Options
I think you might be right : an analysis of hedging in a sociology textbook
Author
Tan, Karen Ye Sien
Supervisor
Teo, Peter
Abstract
According to Hyland (2000), one of the most important features of academic discourse is the way writers seek to modify the assertions that they make, toning down uncertain or potentially risky claims and conveying appropriately collegial attitudes to readers, and these are linguistically realised as hedges. While hedges have been found to be central as a rhetorical device in research articles (Hyland, 1998), it was found to be used less frequently in textbooks because textbooks present established facts rather than report on new empirical evidence for drawing conclusions about hypotheses (Myers, 1992). Concomitantly, while hedging has been found to occur less frequently in the hard disciplines, more hedging is reported to occur in soft disciplines such as sociology (Hyland, 1998, 1999a, 1999b, 1999c). This created the platform upon which the enquiry of this study rests: Given the disparity in hedging behaviour between the soft disciplines and the textbook genre, what would be the manifest hedging behaviour in the site of the sociology textbook? How does the writer reconcile these two seemingly disparate hedging behaviours? Based on a discourse analysis of hedging functions in two chapters of an introductory sociology textbook, this study suggests that while an overall authoritative textbook tenor is dominant in the corpus through a prevalent use of unmitigated claims, a judicious use of hedges is employed primarily in response to the sociology discourse. The writer, in explicating the overall volatile nature of social interactions as well as the controversial topics dealt with in sociology, has to ensure that claims are presented with appropriate accuracy and caution. The need for ratification of claims is clearly evident even in the site of an authoritative textbook genre; however, given that hedges and non-hedges are used discriminately in different sections of the textbook, this study suggests the dearth of conflict between the two disparate hedging behaviour of the sociology discipline and the textbook genre. Rather, hedging in the sociology textbook has shown itself to be the result of rhetorical choices made deliberately by the sociology textbook writer to fulfil the overall rhetorical aim of imparting disciplinary knowledge to the novice student without risking the refutation of claims by these students.
Date Issued
2007
Call Number
P302 Tan
Date Submitted
2007