A Comparative Study of Engagement Resources in the Abstracts of MA Theses in Linguistics in China and International Journal Articles

Zihan  Wu

doi:10.54691/knw74y29

Authors

Zihan Wu

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.54691/knw74y29

Keywords:

Engagement Resources; Appraisal Theory; Research Paper Abstracts; Comparative Study; English for Academic Purposes Writing.

Abstract

The abstract of a research paper is a core carrier of academic communication. Existing studies on engagement resources have mostly focused on cross-linguistic and cross-disciplinary comparisons, while there remains a research gap in the refined cross-group comparison of engagement resources between abstracts of MA thesis in China and international journal articles. Based on the engagement system framework of Martin’s Appraisal Theory, this study takes 20 English abstracts of the two types as research corpus, and conducts manual annotation and quantitative comparative analysis. The results show that the density of engagement resources in abstracts of international journal articles is 1.71 times that in MA Theses. The core difference lies in the attribute-acknowledge resources: abstracts of MA theses rely heavily on citations of authoritative literature, while abstracts of international journal articles focus more on their own research innovation. This study enriches the application of Appraisal Theory in academic discourse research, and can provide references for English academic writing and teaching for postgraduate students in China.

Downloads

Download data is not yet available.

References

Zhang, D. Q. (2024). New developments in the study of engagement resources in academic papers. Modern Foreign Languages, 47(6), 849–858. https:// doi.org/ 10.20071/ j.cnki. xdwy.20240824.006

Liu, G. B., & Zhang, M. H. (2023). A corpus-driven comparative study on engagement patterns of "V that-clause" across disciplines. Shandong Foreign Language Teaching Journal, 44(2), 30–39. https://doi.org/10.16482/j.sdwy37-1026.2023-02-004

Liu, G. B. (2021). A comparative analysis of engagement resources in English academic papers on traditional Chinese and Western medicine. Shandong Foreign Language Teaching Journal, 42(2), 10–18. https://doi.org/10.16482/j.sdwy37-1026.2021-02-002

Xu, Y. C., Su, R., Yan, X., & Kou, Y. (2020). A corpus-based comparative study of engagement resources in English and Chinese scientific and technological discourses. Foreign Language Education, 41(6), 19–24. https://doi.org/10.16362/j.cnki.cn61-1023/h.2020.06.005

Meng, M., & Li, X. (2010). Engagement resources in English papers by Chinese and English native writers. Foreign Language Research, (2), 55–58. https://doi.org/10.16263/j.cnki.23-1071/h.2010.02.018

Yue, Y. (2011). Engagement resources and interpersonal meaning construction in academic discourse: A case study based on learner discourse. Contemporary Foreign Language Studies, (7), 30–35.

Hyland, K. (2010). Constructing proximity: Relating to readers in popular and professional science. Journal of English for Academic Purposes, 9(2), 116–127. https://doi.org/ 10. 1016/j.jeap.2009.12.002

Fang, H. M. (2014). On the development of systemic functional linguistics by Appraisal Theory. Modern Foreign Languages, (3), 303–311.

Wang, Z. H. (2001). The appraisal system and its operation: New developments in systemic functional linguistics. Journal of Foreign Languages, (6), 13–20.