HETEROGLOSSIA IN ELT AND ESP RESEARCH ARTICLE ABSTRACTS: INSTANTIATION AND REALIZATION ACROSS RHETORICAL STRUCTURE
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.18485/bells.2025.17.2Keywords:
Appraisal Theory, Engagement, dialogic communication, heteroglossia, research article abstractsAbstract
This study investigates how authors construct evaluative stance and engage readers in research article abstracts, drawing on the Engagement subsystem of Appraisal Theory (Martin and White 2005). Focusing on heteroglossic expressions, it examines how writers manage dialogic space through strategies of contraction and expansion across rhetorical moves. The sample includes 50 abstracts—25 from English Language Teaching (ELT) and 25 from English for Specific Purposes (ESP). A mixed-method approach combines quantitative corpus analysis using UAM CorpusTool with qualitative interpretation. Results indicate that dialogic expansion predominates in introduction, purpose, method, and conclusion sections, while contraction is more frequent in product sections. Findings clarify how Engagement choices shape disciplinary identity, guide readers, and support knowledge-building in academic writing.
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