The Use of Metadiscourse Markers in English Research Articles by Native English Writers vs. Non-Native Writers: A Comparative Analysis

Abstract

Metadiscourse markers are considered useful for conveying ideas to the audience;  producing and organizing persuasive writing based on expectations and norms of individuals involved; communicating effectively to readers; signaling the speaker’s or writer’s attitude, engage the  audience and organize the discourse. This study compared the use of metadiscourse markers in English research articles by native English writers and non-native English researchers. Metadiscourse markers were identified based on the metadiscourse model as interactive and interactional markers. The researcher read all the forty (40) English applied linguistic research articles carefully and undertook a search for interactional markers in the introduction, material & methods, result & discussion, and conclusion sections. The articles were obtained from Arabic Journals of Humanities and International Academic Journals. Data analysis was undertaken using an independent sample two-tailed t-test. Results revealed that native English writers differ from non-native English writers in their use of interactive and interactional metadiscourse markers. Non-native English writers should master the use of metadiscourse devices in order to write appealing and high-quality research articles, convey ideas to the audience;  produce and organize persuasive  writing based on expectations and norms of individual involved; communicate effectively to readers; signal the speaker’s attitude, engage the audience and organize the discourse research articles.