The Appraisal System In Spoken Narratives By Chinese EFL Learners

Previous research on the Appraisal Theory and the use of appraisal resources has generated varied results.Only a few studies explored the use of appraisal resources in spoken narratives.When exploring the factors associated with the employment of appraisal resources,previous researchers rarely considered students' different speaking scores.However,the use of appraisal resources is crucial in spoken narratives,and students who perform differently in English speaking may show differences in their use of appraisal resources,deserving attention.By analyzing 60 entries of spoken narratives by Chinese EFL learners,the present study investigated the employment of appraisal resources by students,taking their different speaking scores into consideration.Results showed that students employ attitude resources the most frequently,proving the place of Attitude as the core sub-system.Among each sub-system,they employ disclaim resources the most frequently in Engagement,judgement resources the most frequently in Attitude,force resources the most frequently in Graduation.Students' use of appraisal resources exhibits weaknesses,reflected in their limited choice of expressions and their ignorance of certain functions of the Appraisal System.Significant differences between students with different English speaking scores are reflected in the use of engagement resources,as well as disclaim resources in Engagement and force resources in Graduation.Besides,those whose speaking scores are higher tend to be more adroit in their use of appraisal resources,as they employ richer forms of expressions,fulfill more functions of the Appraisal System,pay more attention to the reliability of opinions,and moderate the degree and extent of each statement properly,especially regarding engagement resources,and focus resources in Graduation.Students whose speaking scores are lower tend to ignore the aforementioned aspects,and their moderation of the degree is often realized through the repetition of the same word,which may make their words less concise,reflected in their use of force resources in Graduation.Students with different speaking scores also show similarities,reflected in the overlapping expressions frequently used by them,particularly obvious in their employment of attitude resources.Implications of the present study are reflected in both theoretical and practical ways.Theoretically,results of the present study prove and supplement previous research on the use of appraisal resources by Chinese EFL learners.The present study has also focused on the choice of expressions in the employment of appraisal resources,thereby helping build a connection between lexical study and the study of the Appraisal Theory.Practically,results of the present study can also provide implications for both teachers and students,helping them improve the use of appraisal resources.