Construction of Stance through the Use of Retrospective Labels by American and Turkish Academic Writers

Abstract

In parallel with the recognition of the importance of writer presence in academic texts, there has been an increasing interest in writer stance. Yet, very little of this research has been devoted to the construction of stance through retrospective labels. Driven by this need, this study aims to investigate the construction of stance through retrospective labels by American and novice Turkish writers in their texts. Using a corpus-based methodology comprising of quantitative and qualitative procedures, this study analyzes the frequency counts of stance through retrospective labels and the functions associated with them. The results of this corpus-based research have revealed similarities as well as some marked differences between the two corpora. It seems that in addition to proficiency in English, educational background of novice Turkish academic writers have an impact on their construction of stance through retrospective labels. I suggest that the strategic employment of retrospective labels to create stance is a valuable rhetorical strategy for academic writers to construct convincing arguments.