Move Analysis of Research Article Abstracts in the Field of Applied Linguistics and English Literature: A Corpus-Based Approach

Abstract

This study aims to investigate the rhetorical moves of English research articles (RAs) abstracts written by Korean scholars between the two different fields of applied linguistics (AL) and English literature (EL). Two hundred and forty RA abstracts from two corpora were analysed using Hyland’s framework. The results suggest that the introduction section works as the core move in EL abstracts, which often have lengthy introductions to claim the significance of the study. They also have more diverse types of move patterns, with one or two more moves than AL abstracts. However, for AL abstracts, the introduction functions as an optional move, and these abstracts have the highest frequency of the three-move structure of “P-M-Pr,” where product is mainly highlighted to promote the study. These discipline-specific differences also occur in rhetorical strategies employed in the two disciplines. Disciplinary practices in terms of RA abstracts need to be provided, and this paper may enable L2 writers to improve their academic writing.