High use of direct questions and relative absence of promotional intention in Japanese peer-reviewed research article introductions compared to their English counterparts

Abstract

This study aims to describe the rhetorical features of Japanese and English research article introductions (RAIs) in the discipline of Japanese Literature. The analysis revealed that significantly more Japanese RAIs used question-raising to establish research niches. Notably, half of the Japanese RAIs that used question raising did not use other Move 2 steps. One-third of the Japanese RAIs used gap indication. These findings suggest not only that establishing a clear niche is relatively unimportant in Japanese RAIs but also that question-raising serves as an effective rhetorical strategy that meets the audience's expectations. Semantic feature analysis further revealed that the Japanese RAIs were less likely to rely on epistemology, not creating a research space in previous studies. In contrast, the English RAIs were characterized by promotional features such as significantly higher centrality claims. Nevertheless, the overall macro-rhetorical structures between the two datasets were similar. This study found no evidence that Japanese RAIs delay the presentation of research and purpose, contrary to previous reports on other Japanese written genres; however, the Japanese RAIs tended to not detail their research. It was concluded that the Japanese and the English RAIs were organized in a way to satisfy local and international audiences’ expectations, respectively.