A Corpus-based Developmental Study Of Stance Markers In Chinese English Majors' Argumentative Writings

The study of stance markers in spoken and written languages can unveil the users'opinions and attitudes, which are essential characteristics of language. According to the theoretical framework given by Biber, based on a diachronic written corpus for 79 Chinese English majors during 6 terms, this thesis conducts a longitudinal study on stance markers.Statistical analysis of the frequency and types of 3 categories of stance markers (modal and semi-modal verbs, stance adverbs and the complement clauses controlled by stance verbs,stance adjectives and stance nouns), with the purpose of revealing the features and problems in these aspects. The findings show that the stance markers used in the English majors'writings slightly fluctuate during the first 3 terms, but there is no significant difference between the adjacent terms. In terms of frequency, modal and semi-modal verbs are the most frequently used, followed by stance adverbs and the complement clauses controlled by stance verbs, stance adjectives and stance nouns are the least. The overused stance markers exist in all three types of stance markers. Finally, from the perspective of functional linguistics, this study analyzes such phenomena in the uses of stance markers. It is hoped that the findings can provide some help for the enrichment in stance expressions and the enhancement in quality of teaching in classes.