The Pragmatic Role of Metadiscourse Markers in Ra Abstracts

Abstract

Research article (RA) abstracts are informative in nature. They inform the reader about the aim of the writer’s specific scientific research and their main findings. Since they are restricted in length, they are supposed to be precise, economical and engaging. Metadiscourse markers help writers to comment on their text and lead the readers in the direction in which they want them to see and understand their arguments. More precisely, interpersonal metadiscourse markers are used by writers to modify their arguments so that they make them more acceptable for the readers, while textual metadiscourse markers guide the reader through the text and direct them to how they should read and understand the presented arguments. Therefore, this paper seeks to analyse the use of textual and interpersonal metadiscourse devices in RA abstracts written in English by both native English and native Macedonian scholars, experts in the area of linguistics and literature. For this purpose, 60 abstracts (30 abstracts written by Macedonian native speakers (15 in the area of linguistics, and 15 in the area of literature) and 30 abstracts written by English native speakers, (15 in linguistics and 15 in literature)) were randomly selected from various scientific journals of Applied Linguistics and Literature and analysed. The results show differences in the form of the abstract, as well as in the usage of metadiscourse markers employed in the abstracts written by the native and non-native speakers, and between the two disciplines. This study contributes to deepening the understanding of English academic discourse and enhancing the understanding of the differences in approach between Macedonian and English scholars when writing abstracts both in the area of linguistics and literature.