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Chap.5 Language Issues in ESP (Hedging and Move) )

This document discusses hedging and vague language in academic writing. It begins by defining hedging as linguistic devices that show uncertainty or indirectness. Several studies are cited that examine common hedging devices used in different disciplines, such as modal verbs, adverbs, impersonal verbs. Vague language is also discussed, including approximators, round numbers, and non-numerical quantifiers. Examples are provided that compare vague and precise language. Lastly, the document lists some reference materials on English for Academic Purposes.

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Chie Ibay
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103 views

Chap.5 Language Issues in ESP (Hedging and Move) )

This document discusses hedging and vague language in academic writing. It begins by defining hedging as linguistic devices that show uncertainty or indirectness. Several studies are cited that examine common hedging devices used in different disciplines, such as modal verbs, adverbs, impersonal verbs. Vague language is also discussed, including approximators, round numbers, and non-numerical quantifiers. Examples are provided that compare vague and precise language. Lastly, the document lists some reference materials on English for Academic Purposes.

Uploaded by

Chie Ibay
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
Available Formats
Download as PPT, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Chapter 5

Language Issues in ESP


(Hedging and Move)

應外系副教授 /外語中心主任
蘇綉惠 (Patricia Su)
[email protected]
Hedging/ vague language
 A feature of academic writing is the
need to be cautious in one’s claims or
statements.
 Hedging represents the use of linguistic
devices to show hesitation or
uncertainty, display politeness and
indirectness, and defer to the reader’s
point of view (Hinkel, 1996, 1997).
Hedging/ vague language
 George Lakoff termed ‘hedging’ in
1972,197 that “ words whose job it is to
make things fuzzier or less fuzzy.”
 Selinker (1979) “an important and
necessary feature of ESP/EAP writing..
the well-known practice of hedging in
scientific writing
Three ways to comment on a
prediction
Makaya and Bloor (1987)
examined in economics reports.
 modal verbs (may, might, etc.)
 By hedging  Adverbs (possibly, perhaps, etc.)
 Adjectives (likely, probably, etc.)
 Impersonal verbs (suggest, seem, etc.)

 By attribution  X expects y …
 According to X, the y

 By specifying  X will happen if


conditions
Salager-Meyer (1994)

found in the discussion and comments sections of


medical journal articles:
 Shield, e.g. all modal verbs expressing
possibility; semi-auxiliaries: to appear, to
seem; probability adverbs: probably,
likely.
 Approximators, e.g. of quantity, degree,
frequency and time viz. approximately,
roughly, often
Salager-Meyer (1994)

found in the discussion and comments sections of


medical journal articles:
 Expression such as ‘I believe’, ‘to our
knowledge’, etc. which express the author’s
personal doubt and direct involvement;
 Emotionally-charged intensifiers, such as:
extremely interesting, particularly encouraging,
unexpectedly;
Salager-Meyer (1994)

found in the discussion and comments


sections of medical journal articles:
 Compound hedges, i.e. the juxtaposition

of several hedges, e.g. It may suggest


that …, it seems reasonable to assume…,
etc.
Skelton(1988)
 It is by means of the hedging system of a
language that a user distinguishes between
what he says and what he thinks about what
he says.
 Without hedging, the world is purely
propositional.
 With a hedging system, language is rendered
more flexible and the world more subtle.
Skelton(1988)
 ‘Hedging ‘ is a pejorative term and for it
substitutes the word ’comment.’
 Students should be taught the relationship
between proposition and comment.
 Comments are much more common feature
of academic writing.. most verb tenses.
 Advantage of teaching ‘commentative system’
to students is to enable them to ‘achieve
greater delicacy of meaning. ‘
Modal Expression
 Modal verbs (e.g. would, could, may)
 Lexical verbs (e.g. seem, appear, suggest)
 Modal adverbs (e.g. probably, possibly,
apparently)
 Modal adjectives (e.g. certain, probable,
undoubted)
 Modal nouns (e.g. assumption, possibility,
estimate)
Channell (1994)
Expression being vague if:
 It can be contrasted with a precise way
of rendering the same proposition;
 It is ‘purposely and unabashedly vague.

 Its meaning arises from ‘intrinsic

uncertainty (caused by the speaker’s


habits of language being indeterminate).
Vague Language
 Numbers and approximators: about,
around, approximately
 Round numbers: ninety-nine per cent, a
couple of
 Non-numerical vague quantifiers: lots
of, a bit of, several
EXAMPLE 1, 2: Compare the following:

 It may be said that the commitment to some of


the social and economic concepts was less
strong than it is now.
(The commitment to some of the social and
economic concepts was less strong than it is
now.)
 The lives they chose may seem overly ascetic
and self-denying to most women today.
(The lives they chose seem overly ascetic and
self-denying to most women today.)
EXAMPLE 3, 4: Compare the following:
 Weismann suggested that animals become old because, if
they did not, there could be no successive replacement of
individuals and hence no evolution.
(Weismann proved that animals become old because, if they
did not, there could be no successive replacement of
individuals and hence no evolution.)
 Yet often it cannot have been the case that a recalcitrant
trustee remained in possession of the property entrusted to
him.
(Yet a recalcitrant trustee did not remain in possession of
the property entrusted to him.)
EXAMPLE 5, 6: Compare the following:

 Recent work on the religious demography of Northern


Ireland indicates a separating out of protestant and
catholic, with the catholic population drifting westwards
and vice versa.
(Recent work on the religious demography of Northern
Ireland shows a separating out of protestant and catholic,
with the catholic population drifting westwards and vice
versa.)
 By analogy, it may be possible to walk from one point in
hilly country to another by a path which is always level or
uphill, and yet a straight line between the points would
cross a valley.
(By analogy, one can walk from one point in hilly country
to another by a path which is always level or uphill, and
yet a straight line between the points would cross a
valley. )
EXAMPLE 7, 8: Compare the following:
 There are certainly cases where this would
seem to have been the only possible method of
transmission.
(There are cases where this would have been
the only possible method of transmission.)
 Nowadays the urinary symptoms seem to be of
a lesser order.
(Nowadays the urinary symptoms are of a
lesser order. )
Sales Promotion Letters
 H:\應外系研究所\AFL 研.專技英文\Samples of
sales promotion letter\Sales promotion
letter.1.doc
 H:\應外系研究所\AFL 研.專技英文\Samples of
sales promotion letter\Sales promotion
letter.2.doc
 H:\應外系研究所\AFL 研.專技英文\Samples of
sales promotion letter\Sales promotion
letter.3.doc
Job Application Letters
References
Jordan, R. R. (1997). English for
Academic Purpose: A guide and
resource book for teachers. New York:
Cambridge University Press.
Swales, J.M. & Feak, C,B, (2007).
Academic Writing for Graduate
Students. Taipei: Crane Publishing.

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