Mitigation of claims in medical research papers: A comparative study of English- and Spanish-language writers
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.1558/cam.28424Keywords:
epistemic markers, medical English, mitigation, modal markers, variationAbstract
This study identifies variation in the use of mitigation devices in medical written English between authors with English as their first language and those with Spanish as their first language. A corpus of 30 medical research papers written in English and published in international journals was compiled, 15 by researchers with Spanish as their first language and 15 by native English-speakers, and this was compared with a second corpus of 15 medical papers written in Spanish. By a comparative analysis of how mitigation devices were used in both corpora, it was possible to establish whether their frequency and the rhetorical strategies adopted varied depending on the writer’s linguistic background.
References
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Alonso-Almeida, F. (2015) On the mitigating function of modality and evidentiality: Evidence from English and Spanish medical research papers. Intercultural Pragmatics 12 (1): 33–57. https://doi.org/10.1515/ip-2015-0002
Alonso-Almeida, F. and Carrió-Pastor, M. L. (2015) Sobre la categorización de seem en inglés y su traducción en español: Análisis de un corpus paralelo. Signos 49 (88): 154–173. https://doi.org/10.4067/S0718-09342015000200001
Alonso-Almeida, F. and González-Cruz, I. (2012) Exploring male and female voices through epistemic modality and evidentiality in some modern English travel texts on the Canaries. Research in Language 10 (3): 323–343. https://doi.org/10.2478/v10015-011-0031-z
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Brown, P. and Levinson, S. (1978) Universals in language usage: Politeness phenomena. In E. Goody (ed.) Questions and Politeness: Strategies in Social interaction, 56–310. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Brown, P. and Levinson, S. (1987) Politeness: Some Language Universals in Language Use. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Carrió-Pastor, M. L. (2005) Contrastive Analysis of Scientific-technical Discourse: Common Writing Errors and Variations in the use of English as a Non-native Language. Ann Arbor, MI: UMI.
Carrió-Pastor, M. L. (2013) A contrastive study of the variation of sentence connectors in academic English. Journal of English for Academic Purposes 12 (3): 192–202. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jeap.2013.04.002
Carrió-Pastor, M. L. (2014) Cross-cultural variation in the use of modal verbs in academic English. SKY Journal of Linguistics 27: 153–166.
Carrió-Pastor, M. L. and Muñiz Calderón, R. (2012) Lexical variations in business e-mails written by non-native speakers of english. LSP Professional Communication, Knowledge Management and Cognition 3 (1): 4–13.
Carrió-Pastor, M. L. and Muñiz Calderón, R. (2013) Variation of English business e-mails in Asian countries. Ibérica 26: 55–76.
Czerwionka, L. (2012) Mitigation: The combined effects of imposition and certitude. Journal of Pragmatics 44 (10): 1163–1182. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pragma.2012.05.002
Czerwionka, L. (2014) Participant perspectives on mitigated interactions: The impact of imposition and uncertainty. Journal of Pragmatics 67: 112–130. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pragma.2014.04.005
Flores-Ferrán, N. (2010) An examination of mitigation strategies used in Spanish psychotherapeutic discourse. Journal of Pragmatics 42 (7): 1964–1981. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pragma.2009.12.005
Flores-Ferrán, N. and Lovejoy, K. (2015) An examination of mitigation devices in the argument interactions of L2 Spanish learners. Journal of Pragmatics 76: 67–86. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pragma.2014.11.005
Hinkel, E. (2009) The effects of essay topics on modal verb uses in L1 and L2 academic writing. Journal of Pragmatics 41 (4): 667–683. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pragma.2008.09.029
Hu, G. and Cao, F. (2011) Hedging and boosting in abstracts of applied linguistics articles: A comparative study of English- and Chinese-medium journals. Journal of Pragmatics 43 (11): 2795–2809. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pragma.2011.04.007
Hübler, A. (1983) Understatements and Hedges in English. Amsterdam: John Benjamins. https://doi.org/10.1075/pb.iv.6
Hyland, K. (2006) Medical discourse: Hedges. In K. Brown (ed.-in-chief) Encyclopedia of Language and Linguistics, 694–697. Second edition. Oxford: Elsevier.
Hyland, K. and Tse, P. (2004) Metadiscourse in academic writing: A reappraisal. Applied Linguistics 25 (2): 156–177. https://doi.org/10.1093/applin/25.2.156
Martín Martín, P. (2008) The mitigation of scientific claims in research papers: A comparative study. International Journal of English Studies 8 (2): 133–152.
Martinovski, B. (2006) A framework for the analysis of mitigation in courts: Towards a theory of mitigation. Journal of Pragmatics 38 (12): 2065–2086. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pragma.2006.08.006
Mauranen, A. (2012) Exploring ELF: Academic English Shaped by Non-native Speakers. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Mur-Dueñas, P. (2011) An intercultural analysis of metadiscourse features in research articles written in English and in Spanish. Journal of Pragmatics 43 (12): 3068–3079. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pragma.2011.05.002
Myers, G. (1989). The pragmatics of politeness in scientific articles. Applied Linguistics 10 (1): 1–35. https://doi.org/10.1093/applin/10.1.1
Reppen, R., Fitzmaurice, S. M. and Biber, D. (2002) Using Corpora to Explore Linguistic Variation. Amsterdam: John Benjamins. https://doi.org/10.1075/scl.9
Salager-Meyer, F. (1994) Hedges and textual communicative function in medical English written discourse. English for Specific Purposes 13 (2): 149–170. https://doi.org/10.1016/0889-4906(94)90013-2
Schneider, E. W. (2003) Investigating variation and change in written documents. In J. K. Chambers, P. Trudgill and N. Schilling-Estes (eds) The Handbook of Language Variation and Change, 67–96. New York: Blackwell.
Schreier, D. (2009) Language in isolation, and its implications for variation and change. Language and Linguistics Compass 3 (2): 682–699. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1749-818X.2009.00130.x
Scott, M. (2009) WordSmith Tools Version 5. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Thaler, V. (2012) Mitigation as modification of illocutionary force. Journal of Pragmatics 44 (7): 907–919. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pragma.2012.04.001
von Fintel, K. and Gillies, S. A. (2007) An opinionated guide to epistemic modality. Oxford Studies in Epistemology 2: 32–62.
Alonso-Almeida, F. (2015) On the mitigating function of modality and evidentiality: Evidence from English and Spanish medical research papers. Intercultural Pragmatics 12 (1): 33–57. https://doi.org/10.1515/ip-2015-0002
Alonso-Almeida, F. and Carrió-Pastor, M. L. (2015) Sobre la categorización de seem en inglés y su traducción en español: Análisis de un corpus paralelo. Signos 49 (88): 154–173. https://doi.org/10.4067/S0718-09342015000200001
Alonso-Almeida, F. and González-Cruz, I. (2012) Exploring male and female voices through epistemic modality and evidentiality in some modern English travel texts on the Canaries. Research in Language 10 (3): 323–343. https://doi.org/10.2478/v10015-011-0031-z
Bella, S. (2011) Mitigation and politeness in Greek invitation refusals: Effects of length of residence in the target community and intensity of interaction on non-native speakers’ performance. Journal of Pragmatics 43 (6): 1718–1740. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pragma.2010.11.005
Brown, P. and Levinson, S. (1978) Universals in language usage: Politeness phenomena. In E. Goody (ed.) Questions and Politeness: Strategies in Social interaction, 56–310. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Brown, P. and Levinson, S. (1987) Politeness: Some Language Universals in Language Use. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Carrió-Pastor, M. L. (2005) Contrastive Analysis of Scientific-technical Discourse: Common Writing Errors and Variations in the use of English as a Non-native Language. Ann Arbor, MI: UMI.
Carrió-Pastor, M. L. (2013) A contrastive study of the variation of sentence connectors in academic English. Journal of English for Academic Purposes 12 (3): 192–202. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jeap.2013.04.002
Carrió-Pastor, M. L. (2014) Cross-cultural variation in the use of modal verbs in academic English. SKY Journal of Linguistics 27: 153–166.
Carrió-Pastor, M. L. and Muñiz Calderón, R. (2012) Lexical variations in business e-mails written by non-native speakers of english. LSP Professional Communication, Knowledge Management and Cognition 3 (1): 4–13.
Carrió-Pastor, M. L. and Muñiz Calderón, R. (2013) Variation of English business e-mails in Asian countries. Ibérica 26: 55–76.
Czerwionka, L. (2012) Mitigation: The combined effects of imposition and certitude. Journal of Pragmatics 44 (10): 1163–1182. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pragma.2012.05.002
Czerwionka, L. (2014) Participant perspectives on mitigated interactions: The impact of imposition and uncertainty. Journal of Pragmatics 67: 112–130. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pragma.2014.04.005
Flores-Ferrán, N. (2010) An examination of mitigation strategies used in Spanish psychotherapeutic discourse. Journal of Pragmatics 42 (7): 1964–1981. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pragma.2009.12.005
Flores-Ferrán, N. and Lovejoy, K. (2015) An examination of mitigation devices in the argument interactions of L2 Spanish learners. Journal of Pragmatics 76: 67–86. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pragma.2014.11.005
Hinkel, E. (2009) The effects of essay topics on modal verb uses in L1 and L2 academic writing. Journal of Pragmatics 41 (4): 667–683. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pragma.2008.09.029
Hu, G. and Cao, F. (2011) Hedging and boosting in abstracts of applied linguistics articles: A comparative study of English- and Chinese-medium journals. Journal of Pragmatics 43 (11): 2795–2809. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pragma.2011.04.007
Hübler, A. (1983) Understatements and Hedges in English. Amsterdam: John Benjamins. https://doi.org/10.1075/pb.iv.6
Hyland, K. (2006) Medical discourse: Hedges. In K. Brown (ed.-in-chief) Encyclopedia of Language and Linguistics, 694–697. Second edition. Oxford: Elsevier.
Hyland, K. and Tse, P. (2004) Metadiscourse in academic writing: A reappraisal. Applied Linguistics 25 (2): 156–177. https://doi.org/10.1093/applin/25.2.156
Martín Martín, P. (2008) The mitigation of scientific claims in research papers: A comparative study. International Journal of English Studies 8 (2): 133–152.
Martinovski, B. (2006) A framework for the analysis of mitigation in courts: Towards a theory of mitigation. Journal of Pragmatics 38 (12): 2065–2086. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pragma.2006.08.006
Mauranen, A. (2012) Exploring ELF: Academic English Shaped by Non-native Speakers. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Mur-Dueñas, P. (2011) An intercultural analysis of metadiscourse features in research articles written in English and in Spanish. Journal of Pragmatics 43 (12): 3068–3079. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pragma.2011.05.002
Myers, G. (1989). The pragmatics of politeness in scientific articles. Applied Linguistics 10 (1): 1–35. https://doi.org/10.1093/applin/10.1.1
Reppen, R., Fitzmaurice, S. M. and Biber, D. (2002) Using Corpora to Explore Linguistic Variation. Amsterdam: John Benjamins. https://doi.org/10.1075/scl.9
Salager-Meyer, F. (1994) Hedges and textual communicative function in medical English written discourse. English for Specific Purposes 13 (2): 149–170. https://doi.org/10.1016/0889-4906(94)90013-2
Schneider, E. W. (2003) Investigating variation and change in written documents. In J. K. Chambers, P. Trudgill and N. Schilling-Estes (eds) The Handbook of Language Variation and Change, 67–96. New York: Blackwell.
Schreier, D. (2009) Language in isolation, and its implications for variation and change. Language and Linguistics Compass 3 (2): 682–699. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1749-818X.2009.00130.x
Scott, M. (2009) WordSmith Tools Version 5. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Thaler, V. (2012) Mitigation as modification of illocutionary force. Journal of Pragmatics 44 (7): 907–919. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pragma.2012.04.001
von Fintel, K. and Gillies, S. A. (2007) An opinionated guide to epistemic modality. Oxford Studies in Epistemology 2: 32–62.
Published
2017-06-16
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copyright Equinox Publishing Ltd.
How to Cite
Carrió-Pastor, M. L. (2017). Mitigation of claims in medical research papers: A comparative study of English- and Spanish-language writers. Communication and Medicine, 13(3), 249-261. https://doi.org/10.1558/cam.28424
