1887
Volume 30, Issue 3
  • ISSN 1384-6655
  • E-ISSN: 1569-9811
USD
Buy:$35.00 + Taxes

Abstract

Abstract

Although English has become a lingua franca for academic publication, a growing number of multilingual scholars prefer to publish in both English and their first languages. This corpus-based study investigates how Chinese scholars in applied linguistics deploy interactive metadiscourse in their published Chinese and L2 English research articles, compared with those of L1 English writers. Both Chinese character()-based and word()-based units were used to segment and quantify the Chinese corpus, yielding two contrasting sets of results in the cross-linguistic comparisons. To ensure a conceptually equivalent comparison, we opted for word-based results, showing that the L1 Chinese corpus evidenced more frequent interactive metadiscoursal features than both the L1 and L2 English corpora. The latter two corpora, by contrast, revealed similar patterns of distribution. The divergences and convergences between Chinese and English corpora indicate linguacultural influences on interactive metadiscourse and reveal the methodological constraints on analysis of similar linguistic features.

Loading

Article metrics loading...

/content/journals/10.1075/ijcl.22116.gon
2025-08-18
2026-04-18
Loading full text...

Full text loading...

References

  1. Anthony, L.
    (2020) AntConc(3.5.9) [Computer software]. https://www.laurenceanthony.net/software
    [Google Scholar]
  2. Bennett, K.
    (2015) Towards an epistemological monoculture: Mechanisms of epistemicide in European research publication. InR. Plo Alastrué & C. Pérez-llantada (Eds.), English as a scientific and research language: Debates and discourses (pp.9–35). De Gruyter Mouton. 10.1515/9781614516378‑004
    https://doi.org/10.1515/9781614516378-004 [Google Scholar]
  3. Cai, J.
    (2017) 英汉学术语篇元话语对比中的平行语料库建设问题研究 [Contrastive studies on the use of metadiscourse in Chinese and English research articles from the perspective of parallel corpora]. 外语研究 [Foreign Language Research], 41, 1–4. 10.13978/j.cnki.wyyj.2017.04.001
    https://doi.org/10.13978/j.cnki.wyyj.2017.04.001 [Google Scholar]
  4. Cao, F., & Hu, G.
    (2014) Interactive metadiscourse in research articles: A comparative study of paradigmatic and disciplinary influences. Journal of Pragmatics, 661, 15–31. 10.1016/j.pragma.2014.02.007
    https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pragma.2014.02.007 [Google Scholar]
  5. Chan, W.-T.
    (1963) A Source book in Chinese philosophy. Princeton University Press. www.jstor.org/stable/j.ctt7smn1
    [Google Scholar]
  6. Chen, C., & Zhang, L. J.
    (2017) An intercultural analysis of the use of hedging by Chinese and Anglophone academic English writers. Applied Linguistics Review, 8(1), 1–34. 10.1515/applirev‑2016‑2009
    https://doi.org/10.1515/applirev-2016-2009 [Google Scholar]
  7. Curry, M. J., & Lillis, T.
    (2022) Multilingualism in academic writing for publication: Putting English in its place. Language Teaching, 57(1), 1–14. 10.1017/S0261444822000040
    https://doi.org/10.1017/S0261444822000040 [Google Scholar]
  8. Curry, N.
    (2021) Academic writing and reader engagement: Contrasting questions in English, French and Spanish corpora. Routledge. 10.4324/9780429322921
    https://doi.org/10.4324/9780429322921 [Google Scholar]
  9. Curry, N., & Pérez-Paredes, P.
    (2021) Stance nouns in COVID-19 related blog posts: A contrastive analysis of blog posts published in The Conversation in Spain and the UK. International Journal of Corpus Linguistics, 26(4), 469–497. 10.1075/ijcl.21080.cur
    https://doi.org/10.1075/ijcl.21080.cur [Google Scholar]
  10. Flowerdew, J.
    (2019) The linguistic disadvantage of scholars who write in English as an additional language: Myth or reality. Language Teaching, 52(2), 249–260. 10.1017/S0261444819000041
    https://doi.org/10.1017/S0261444819000041 [Google Scholar]
  11. Flowerdew, J., & Habibie, P.
    (2021) Introducing English for research publication purposes. Routledge. 10.4324/9780429317798
    https://doi.org/10.4324/9780429317798 [Google Scholar]
  12. Fløttum, K., Dahl, T., & Kinn, T.
    (2006) Academic voices: Across languages and disciplines. John Benjamins. 10.1075/pbns.148
    https://doi.org/10.1075/pbns.148 [Google Scholar]
  13. Gao, X.
    (2016) A cross-disciplinary corpus-based study on English and Chinese native speakers’ use of linking adverbials in academic writing. Journal of English for Academic Purposes, 241, 14–28. 10.1016/j.jeap.2016.08.002
    https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jeap.2016.08.002 [Google Scholar]
  14. Gong, H., Liu, L., & Cao, F.
    (2021) A cross-linguistic study of interactional metadiscourse in English and Chinese research articles by the same Chinese scholars. Journal of Language, Identity & Education, 22(6), 1–17. 10.1080/15348458.2021.1932504
    https://doi.org/10.1080/15348458.2021.1932504 [Google Scholar]
  15. Hu, G., & Wang, G.
    (2014) Disciplinary and ethnolinguistic influences on citation in research articles. Journal of English for Academic Purposes, 141, 14–28. 10.1016/j.jeap.2013.11.001
    https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jeap.2013.11.001 [Google Scholar]
  16. Hyland, K.
    (2005a) Metadiscourse: Exploring interaction in writing. Continuum.
    [Google Scholar]
  17. (2005b) Stance and engagement: A model of interaction in academic discourse. Discourse Studies, 7(2), 173–192. 10.1177/1461445605050365
    https://doi.org/10.1177/1461445605050365 [Google Scholar]
  18. (2017) Metadiscourse: What is it and where is it going?Journal of Pragmatics, 1131, 16–29. 10.1016/j.pragma.2017.03.007
    https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pragma.2017.03.007 [Google Scholar]
  19. Kim, L. C., & Lim, J. M.-H.
    (2013) Metadiscourse in English and Chinese research article introductions. Discourse Studies, 15(2), 129–146. 10.1177/1461445612471476
    https://doi.org/10.1177/1461445612471476 [Google Scholar]
  20. Lei, J., & Jiang, T.
    (2019) Chinese university faculty’s motivation and language choice for scholarly publishing. Ibérica, 381, 51–74. https://revistaiberica.org/index.php/iberica/article/view/92
    [Google Scholar]
  21. Li, Z., & Xu, J.
    (2020) Reflexive metadiscourse in Chinese and English sociology research article introductions and discussions. Journal of Pragmatics, 1591, 47–59. 10.1016/j.pragma.2020.02.003
    https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pragma.2020.02.003 [Google Scholar]
  22. Mauranen, A.
    (1993) Contrastive ESP rhetoric: Metatext in Finnish-English economics texts. English for Specific Purposes, 12(1), 3–22. 10.1016/0889‑4906(93)90024‑I
    https://doi.org/10.1016/0889-4906(93)90024-I [Google Scholar]
  23. Mauranen, A., Pérez-Llantada, C., & Swales, J. M.
    (2020) Academic Englishes: A standardised knowledge?InA. Kirkpatrick (Ed.), The Routledge handbook of World Englishes (pp.659–676). Second Edition. Routledge. 10.4324/9781003128755‑45
    https://doi.org/10.4324/9781003128755-45 [Google Scholar]
  24. McEnery, T., & Hardie, A.
    (2012) Corpus linguistics: Method, theory and practice. Cambridge University Press. 10.1017/CBO9780511981395
    https://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9780511981395 [Google Scholar]
  25. Moreno, A. I.
    (2008) The importance of comparable corpora in cross-cultural studies. InU. Connor, E. Nagelhout, & W. V. Rozycki (Eds.), Contrastive rhetoric: Reaching to intercultural rhetoric (pp.25–41). John Benjamins. 10.1075/pbns.169.04mor
    https://doi.org/10.1075/pbns.169.04mor [Google Scholar]
  26. Mu, C., Zhang, L. J., Ehrich, J., & Hong, H.
    (2015) The use of metadiscourse for knowledge construction in Chinese and English research articles. Journal of English for Academic Purposes, 201, 135–148. 10.1016/j.jeap.2015.09.003
    https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jeap.2015.09.003 [Google Scholar]
  27. (2019) A discussion with professor Cai Jigang on the Quantitative Approach to comparative studies of the metadiscourse features in Chinese and English research articles. Journal of Zhejiang International Studies University, 11, 65–70. https://caod.oriprobe.com/articles/56209250/A_Discussion_with_Professor_Cai_Jigang_on_the_Quan.htm
    [Google Scholar]
  28. Mur Dueñas, P.
    (2009) Logical markers in L1 (Spanish and English) and L2 (English) Business research articles. English Text Construction, 2(2), 246–264. 10.1075/etc.2.2.07mur
    https://doi.org/10.1075/etc.2.2.07mur [Google Scholar]
  29. Mur-Dueñas, P.
    (2011) An intercultural analysis of metadiscourse features in research articles written in English and in Spanish. Journal of Pragmatics, 43(12), 3068–3079. 10.1016/j.pragma.2011.05.002
    https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pragma.2011.05.002 [Google Scholar]
  30. Murillo Ornat, S.
    (2019) Reformulation and its markers in unpublished research articles: Some evidence on the rhetorical patterns of written academic ELF. LFE: Revista de Lenguas Para Fines Específicos, 25(2), 26–43. https://ojsspdc.ulpgc.es/ojs/index.php/LFE/article/view/1187. 10.20420/rlfe.2019.379
    https://doi.org/10.20420/rlfe.2019.379 [Google Scholar]
  31. Pérez-Llantada, C.
    (2023) ‘Help us better understand our changing climate’: Exploring the discourse of Citizen Science. Discourse & Communication. Online first. 10.1177/17504813231158927
    https://doi.org/10.1177/17504813231158927 [Google Scholar]
  32. Rowley-Jolivet, E.
    (2012) Oralising text slides in scientific conference presentations: A multimodal corpus analysis. InA. Boulton, S. Carter-Thomas, & E. Rowley-Jolivet (Eds.), Corpus-informed research and learning in ESP: Issues and applications (pp.137–166). John Benjamins. 10.1075/scl.52.06row
    https://doi.org/10.1075/scl.52.06row [Google Scholar]
  33. Shokouhi, H., & Talati Baghsiahi, A.
    (2009) Metadiscourse functions in English and Persian sociology articles: A study in contrastive rhetoric. Poznań Studies in Contemporary Linguistics, 45(4), 549–568. 10.2478/v10010‑009‑0026‑2
    https://doi.org/10.2478/v10010-009-0026-2 [Google Scholar]
  34. Tian, M., Su, Y., & Ru, X.
    (2016) Perish or publish in China: Pressures on young Chinese scholars to publish in internationally indexed journals. Publications, 4(2), 9. 10.3390/publications4020009
    https://doi.org/10.3390/publications4020009 [Google Scholar]
  35. Xu, T.
    (2005) 汉语结构的基本原理 [The Basic principles of Chinese language structure]. China Ocean University Press.
    [Google Scholar]
  36. Yang, Y.
    (2013) Exploring linguistic and cultural variations in the use of hedges in English and Chinese scientific discourse. Journal of Pragmatics, 50(1), 23–36. 10.1016/j.pragma.2013.01.008
    https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pragma.2013.01.008 [Google Scholar]
  37. Zarei, G. R., & Mansouri, S.
    (2007) Metadiscourse in academic prose: A contrastive analysis of English and Persian research articles. The Asian ESP Journal, 3(2), 24–40. https://lib.atmajaya.ac.id/default.aspx?tabID=61&src=a&id=289145
    [Google Scholar]
  38. Zhang, W.
    (2007) WORD与“字”的形态结构对比研究 [A morphological study of “word” and “zi” (character) in English and Chinese from a contrastive perspective]. 湖北大学学报 [Journal of Hubei University], 34(5), 83–89.
    [Google Scholar]
  39. Zheng, Y., & Cao, Y.
    (2019) Publishing research in English for Chinese multilingual scholars in language-related disciplines. InJ. N. Corcoran, K. Englander, & L.-M. Muresan (Eds.), Pedagogies and policies for publishing research in English (pp.161–175). Routledge. 10.4324/9781315151229‑10
    https://doi.org/10.4324/9781315151229-10 [Google Scholar]
/content/journals/10.1075/ijcl.22116.gon
Loading
/content/journals/10.1075/ijcl.22116.gon
Loading

Data & Media loading...

This is a required field
Please enter a valid email address
Approval was successful
Invalid data
An Error Occurred
Approval was partially successful, following selected items could not be processed due to error