Written Academic Discourse in English: From Local Traditions to Global Outreach

Abstract

The text discusses the position of local academic traditions in the modern context of global academic discourse dominated by the Anglo-American rhetorical style that represents the standard for modern international academic communication. After reviewing some of the central notions attached to the discipline of genre analysis of written academic discourse, the paper argues for an extension of the traditional research agenda by calling for a broad sociolinguistics of genre. It is suggested that sociological, ethnographic, cross-cultural, translatological, pedagogical and critical approaches may enrich the current understanding of written academic genres. They can do so by revealing some of the ideologies and implicit norms on which particular disciplines rely in the discursive production and reproduction of knowledge, as well as the textual practices present in the transformation, recontextualization, translation, editing, etc., that may affect the eventual form of the academic texts produced, in particular, by non-native scholars coming from other cultural and academic backgrounds than the dominant global English-language model.

A critical discourse analysis of headlines in online news portals

“…Thus, it makes the headline eye-catching and interesting. As mentioned by Chovanec (2003), the key purpose for predominance of the present simple tense in news headlines results from the fact that the writer of the article attempts to convince potential readers that the information is brand new, even though it already happened in the past. Another way to make the readers click the news article online is through the use of abstract or ambiguous terms like in headline 2, Bong Go "knocks out" Pacquiao.…”

Language in Academic Writing: Features and Topical Issues

“…Scholars sometimes write in their native language for an international audience. While such writers may compose an academic text that aligns totally with the local/ national norms and fits the expected lexico-grammatical and rhetorical patterns in the writer's native academic culture, the same situation might not correspond with the translated text meant for an international publication [21]. A discourse of the features of the language of scholarly research in a cross-cultural context lends itself to practical dimensions in socio-linguistic, ethnographic translation, logical and pedagogic orientation.…”

“…Existing studies recommend a pedagogical approach of instruction and guidance in the styles and genres of written academic discourse in the second language to acquire skills that are proving increasingly indispensable in the modern marketplace. This can develop the writers' sensitivity to different styles, cultivate their ability to switch between diverse styles, and enhance their skills in formulating spoken and written messages in ways that are maximally effective, and take into account the context of the target culture/situation/audience [21].…”

Epistemic modal markers in two domains of academic research papers in English

“…Many studies investigated the use of epistemic modality as a rhetorical feature for reporting claims in academic argument in research papers written in English and by native speakers of English (e.g. Salager-Meyer 1994;Skelton 1997;Hyland 1996Hyland , 1998Hyland , 2001Hyland , 2012Thompson 2001;Varttala 2003;Vold 2006;Ardizzone and Pennisi 2012;Chovanec 2012). The main reason is that English has taken the position of lingua franca in communicating research results.…”