Self-mention in English Theses: A Corpus-based Comparison of Native-English and Native-Vietnamese Speakers

Abstract

There has been an increasing interest in authorial presence in academic writing in the past decades. However, there seems to be a lack of research on novice writers’ writing. This study examines the use of self-mention markers in Master’s theses in TESOL written in English by native-English speakers (NES) and native-Vietnamese speakers (NVS) to understand differences in authorial presence and rhetorical strategies. Through a comparative analysis of the two corpora, the findings reveal significant variations in the frequency and types of self-mention employed. The findings show that NES writers favour first-person singular pronouns (e.g., ‘I,’ ‘my’) and first-person plural pronouns (e.g., ‘we,’ ‘our’) to assert direct authorial presence, while NVS writers prefer third-person noun phrases (e.g., ‘the researcher’) for a more impersonal tone. NES writers use self-mention for a broader range of rhetorical functions, particularly for explaining a procedure, stating a purpose and stating results, while NVS writers focus on describing procedures, elaborating an argument and stating a purpose with less personal engagement. These patterns suggest cultural and linguistic influences on academic writing, where NES writers adopt a more involved stance, and NVS writers maintain a more formal and objective style. The study concludes that NVS students may benefit from instruction on the strategic use of self-mention to assert greater authorial presence in their writing.

Keywords: self-mention; rhetorical function; authorial presence; academic writing; Master’s theses