A Comparative Study of Hedges between ES and KS in Two Fields of Study: English Education vs. Biology

Abstract

The appropriate use of hedges in scientific fields indicates that the writer/speaker is aware of the conventions of academic writing. Korean EFL learners have been known to experience difficulties in correctly using hedging devices due to the L1 conventions of writing. Studies on their use of hedges, however, have relied mostly on a single genre or discipline. This study compared uses of hedges between Korean EFL learners (KS) and English speakers (ES) in two academic fields, English Education and Biology, to reveal how the KS group employs English hedges differently from the ES in dissertation writing. Adopting Salager-Meyer’s (1994) taxonomy, we analyzed the discussion sections of 80 doctoral dissertations, 40 by KS and 40 by ES, in two fields, showing that the KS group used hedges noticeably less than the ES, especially, in Biology. These findings imply that Korean EFL learners should fully understand the positive functions of hedges in academic writing as well as the importance of distinctive writing conventions in different disciplines. No over-generalization of conservative perception of hedging devices to the fields of science should be encouraged.