Dimension of Experience - Metadiscourse in the Texts of Novice Non-Native, Novice Native and Expert Native Speaker

Oct 15, 2026

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Metadiscourse is essential for pragmatic effectiveness in academic writing, yet limited evidence explains how tertiary-level second-language learners employ it in written discourse. This corpus-based study examines the frequency and functions of metadiscourse markers in student essays by Turkish learners of English and compares their patterns with native-speaker norms. Using BAWE and BNC as reference corpora, results show interpersonal metadiscourse markers are used more often than textual ones across experience levels and L1 backgrounds, indicating pragmatic competence develops with writing experience.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages9

Reading Time23 min

AccessFree to download

Introduction

Metadiscourse markers and prior research

Research aims and questions

Advances in Language and Literary Studies ISSN: 2203-4714 [www.alls.aiac.org.au](www.alls.aiac.org.au) | Dimension of Experience: Metadiscourse in the Texts of Novice Non-Native, Novice Native and Expert Native Speaker
H. Gülru Yüksel*, Suzan Kavanoz
Faculty of Education, Yıldız Technical University 34210 Esenler-Istanbul-TURKEY Corresponding Author: H. Gülru Yüksel, [E-mail: hayuksel@yildiz.edu.tr](E-mail: hayuksel@yildiz.edu.tr) | | | --- | --- | | ARTICLE INFO
Article history
Received: February 07, 2018
Accepted: April 27, 2018
Published: 30, 2018
Volume: 9 Issue: 3
Advance access: May 2018 Conflicts of interest: None
Funding: The research is financed by Yıldız Technical University Scientific Research Projects Coordination Office. No. 2012-09-02-KAP01 | ABSTRACT
Metadiscourse is essential in establishing pragmatically effective academic written communication. However, little is known about how metadiscourse is used in written texts produced by tertiary level second language learners. This corpus-based linguistic research study aims to explore the frequencies and usages of metadiscourse markers in student essays written by Turkish learners of English and investigate the divergences from native speaker norms. As reference corpora, British Academic Written English (BAWE) and British National Corpus (BNC) were used. We found that in academic discourse, regardless of experience in writing (novice or expert) and L1 language background, interpersonal metadiscourse markers are used more frequently than textual metadiscourse markers. The commonalities between novice nonnative and expert native writers together with differences between two native speaker groups suggest that pragmatic competence, particularly metadiscourse use, develops by experience regardless of L1 background. | | Key words: Academic writing, Native speaker writers, Corpus-linguistics, Metadiscourse, Novice learner writers | | INTRODUCATION The growing importance of English-medium instruction in education, and the upsurge in the number of programs offered in English in universities worldwide has increased the need for learners of English to develop effective communication skills that go beyond the level of accuracy. This demand has urged language educators and researchers to re-consider the teaching and learning of academic communication skills within second and foreign language (FL) contexts. Owing to the importance of language proficiency for success at tertiary level, researchers have been keenly interested in examining the development of written communication skills of non-native speakers of English from a variety of perspectives such as lexical richness (e.g. Laufer & Nation, 1995), grammatical complexity (e.g., Biber, Gray & Poonpon, 2011) and argument structure (e.g., Zare-Ee & Farvardin, 2009) . Despite the abundance of these studies, we still know little about how undergraduate second language (L2) writers communicate their meanings, and more importantly how they project themselves into their discourse while producing academic texts. An important linguistic resource to gain a deeper understanding of how L2 learners build reader-writer relation is to investigate the use of metadiscourse markers (henceforth, MDMs) in learner texts. Metadiscourse markers (MDMs) are defined as “linguistic devices that are used to organize discourse or the writer’s stance towards either its content or the reader” (Hyland, 2000.: 109) . These linguistic features have been investigated in a number of contexts ranging from textbooks (Crismore, 1984) to research and newspaper articles (Hyland, 2000; Dafouz-Milne, 2008) from cross-cultural (Ädel, 2006) and cross-disciplinary (Hyland, 2004) perspectives. Much of this research has been conducted on academic writing produced either by postgraduate students, academicians, or professionals while undergraduate writing has received less attention. We still know little about how metadiscourse marker

FAQs

What does the study investigate regarding metadiscourse?

It explores the frequencies and usages of metadiscourse markers in student essays written by Turkish learners of English and examines divergences from native-speaker norms.

Which corpora are used as references in the analysis?

The study uses British Academic Written English (BAWE) and the British National Corpus (BNC) as reference corpora.

What main pattern do the findings report about metadiscourse marker types?

Interpersonal metadiscourse markers are used more frequently than textual metadiscourse markers in academic discourse, regardless of writing experience or L1 background.

Oct 15, 2026

Uploaded by Cipher