4.2.1 Metatext
There is evidence showing that the frequency and types of metatext vary in different academic genres(Kawase,2015),in texts produced by native and non-native speakers(Mauraren,1993;Valero-Garcés,1996;Moreno,1997;Peterlin,2005)and in the writing of different disciplines(Moreno,2004;Dahl,2004).These studies clearly indicate that metatexts are widely used in academic writing.
Metatexts,which are the texts about texts,are typically used by writers to reflect on what has been written and to help readers to follow their train of thought.Following Brett(1994),the researcher regards metatexts as a special type of move that serves to organise texts into coherent units as well as signposting the structure of the text for readers.
The concept of metatext used in the present study is drawn from A¨del’s model of metadiscourse(2006).According to A¨del,there are two main types of metadiscourse.
·Metatext is the language used“to guide the reader through the text and to comment on the use of language in the text.The focus is on the structure,discourse actions and wording of the text”.
·Writer-reader interaction is“used by the writer to interact with her imagined reader in ways that create and maintain a relationship with the reader and that allow the writers to influence him by addressing him directly in various ways”
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Writers use metatexts to describe and comment on the language while using writer-reader interaction to express attitude or provide an evaluation of the content.A¨del proposes that metatext serves two main functions:“remind(ing)the reader of previous statements”and“announc(ing)what is going to be discussed in the following discourse”(p.37).
To make the concept of metatext operational for this study,the researcher conducted a preliminary analysis and identified three types of metatexts:
a)Thesis organisation:this type of metatext outlines the main content of the thesis and sometimes explains the functions of chapters or the purpose of including certain content;
b)Announcement:The announcement may appear at the beginning of a section to provide an overview of a whole chapter,or be used at the end of a section to give a preview of the following part.Writers typically introduce the structure,content and functions of a particular part of thesis in the announcement metatext.
c)Summary:summarises the content at the end of a section.
Previous studies identified similar types of metatexts.Mauranen(1993)proposes four types of metatext which perform the function of textual organisation,including connectors,reviews,previews and illocution markers.These metatexts were also observed by other researchers when examining academic discourse(Valero-Garcés,1996;Bunton,1998,1999;Peterlin,2005).Announcements and thesis organisation are like previews and summaries are the same as reviews.Since connectors and illocution markers were found in announcements,thesis organisation and summaries,the researcher did not create a separate category for them.
The preliminary findings show that thesis writers not only provide information on structure(see the text in bold below),but also communicative functions of the main texts(the underlined part).The extract below is an example of an announcement.The writer states that previous research was reviewed in her second chapter,which describes the content of the chapter,and articulates that the purpose was to identify gaps in the field,which indicates the communicative function of the chapter.The researcher assumes that the content and communicative functions given by writers in their metatexts represent their view on the rhetorical organisation of the theses.
Chapter Two reviews the current literature and research on motivation in language learning and introduces some key findings from empirical research studies in motivation.In doing so I point out the crucial gaps in motivation studies and argue that there is a need to understand language learners’complex,dynamic and contingent motivation within social contexts…(Pak,2007)
The researcher claims that when compared with interview data,metatexts can provide a better representation of the emic view of the schematic structure of genres.First,unlike interview data,which are typically gathered some time after texts are written,metatexts are produced while writers are structuring and composing their text.Obviously,the contemporaneous record of writers’intentions contained in metatexts is likely to be more reliable than a recalled(i.e.interview)probe.Second,metatexts produced within a writing-revising schedule allow for some reflection and refinement,whereas interview data typically necessitates a spontaneous response.In terms of soliciting genre knowledge,meditated data are more reliable and comprehensive than spontaneous answers since it is the writer’s aim to make clear the structuring of their theses.