Metadiscoursal adjectives in novice academic writing

Abstract

This study investigates the usage patterns of metadiscoursal adjectives among novice academic writers. Specifically, it compares the use of adjectives that function as interactional metadiscourse (following Hyland's (2005) model) and the semantic properties of these metadiscoursal adjectives (following Dixon's (2004) categorization), across L1 and L2 English writings. The subcorpora comprise the Discussion sections of MA theses in English as L1 and L2, selected for their crucial significance in academic discourse involving knowledge synthesis and interpretation. Adjective tokens were extracted using Sketch Engine and manually verified for their metadiscourse function. Findings reveal that L1 writers exhibit more nuanced and diverse uses of interactional metadiscoursal adjectives compared to their L2 counterparts, indicating a correlation between linguistic proficiency and rhetorical skill. Furthermore, a strong correlation between adjectival semantic categories and their metadiscourse functions highlights writers' intentional rhetorical choices. These findings underline the significance of metadiscoursal adjectives in determining the persuasiveness and authority of academic communication. This study enhances the understanding of how metadiscourse emerges in academic writing practice and suggests implications for educators aiming to enhance novice writers' mastery of disciplinary rhetorical conventions.