A Comparative Study of Hedging in English Research Article Discussion Written by Thai, Chinese, and Saudi Arabian Writers
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Abstract
In academic writing, hedge words are often employed as rhetorical tools to cautiously deliver writers’ convictions and discussions on findings in order to persuade the target readers into agreement, acceptance, and as well as suggest more opportunities for interpretation. This study aimed to investigate how hedges were used in research article discussion part in terms of types and frequency. Data were collected from an online open-access journal of applied linguistics published in 2020-2021. There were 36 research articles randomly selected from three groups of writers: Thai, Chinese, and Saudi Arabian. The findings demonstrated that the three groups of writers utilized a range of hedging patterns, including modal auxiliary verbs, modal lexical verbs, adjectival, adverbial, nominal, and modal phrases, approximators, introductory phrases, “If” clauses, and compound hedges, in their research discussion section. Among the three groups, Saudi Arabian authors used the largest number of hedges in the research discussion, while Thai and Chinese authors mainly used modal auxiliary verbs and modal lexical verbs in the research discussions. Additionally, Saudi Arabian authors were more likely than Thai, and Chinese authors to use overall hedging signals to show the level of certainty of their research discussions.
Keywords: Hedging, Academic Writing, Research Discussion, Research Articles, NNS Writers, Cross-cultural Discourse
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