
Discourse and Interaction
Linguistically, interactive metadiscourse devices are responsible for creating an unfolding and persuasive piece of writing. They help writers come up with a cohesive and reader-friendly text and highlight how they control the interactive meaning. This corpus-driven study is an attempt to explore the use of interactive metadiscourse markers in English dentistry research articles published in International ISI-indexed and Iranian local research-based journals. The aim was to see if interactive resources, as realized by rhetorical options, such as transitions, code glosses, endophoric markers, evidentials, and frame markers, are predisposed to discipline-specific rhetorical conventions. To this end, fourty dentistry research articles were analyzed using Hyland’s (2005) Interpersonal Model of Metadiscourse. The results disclosed similarities and differences in both the frequency and use of interactive resources between the two sets of research articles. The present results are expected to extend our understanding of authorial preferences for the use of metadiscourse markers in tandem with discourse functions in research articles in the selected discipline. The results of such studies may also improve different features of language pedagogy, such as teaching and learning academic writing, namely research articles.
Research articles; cultural variations; linguistic features; interactive metadiscourse markers; discourse functions
Mohsen Khedri
Sohar University
Mohsen Khedri is Assistant Professor of Applied Linguistics at Sohar University, Sohar, Oman. To date, his publications include contributions to Australian Journal of Linguistics, Discourse Studies, Poznan Studies in Contemporary Linguistics, Southern African Linguistics and Applied Language Studies, and 3L: The Southeast Asian Journal of English Language Studies. His research covers a wide field centered on the study of language, ranging from applied linguistics to English for academic purposes, discourse studies, pragmatics and academic writing.
Address: Mohsen Khedri, Faculty of Language Studies, Sohar University, Oman. [e-mail: mkhedri@su.edu.om]
Elham Basirat
University of Malaya
Elham Basirat was awarded a master’s degree in English as a Second Language by the University of Malaya, Malaysia. She is currently doing her PhD in the Teaching of English as a Second Language at the University of Malaya. Her research interests include discourse studies, second language writing and English for academic purposes.
Address: Elham Basirat, Faculty of Education, University of Malaya, Malaysia. [e-mail: elham.basiratesfahani@gmail.com]
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