A Study Of Stance Adverbs Used By Non-English Majors In English Writing

This study intends to look into the features of stance adverbs used by Chinese non-English majors by comparing the stance adverbs used by non-English majors and those by native English undergraduates triggered by the same or similar topics. According to the definitions and classifications of stance adverbs offered by different linguists from different perspectives, this paper compiles the stance adverbs to study in this research under nine covers. By comparing stance adverbs in ST3 and ST4, two sub-corpora of CLEC(Chinese Learner English Corpus) and those in NESSIE Corpus 2nd(Native English Speakers Similarly or Identically-prompted Essays), the study is meant to reveal the distinctions between Chinese non-English majors and native English undergraduates in using those nine sorts of stance adverbs. Furthermore, the study builds three sub-corpora of ST3 and three sub-corpora of ST4 in accordance with the score header of each text to represent the different English writing competence. By comparing stance adverbs used among the three sub-corpora of ST3 and among the three sub-corpora of ST4 respectively, the changes of stance adverbs in English writing with the improvement of exam performance will be unveiled.According to the T-test analysis of stance adverbs under nine covers, there are no significant differences of tendencies among nine stance adverbs between non-English majors and native English speakers. But the total tokens of stance adverbs used by non-English majors are higher than those by native English undergraduates in English writing, while the types of stance adverbs used by non-English majors are outnumbered by their English equivalents. In addition, compared with native English speakers, non-English majors use fewer certainty adverbs to show their assurance of proposition. However, at the same time, we find that non-English majors prefer to use adverbs showing extreme degree, leaving no room for doubt. Those two phenomena seem contradictory, but the former condition reflects the Chinese national character, while the latter condition reveals that the non-English majors lack confidence in themselves to express their insights into the proposition in a foreign language with which they are unfamiliar, so they are urgent to persuade readers by using some absolute words. What’s more, we find the distributions of stance adverbs used by non-English majors are rigid. They seldom combine stance adverbs with other words except for some fixed structures. Comparing the stance adverbs among the three sub-corpora of ST3 and the three corpora of ST4 respectively, we find the tokens of stance adverbs used in non-English majors’ texts grow with the improvement of their performance in exam both in ST3 and ST4. Although there are some growth differences in categories, we can find the common point shared by both corpora that the types of the nine kinds of stance adverbs increase with the improvement of performance in exams. The findings gained in the present study have some pedagogical implications. From the learners’ perspective, the proper use of stance adverbs is critical for them to make their texts more convincing and persuasive. From the teachers’ perspective, it is advisable to take the use of stance adverbs into language assessment. In the practice of teaching, the learners should be told the registers in which the stance adverbs can be used. The collocations of stance adverbs are expected to receive adequate attention in the process of English teaching and learning.