The interpersonal function in written discourse : a comparative study of English and Italian undergraduate writing
This study is a comparative analysis of university student writing in English and Italian (the native languages of the students). The main research issue investigated here relates to the differences and similarities in student writing across languages when the same text-type is produced within comparable situations. Cross-linguistic and cross-cultural variation in encoding and transmitting knowledge and in the way critical enquiry is conducted can be an area of potential difficulty when languages and cultures come into contact. Comparative analysis is a tool for investigating, explaining and, possibly, avoiding some of the potential errors and misunderstandings that may arise in cross-cultural communication. In particular the study focuses on writing conventions used by English and Italian native speaker students when writing about literature for their university courses. The data are texts of argumentative prose about literature (in the students' mother tongue) written for university examinations during an undergraduate degree course. The linguistic analysis focuses on discoursal devices related to the interpersonal metafunction. The fundamental hypothesis underlying the study is that the devices more centrally
Bortoluzzi, Maria
The interpersonal function in written discourse : a comparative study of English and Italian undergraduate writing. This study is a comparative analysis of university student writing in English and Italian (the native languages of the students). The main research issue investigated here relates to the differences and similarities in student writing across languages when the same text-type is produced within comparable situations. Cross-linguistic and cross-cultural variation in encoding and transmitting knowledge and in the way critical enquiry is conducted can be an area of potential difficulty when languages and cultures come into contact. Comparative analysis is a tool for investigating, explaining and, possibly, avoiding some of the potential errors and misunderstandings that may arise in cross-cultural communication. In particular the study focuses on writing conventions used by English and Italian native speaker students when writing about literature for their university courses. The data are texts of argumentative prose about literature (in the students' mother tongue) written for university examinations during an undergraduate degree course. The linguistic analysis focuses on discoursal devices related to the interpersonal metafunction. The fundamental hypothesis underlying the study is that the devices more centrally
interpersonal function write_discourse comparative_study english_italian undergraduate writing study comparative_analysis university_student write english_italian native_language student main_issue investigate relate difference_similarity student_write across_language text_type produce within comparable situation cross_linguistic cross_cultural variation encode transmit knowledge way critical enquiry conduct area potential difficulty languages culture come_contact comparative_analysis tool investigating explain possibly avoid potential error misunderstanding may arise cross_cultural communication particular study_focus write convention use english_italian native_speaker student_write literature university course data text argumentative prose literature student mother tongue write university examination undergraduate degree course linguistic_analysis focus discoursal device relate interpersonal fundamental hypothesis underlie study device centrally