A COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS OF METADISCOURSE MARKERS IN PAKISTANI AND AMERICAN JOURNALS OF ENGLISH LANGUAGE: A CORPUS-BASED STUDY

Abstract

The present study is a corpus-based comparative analysis of metadiscourse markers with reference to Pakistani and American Journals on English language, based upon Hyland’s (2005) interpersonal model of metadiscourse. Two corpora were constructed, including 464,349 characters from American journals and 469,399 characters from Pakistani journals along with metadata prepared in compliance with ethical conduct of research. The frequency and distribution of interactive and interactional metadiscourse categories, namely transitions, hedges, self-mentions, engagement markers, attitude markers evidential, endophoric markers and frame marker were analyzed using AntConc software.

The findings reveal that metadiscourse is widely used in both corpora to shape reading perceptions and arguments, with some differences between them. American writers exhibited a reader-responsible and dialogic style using many hedging devices (American Journal: 561, Pakistani Journal: 319), engagement markers and corporate self-references, which was indicative of subtle stance-taking and inclusive communication. Pakistani writers showed writer- based and explicit style, with more additive transitions used and individual self-references present; clarity, authority and linear policy orientation. These features indicate culturally determined rhetorical conventions in academic discourse and also highlight the significance of metadiscourse in shaping scholarly identity.

The study has implications for cross-cultural academic discourse, with practical insights for EAP teaching, writing and scholarly pedagogy and editorial practices. The results indicate that knowledge of metadiscourse can contribute to a pragmatic and intercultural perspective on academic writing.