An Analysis of Hedges/Intensifiers in Argumentative Essays Written by Native English Speakers and Vietnamese EFL Learners

Abstract

This study investigated the characteristic distribution of hedges and intensifiers in argumentative essays of NESs and Vietnamese EFL learners to see if there is any positive or negative relation between writing qualities and the two rhetorical devices. By using both quantitative and qualitative analysis of 90 essays (30 from NESs, 30 from advanced Vietnamese EFL learners, and 30 from intermediate Vietnamese EFL learners), we obtained some meaningful findings. First, no significant difference was found between the NESs and the Vietnamese learners regarding the frequency of hedges and intensifiers. However, both the NESs and the advanced Vietnamese learners showed a tendency to use more hedges and fewer intensifiers than the intermediate Vietnamese learners. Second, hedges turned out to have a positive correlation with writing qualities while intensifiers were negatively related to writing scores. This study is significant from the ESL/EFL education in that it reveals a correlation between language proficiency and the use of hedges/intensifiers and that it helps ESL/EFL learners to more effectively use the two devices in academic writing.