Article: Authority and invisibility: Authorial identity in academic writing
| Title | Authority and invisibility: Authorial identity in academic writing |
|---|---|
| Authors | Hyland, K1 |
| Keywords | 12 Academic writing Culture Identity Interactions Self-reference |
| Issue Date | 2002 |
| Publisher | Elsevier BV. The Journal's web site is located at http://www.elsevier.com/locate/pragma |
| Citation | Journal Of Pragmatics, 2002, v. 34 n. 8, p. 1091-1112 [How to Cite?] DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/S0378-2166(02)00035-8 |
| Abstract | Academic writing is not just about conveying an ideational 'content', it is also about the representation of self. Recent research has suggested that academic prose is not completely impersonal, but that writers gain credibility by projecting an identity invested with individual authority, displaying confidence in their evaluations and commitment to their ideas. Perhaps the most visible manifestation of such an authorial identity is the use of first person pronouns and their corresponding determiners. But while the use of these forms are a powerful rhetorical strategy for emphasising a contribution, many second language writers feel uncomfortable using them because of their connotations of authority. In this paper I explore the notion of identity in L2 writing by examining the use of personal pronouns in 64 Hong Kong undergraduate theses, comparisons with a large corpus of research articles, and interviews with students and their supervisors. The study shows significant underuse of authorial reference by students and clear preferences for avoiding these forms in contexts which involved making arguments or claims. I conclude that the individualistic identity implied in the use of I may be problematic for many L2 writers. © 2002 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved. |
| ISSN | 0378-2166 2011 Impact Factor: 0.757 2011 SCImago Journal Rankings: 0.029 |
| DOI | http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/S0378-2166(02)00035-8 |
| ISI Accession Number ID | WOS:000177143100010 |
| References | References in Scopus |
| dc.contributor.author | Hyland, K |
|---|---|
| dc.date.accessioned | 2010-12-23T08:47:29Z |
| dc.date.available | 2010-12-23T08:47:29Z |
| dc.date.issued | 2002 |
| dc.description.abstract | Academic writing is not just about conveying an ideational 'content', it is also about the representation of self. Recent research has suggested that academic prose is not completely impersonal, but that writers gain credibility by projecting an identity invested with individual authority, displaying confidence in their evaluations and commitment to their ideas. Perhaps the most visible manifestation of such an authorial identity is the use of first person pronouns and their corresponding determiners. But while the use of these forms are a powerful rhetorical strategy for emphasising a contribution, many second language writers feel uncomfortable using them because of their connotations of authority. In this paper I explore the notion of identity in L2 writing by examining the use of personal pronouns in 64 Hong Kong undergraduate theses, comparisons with a large corpus of research articles, and interviews with students and their supervisors. The study shows significant underuse of authorial reference by students and clear preferences for avoiding these forms in contexts which involved making arguments or claims. I conclude that the individualistic identity implied in the use of I may be problematic for many L2 writers. © 2002 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved. |
| dc.description.nature | link_to_subscribed_fulltext |
| dc.identifier.citation | Journal Of Pragmatics, 2002, v. 34 n. 8, p. 1091-1112 [How to Cite?] DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/S0378-2166(02)00035-8 |
| dc.identifier.citeulike | 2273289 |
| dc.identifier.doi | http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/S0378-2166(02)00035-8 |
| dc.identifier.epage | 1112 |
| dc.identifier.isi | WOS:000177143100010 |
| dc.identifier.issn | 0378-2166 2011 Impact Factor: 0.757 2011 SCImago Journal Rankings: 0.029 |
| dc.identifier.issue | 8 |
| dc.identifier.scopus | eid_2-s2.0-0036270950 |
| dc.identifier.spage | 1091 |
| dc.identifier.uri | http://hdl.handle.net/10722/130126 |
| dc.identifier.volume | 34 |
| dc.language | eng |
| dc.publisher | Elsevier BV. The Journal's web site is located at http://www.elsevier.com/locate/pragma |
| dc.publisher.place | Netherlands |
| dc.relation.ispartof | Journal of Pragmatics |
| dc.relation.references | References in Scopus |
| dc.subject | 12 |
| dc.subject | Academic writing |
| dc.subject | Culture |
| dc.subject | Identity |
| dc.subject | Interactions |
| dc.subject | Self-reference |
| dc.title | Authority and invisibility: Authorial identity in academic writing |
| dc.type | Article |
Author Affiliations
- City University of Hong Kong