An Interdisciplinary Study of Different Pragmatic “We” in Academic Discourse: A Case Study of Linguistics and Economics

Abstract

Based on Systematic Functional Grammar and Hyland’s pragmatic classification of “we”, with the help of AntConc and Log-likelihood and Chi-square Calculator 1.0, the present study combines qualitative and quantitative research designs to compare and analyze the similarities and differences of different pragmatic functions of “we” in Linguistic and Economic academic discourse. The result shows that there are significant differences in the use of “we” between the academic discourse of the two disciplines (P < 0.001). In addition to the most frequently used pragmatic function of “we,” the other four functions are more frequently used in the academic discourse of Linguistics. The study suggests that this result may be affected by the stylistic characteristics of the discipline, and hopes to provide some enlightenment for the understanding and writing of academic discourse in Linguistics and Economics.