A Comparative Study Of Reader Engagement In Doctoral Theses From The Perspective Of Writer Identity

Although academic writing was once regarded as distant and impersonal,newly published researches have revealed that academic writing is a social activity and the research methods and rhetorical strategies used in academic texts are all subjective to a certain degree.Since the purposes of academic writing are information spreading and claims promotion(Swales,2004),instead of reporting social phenomena objectively,the writers should offer the readers different perspectives of seeing the world.Thus,the issue of writer identity could not be avoided in academic writing.However,up to now no consensus has been reached on the definition of writer identity.Many more researches focus on stance markers,such as self-mentions,boosters,attitude markers and so forth,while the engagement markers are less referred to.Herein,the present study is designed to make a comparative study between writer identities constructed by English native speakers and second language learners by analyzing the engagement markers.From CNKI and ProQuest,30 English Language and Literature doctoral theses are downloaded respectively to build the two mini-corpora(CDT and NDT in short).With the aid of software Wordsmith Tool 4.0's vocabulary index function,the frequency,distribution and concordance of reader references,appeals to shared knowledge,directives and questions are analyzed.And then,based on the interaction system proposed by Hyland(2005a),the original data are analyzed qualitatively to reveal the similarities and differences between writer identities of the two groups.Finally,according to Ivanic's four aspects of interpretation on writer identity,the potential influencing factors of identity differences are explored.Through analysis and discussion,the results of the study are presented as follows.First,in terms of frequency the engagement markers rank the same in the two corpora.From high to low,they are reader references,directives,questions and appeals to shared knowledge,which are most commonly used in sections of Conclusion and Introduction.Apart from appeals to shared knowledge,second language writers make denser utilization of the other engagement markers than native speakers.Second,we and us are the most frequently used reader references in the two corpora;Appeals to shared knowledge are taken by native speakers to make interactions in all sections,while they are mainly used in onclusion by second language learners.The imperative sentences are the most densely used instructions to guide the readers' cognitive activities in both corpora.Most of the questions are rhetorical questions in both corpora,but native speakers ask relatively more real questions than second language learners.Third,among the four intertwined aspects of writer identity,the institutional possibilities for self-hood and the autobiographical self are the defining aspects in Chinese academic writing while it is the discoursal self and self as writer that are more salient in North American academic writing.Finally,the different cultural backgrounds of Chinese and North American writers are the main reasons for these differences in writer identity.Specifically,Chinese writers have a strong sense of collectivism and attach importance to maintaining the readers' face in graduation thesis writing,and in their opinions the readers are the key to the discourse comprehension.However,the North American writers have a strong sense of individualism and believe that the writers are the key to discourse comprehension,and their theses focus on maintaining the face of both the readers and the writers.In addition,the differential levels of English language proficiency between the two groups are also an important reason for identity differences.In the light of theoretic significance,this research demonstrates that English native speakers regard academic writing as a social negotiation where the writers can put forward his claims,while Chinese writers as second language learners are more likely to take academic writing as a report and believe that their claims are the general truth waiting for the readers to accept.In the light of practical significance,this study could help students,especially second language learners,to develop comprehensive cognition of writer identity.The comparative results of rhetorical choices can provide some implications for academic writing teaching and learning.