English Profile, February 2012

Metadiscourse in learner writing

Stephen Bax (CRELLA)Daniel Waller (UCLAN)

Plan of the talk

Text Inspector: a web tool for analysing texts

metadiscourse markers in learner essays

Computers and text analysis

• Technology: attitudes and benefits

• Tool only, not the whole job

Metadiscourse markers

Hyland, K. (2005) Metadiscourse: exploring interaction in writing Continuum

e.g. or (code gloss)therefore (logical connective)essential (emphatic)so (topic shift)

www.textinspector.com / discourse

Only a tool, not a panaceaStill needs careful human judgement

www.textinspector.com / discourse

Demo

Why Metadiscourse? (1)

• Role of discourse in distinguishing higher levels (B2+, C1 & C2). n B2+ (Council of Europe, 2000: p.35) level defined by “a

new focus on discourse skills” esp. with regard to “argument and social discourse”.

n “the ability of a user/learner to arrange sentences in sequence so as to produce coherent stretches of language.” (Council of Europe, 2000: p.123)

n (ibid, 2000: p.123) “knowledge of the design conventions in the community e.g. how information is structured in realising the various macrofunctions”.

n C1 = “able to use language flexibly and effectively for social, academic and professional purposes” (ibid: p.24)

Why Metadiscourse? (2)

• McCarthy and Carter (1994): n grammar & lexis used to realise ‘discourse’.

"in others words, linguistic competence cannot be separated from discourse competence." (McCarthy and Carter, 1994: p.174).

• Metadiscourse provides a method for examining writer awareness of audience & communicative purpose

A Small-Scale Study

Three groups given same writing task to carry out:n Timed essay – 45 minutesn Group 1: B2 level candidatesn Group 2: C1 level candidatesn Group 3: Native Speakers (1st year TESOL

students)

Hyland’s Categories (2004)Textual Metadiscourse Interpersonal MetadiscourseLogical Connectives Attitude MarkersFrame Markers: Sequencing Hedges

Label Stages Relational MarkersAnnounce Goals Person MarkersTopic Shifts

Code glossesEndophoric MarkersEvidentials

Amendments to Hyland (2004)Omissions> RecategorisationEven if (emphatic) Should (hedge > emphatic)Ought to (emphatic/hedge) So (topic shift > logical connective)

Or (code gloss > logical connective)Like (emphatic > code gloss)By far (label stages > emphatic)

Results

Closer InvestigationAttitude Markers

B2 C1 NSEven (4)Have to (2)Like (2)Important (2)Unfortunately

Even (3)Have to (3)Important (3)

Important (6)Interest (3)Even (2)

Code GlossB2 C1 NSOr (4)That is (!)This means

Or (3)That is (3)For example

Or (3)SpecificallySuch as That is

EmphaticsB2 C1 NSWill (7)Must (5)I believe (4)Should (4)Always (3)Think (3)Of course (2)Even ifKnowTrue

Will (10)Should (10)Always (5)I believe (4)Must (3)Think (3)Of course (2)Certain thatDefinitelyEssentialNeverSureThe fact thatBy far

Will (11)I believe (7)Always (3)Think (3)Should (2)Clearly Even ifFoundIn factKnowMustNeverThe fact that

B2 is is not a good way of learning the students. The teachers MUST be friendly and good with us. That' what_all students w s. My opinion is that a teacher who want to do well his job MUST be knowledgeable not absolutely ingenious. Children lov u are not, your children wil not trust you. In practice you MUST have the ability to listen to children, to be honest an can_1 only make them afraid of him. Also the right teacher MUST help the childrens with their work not only explain the inue the lesson. A good teacher has to be communicative. He MUST talk to the students like they are his own children. In

C1 of spotting a charismatic teacher. But, what kind of lesson MUST a teacher do after all? Imagine going into the classroo th the students and not being only strict or good. Teachers MUST congratulate and shout to the pupils when they have not for every problem they are facing. Furthermore, the teacher MUST make the lesson interesting and easy so all the kids ca

NS n to influence a student after it has finished the delivery MUST appeal to as many learner types as possible throughout

HedgesB2 C1 NSWould (6)Could (7)Should (3)AboutAlmostMainlyMaybeOftenSuggest

Would (5)May (3)Usually (3)Seems (2)AlmostMaybeOftenShould

Likely (10)Would (9)May (4)Often (2)Usually (2)AboutAppear to beCouldLittlePossibleProbably

B2 make us feel bored and then lose the point of the lesson. I WOULD also like the teacher to have a conversation in every f more teachers excisted like the one I described, everyone WOULD get out of school being a brand new Ainstein. Our soci ndable, that we need not study and learn it at home, but he WOULD have already learnt it at school. In my opinion a teac lieve that the most of the teachers are not as the students WOULD like some of them do not care about the lessons, other lieve that he should love his job and as the time passes he WOULD start getting tired, but take advantages of being a te e those characteristics he should be proud of himself as he WOULD successfully make the students learn something.

C1 sure that if all teachers were good, our educational system WOULD be a_lot_0 better. A job that many people keen on doin omeone who is kind, happy, friendly and definitely one that WOULD excuse your mistakes and pretend now having seen your grow up, children because some people are by far evil, and WOULD harm the whole world to get money and land to govern. role in the educational system. As every satisfied student WOULD say, “Not only do I love the subject, but also our tea retty much the same thing. So the big question is: just how WOULD we or at least I define the “perfect” teacher? Usually

NS r and therefore more intimate teaching environments then it WOULD be a fair comment to state that they are not a very ef are in the main focus in a class room as without them noone WOULD be able to instruct a class. A good teacher is a perso of all education systems. Without them motivation to learn WOULD be much lower and over all attention paid to curriculu I believe that several factors contribute to making, what I WOULD call, a ‘good teacher. These factors include things su er and over all attention paid to curriculum based learning WOULD diminish. In this examination I will state what my per heir teaching so that even_0 the most uninterested students WOULD feel in some way, or to some extent, infused with thei bility. If a student is struggling and falling behind, they WOULD probably want to ask the teacher for help. If they are ojection is not required and therefore teaching effectively WOULD rise. These studies show that the ability to teach eff ded clearly from a distance. A teacher without this ability WOULD struggle to organize and inform a class. However withi

Logical ConnectivesB2 C1 NSAnd (35)Also (7)So (7)But (6)Because (5)Besides (2)Although

And (69)But (12)Because (7)So (7)Also (5)As well as (2)Furthermore (2)AlthoughAs a resultMoreoverNonethelessSimilarlyThereforeThus

And (45)But (4)Also (3)As well as (3)However (3)So (3)Therefore (3)Because (2)Thus (2)Result in

Usage of Logical Connectives by Type

Additive Contrastive Causal TOTAL TYPESB2 2 (28%) 3 (42%) 2 (28%) 7C1 5 (35%) 4 (28%) 5 (35%) 14NS 3 (30%) 2 (20%) 5 (50%) 10

Further Research

Successful bid for funding from Cambridge ESOL to investigate metadiscourse at different levels of Cambridge ESOL Main SuiteInitial impressions (based on ‘snapshot’ at FCE)n Considerable use of modals to realise

metadiscourse functionsn Less use of global text organising markersn Reliance on fairly basic markers to carry out

functions

English Profile, February 2012

Thank you

Stephen Bax (CRELLA)Daniel Waller (UCLAN)