A Study of Hedges Used in Academic Research Articles

2023 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 19K00761
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Section: 一般
• Review Section: Basic Section 02100:Foreign language education-related
• Research Institution: Yamaguchi University
• Principal Investigator: Fujimura-Wilson Kayo 山口大学, 経済学部, 教授 (80736554)
• Project Period (FY): 2019-04-01 – 2024-03-31
• Keywords: metadiscourse markers / hedges / academic writing / 英語論文

Outline of Final Research Achievements

This study illustrates the comparison of the use of English hedges in academic research articles between native English and Japanese writers to understand their use from a pragmatic perspective. The results of this study showed that the use of English hedges in academic research articles was different between native English and Japanese writers in soft disciplines (e.g. humanities, applied linguistics, economics and business) and that there were also differences in their uses between hard disciplines (e.g. medicine, sport science) and soft disciplines. Moreover, Japanese writers used fewer Japanese hedges compared to native English writers using English hedges. These differences reveal that hedges in academic research articles are differently used between native English and Japanese writers according to their academic fields. In analyzing academic writing textbooks, hedges were not always introduced, therefore, the functions of hedges need to be taught to Japanese learners of English.

Free Research Field

語用論，社会言語学，応用言語学

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

日本人研究者は国際的な場で研究結果を発表し英語による論文投稿が求められている現状から，英語による論文執筆において英語と日本語の文章やことばの使用の違いを認識する必要がある。そのため本研究は，英語母語話者と日本語母語話者によるヘッジの使用の違いを語用論の観点から分析する目的で行われた。日本語で書かれた論文内で使用されているヘッジについてはこれまであまり研究されていなかったが，本研究では論文内の日本語のヘッジを体系的にまとめ，英語のヘッジと比較分析することができた。これらの結果から日本人英語学習者に向けた効果的な英語のヘッジの使用に関する指導内容を考察することが可能となった。