ERIC Number: EJ1129314
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2015-Jul
Pages: 19
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0215-773X
EISSN: N/A
Comparing Hedges Used By English and Indonesian Scholars in Published Research Articles: A Corpus-Based Study
Sanjaya, I. Nyoman Suka; Sitawati, Anak Agung Raka; Suciani, Ni Ketut
TEFLIN Journal: A publication on the teaching and learning of English, v26 n2 p209-227 Jul 2015
The study examines whether English and Indonesian research articles written by their respective native speaker scholars are significantly different from each other in terms of the number of hedges used. Hedges are rhetorical features (e.g. "may", "perhaps", "suggest") used to withhold complete commitment to the truth-value of propositions. The ultimate goal of the study is to examine whether Indonesian scholars need special instruction in hedging propositions. The assumption underlying the present study is that when they write in English, Indonesian scholars will deploy rhetorical features inherent in the Indonesian academic writing. Statistical analysis on 52 Applied Linguistics research articles (26 from each language) reveals that English research articles contain significantly more hedges than their Indonesian counterparts (Mann-Whitney U = 68.00, n1 = n2 = 26, p < 0.05, r = - 0.69), suggesting that Indonesian scholars are indeed in need of instruction that specifically focuses on hedging propositions in English.
Descriptors: Comparative Analysis, Computational Linguistics, English (Second Language), Second Language Learning, Second Language Instruction, Statistical Analysis, Foreign Countries, Teaching Methods, Language Usage, Communication Strategies, Writing (Composition), Academic Discourse, Applied Linguistics, Native Speakers, Research Reports, College Faculty, Faculty Publishing
Association for the Teaching of English as a Foreign Language in Indonesia (TEFLIN). Malang, East Java, 65145, Indonesia. TEFLIN Publication Division, Department of English, Faculty of Letters, Universitas Negeri Malang, Jalan Semarang 5, Tel: +62-341-570566; Fax: +62-341-567475; e-mail: journal@teflin.org; Web site: http://journal.teflin.org
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: Higher Education; Postsecondary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: Indonesia
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A