Research into English research articles (RAs) has largely been focused on articles produced by native English writers. This thesis aims to investigate the textual structure of research articles written by non-native English writers, which may contribute to their acceptance for international publication. A comparison is made between RAs written by native English speakers, Indonesian writers writing in English, and Indonesian writers writing in Indonesian, all in the field of Language and Language Teaching. It explores the relation of text's generic structure, context and linguistic realization. The thesis develops a framework for the generic structure analysis based on Swales' CARS model of moves. A complementary analysis using Systemic-Functional Linguistics' (SFL) approach to texture, namely, text's method of development and structure of information, is conducted to further reveal the textual strategies of the different groups. The findings indicate significant differences in both forms and functions of textual strategies between the native and non-native texts. The differences may partly be due to the influence of writing practices in the non-native writers' first language and partly to the writer's attempt to find an appropriate format in the absence of well-established research writing conventions in the first language. Consequently, non-native English texts may show textual features and organising strategies unfamiliar to both the native English and native Indonesian texts. Findings from the research highlight two issues. First, formal and functional differences of generic structure elements and their realizations between the native and non-native English texts may disadvantage the non-native writers, particularly with regards to employment of unfamiliar organizational strategies. Second, besides knowledge of formal generic structure, more importantly, non-native English writers need to acquire the knowledge of the nature of scientific writing in English in order to achieve full control of the writing process and thus produce successful writing. The implications for further research and the teaching of academic writing are discussed.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:ADTP/187835 |
| Date | January 2002 |
| Creators | Mirahayuni, Ni Ketut, School of Modern Language Studies, UNSW |
| Publisher | Awarded by:University of New South Wales. School of Modern Language Studies |
| Source Sets | Australiasian Digital Theses Program |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Rights | Copyright Ni Ketut Mirahayuni, http://unsworks.unsw.edu.au/copyright |
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