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Title:	Hedges and boosters as relational work markers in academic spoken discourse of Arab postgraduate students doctor of philosophy
Authors:	Wasan Khalid Ahmed (P69989 )
Supervisor:	Kesumawati A. Bakar, Dr.
Keywords:	Sociolinguistics -- Arab countries Language and culture -- Arab countries Courtesy Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia -- Dissertations Dissertations, Academic -- Malaysia
Issue Date:	9-May-2019
Description:	During their academic interaction in Malaysian universities, Arab postgraduate students need to use hedges and boosters to express politeness and other academic needs. When using these devices in the new academic environment, the students rely on their socio-pragmatic norms acquired from previous practices of similar situations. However, any deviation from the agreed upon norms and expectations among interlocutors or the inconsistent use of these devices with the conventions and rules of academic discourses would reflect politeness patterns which might be interpreted as inappropriate relational work behaviour, thus leading to frustration and communication breakdown. This research investigated the types and normalized frequencies of hedges and boosters in group-work discussions and one-to-one consultations. It specifically analyzed the types of pragmatic functions and relational work achieved as a result of using hedges and boosters, and determined the gender differences in the use of the two devices in both formal/informal contexts. To achieve these objectives, a purposive sample of 32 Arab postgraduate students was selected from three public Malaysian universities within one academic year. This make up eight group-work discussions and eight one-to-one consultations. An exploratory sequential mixed-method design was employed to provide in-depth qualitative and quantitative data collection and analysis. The qualitative data were collected through audio-recordings of naturally occurring conversations during the eight group discussions and eight consultations. The quantitative data were collected by means of a four-part pragmatic norms questionnaire administered to a population of 64 students based on census sampling method to support the qualitative findings. The data obtained from the students' conversations were coded based on taxonomies adapted from Fraser and Holmes and interpreted based on Locher and Watts's Relational Work Theory. The findings showed that Arab students used hedges strategically to reduce responsibility towards propositions, show flexibility, cooperation and avoid imposing opinion on others It also showed that boosters were used to assert opinions, provide evidence, and show knowledge. In terms of relational work and based on the students' norms, the findings showed that the students' real intention of using the devices was not only to appear polite or impolite, but also to express politic appropriate behaviours. It can be implied that Arab postgraduate students possess the linguistic repertoire of the two devices. However, they use them in accordance with their socio-cultural norms and personal judgments. It is recommended that these students receive pragmatic training prior to joining their postgraduate studies, for them to better understand the role of these devices and be able to accommodate in new academic settings.,'Certification of Masters/Doctoral Thesis' is not available,Ph.D.
Pages:	403
Call Number:	P40.45.A65A376 2019 tesis
Publisher:	UKM, Bangi
Appears in Collections:	Faculty of Social Sciences and Humanities / Fakulti Sains Sosial dan Kemanusiaan

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