A Systemic-Functional Study Of English Abstracts Of Theoretical Linguistics Research Articles (TLRA)

As an exact and concise summary of the source article, abstract is of great importance. In the past years, many manuals have been published to instruct the standardized writing of abstracts. Meanwhile, the scholars at home and abroad have studied various abstracts in academic and professional settings. The structural, linguistic, and stylistic features of abstracts in special disciplines have been explored from various perspectives. But until recently, the linguistic features of English abstracts of theoretical linguistics research articles(TLRA) still remain relatively unexplored.This paper intends to analyze widely-read English abstracts of TLRA using the three metafunctions and register theories and generalize their common linguistic features, with a view to providing help for English abstract writing. The common linguistic features of the data are worked out through examining the occurrence frequency for each of the linguistic features and calculating the features with the high frequency. They are generalized as: (1) Material processes are main tools to construe experiential meanings, while relational processes are important tools for reflecting what the authors consider to be the most important Tokens and Values in the abstracts; clauses with non-agent subjects, including the middle clauses and passive clauses, characterize the clauses, ensuring the impersonality and objectivity of the information conveyed in them. (2) Finite clauses without modal verbal operators are most commonly used. The positive declaratives in simple present tense are the absolute majority of all the clauses, being employed to give information. The impersonality and objectivity of the information that the abstracts intend to provide are maintained through using as few modal adjuncts and median or high modal verbal operators as possible. (3) Textual and experiential themes are the most common themes. The authors seldom use interpersonal themes so as to maintain the impersonality and objectivity of the information conveyed by the abstracts. Multiple themes are the majority of the themes. Unmarked themes predominate. Reference and lexical cohesion are the most common cohesive devices between clause complexes or sentences; conjunction, reference, and lexical cohesion are the main cohesive devices between or within clauses; and prepositions and conjunction words are the main cohesive devices between or within groups or words. The most remarkable feature of English abstracts of TLRA is that academic impersonality and objectivity are maintained through the wordings of the abstracts. The register of the data are examined to prove that the linguistic features generalized are common for good English abstracts of TLRA.The findings may help the advanced English learners to better polish up their abstracts and thus get them more easily accepted by international academic community.