Drafting the Body of the ma thesis

BODY (Development)

The largest single part of the paper is the Body which consists of supporting information and arguments relevant to the main idea expressed in the Research Statement. It must logical, coherent, and cohesive in meaning and form.

The normal drafting process is as follows:

- do not start with the Introduction or Conclusion, instead write part of the Body of the paper

- select the part of the paper that you want to work on. Do not write the Introduction or Conclusion of the paper; instead, write the Body of the paper.

- carefully read your notices relevant to that section

- begin to write what you think might possibly be a relevant set of ideas. Do not try to write very logically and correctly at this stage – let the ideas come out on the page. No one except you will see what you are writing now.

- when you run out of ideas, go back to your notes and read them again. Use them to stimulate a fresh flow of thoughts. Write them down as they come to you.

- when you run out of ideas again, and your notes give you no further help, you can begin to work on some other part of your paper or reread what you have written so far. You can begin to change the order of ideas, omit some ideas, or add new ones; you can now cross out, or change any of the words, phrases, or sentences

DRAFTING THE INTRODUCTION AND CONCLUSI0N

INTRODUCTION

Write the Introduction to your paper last, so that you can make it a guide to the content and structure of the paper. Remember that you will discover things to say or add or change as you write the first drafts, so it would be a waste of time to prepare a polished introduction first.

The Introduction (2-3 pages) states what is to be discussed, introduces the object, subject, the goal and objectives of the research and claims its topicality. The theoretical background for an individual empirical research is outlined in Introduction (e.g. discourse analysis, the theory of genres, equivalence in translation, the theory of transformations in translation, the theory of lexico-semantic fields, functional grammar, the theory of term etc). The methods applicable for an individual research are explicated. The sources for supporting illustrative materials and the number of analyzed and registered examples are given. The final paragraph of the introduction may include key words (five to six words).

CONCLUSIONS

A good conclusion to a research paper is the logical outcome of all that has been said earlier. Usually, the research statement is repeated but not in exactly the same wording. Sometimes further research may be recommended in a conclusion. The end should not be sudden or abrupt. It is useful to restate the main points of your paper in a very summarized form but in different wording.

 

 

Література до практичних /семінарських/ занять

1.Бахтин М.М. Проблема речевых жанров//Бахтин М.М. Эстетика словесного творчества. Москва. 1979.

2.Бацевич Ф.С. Лінгвістична генеологія: проблеми і перспективи. Львів. 2005.

3.Левченко О.П. Науковий стиль: культура мовлення. Львів. Вид-во Львівської політехніки. 2012.

3.Яхонтова Т.В. Лінгвістична генеологія наукової комунікації. Львів. 2009.

4.Bordyuk L.V. Algorithm of Writing Student Research Papers in Applied Linguistics: Strategy. Structure, Methods & Steps. National University Lviv Polytechnic. 2008.

5.Ilchenko O.M. English for Science and Technology. Kyiv, 1996.

6.Jordan, R.R. (1996). Academic Writing Course. Harlow:Longman.Mauranen,

7.Mauranen, A. (1003). Cultural Differences in Academic Rhetoric. Frankfurt am Main: Peter Lang.

8.Menasche, L. (1997) Writing a Research Paper. Ann Arbor: The University of Michigan Press.

9.Swales J.M. Genre Analysis: English in Academic and Research Settings. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. 1990.

10.Yakhontova T.V.English Academic Writing. For Students and Researches. Lviv. Вид-во ПАІС. 2003.

 

Appendix 1.

Below are given the guidelines for submitting an abstract at the AILA (Association Internationale de Linquistique Applique)Congress.

AILA 2014

Guidelines for Abstract Submission

Title (15 words max.):

Good titles attract people to your session:

• make sure the title matches your abstract

• it should accurately reflect the content of your presentation

• try to make it eye catching & interesting

• avoid gimmicky titles

• each part of hyphenated or slashed words counts as one word

Summary (50 words max.)

• Suggested Format:

– 1-2 general sentence(s) relating your topic to importance in the field, theory and/or

research

– 1-2 sentence(s) describing what you are going to do in your session

– last item stating the implications of your study

• Write in 3rd person:

– “The presenters will describe…….” (NOT always a requirement, but good practice)

• Spell out acronyms used

• Do not include citations

• Do a word count at the end: 50 words max.

• The summary is important because it is what congress delegates will read in the program

book about your presentation.

Abstract (300 words max.)

The abstract is crucial because it is the sole document that the reviewers will read:

– It should have a clearly stated rationale

– It should contain evidence of current practice and/or research

– It should include supporting details and examples

– It needs to be carefully edited and proofread

– It should demonstrate that presenter has chosen correct type of presentation.

– It must meet the technical requirements (word count, verb tense, etc.)

– It should illustrate the importance of your study to the field, based on theory and/or

research

– It should clarify who the intended audience is

– It describes what the presenters intend to do

– It discusses the implications of the study

Good Proposals:

– identify the anticipated outcomes

– relate theory to practice

– address issues of current, local and global relevance

– are not narrowly focused

– draw on research, theory and practice from one or more disciplines

– are well written and free of typos/grammar mistakes

Final Instructions:

• Follow the “Call for Papers” form http://aila2014.com/abstract_submission.html

• Prepare your title, abstract, and summary before hand.

• Submit

 

Appendix 2.

Below are given the samples of abstracts in leading world journals on language and linguistics. Analyze their semantic and syntactic features.

International Journal of Applied Linguistics

Patterns of change in English as a lingua franca in the UAE

Ronald Boyle

© 2010 Blackwell Publishing Ltd

Volume 21, Issue 2, pages 143–161, July 2011

Keywords: English as a lingua franca; multilingualism; corpus linguistics; second/foreign language acquisition; sociolinguistics

As foreign workers constitute about 90 per cent of the workforce of the UAE, English is used as the country's acrolectal lingua franca. In order to discover what effect this community of multilingual speakers is having on the lexicogrammar of English, a million-word corpus of examples of formal, written English as a lingua franca (ELF) was compiled, and was compared with data from the Longman Spoken and Written English Corpus. The results suggest that the patterns of use of non-finite complement clauses and of transitive and intransitive verbs, in particular, are beginning to change and that the changes are systematic. Where a choice of patterns exists, ELF usage appears to be converging on the dominant pattern.

 

Oxford Journals

Applied Linguistics

Sex/Gender, Language and the New Biologism

Deborah Cameron

Author Affiliations:Oxford University, UK

Abstract

In recent years there has been a striking shift in both academic and popular discourse on the subject of male–female differences. It is increasingly common for biological explanations to be proposed for differences that had previously been treated by most investigators as effects of socio-cultural factors. This article critically examines the arguments as they apply to the specific case of male–female differences in linguistic behaviour. It concludes that the relevant linguistic research evidence does not on balance support the new biologism; that evidence is more adequately accounted for using the socio-cultural approaches which most linguistic researchers favour.

• © Oxford University Press 2009

• Oxford Journals

• Applied Linguistics

• Volume 33, Issue 5

• Pp. 483-502.

APPLIED LINGUISTICS

Imposture: A Late Modern Notion in Poststructuralist SLA Research

Claire Kramsch

Author Affiliations:German Department, University of California Berkeley, Berkeley, CA, USAE-mail: [e-mail]

Abstract

This article explores the feelings of imposture that are sometimes experienced by multilingual subjects—learners of a language other than their own or users of multiple languages—and their difficulty of finding authentic or legitimate subject positions in a global world with fluid boundaries and uncertain categories of identity. It examines what modernist and poststructuralist approaches to the problem of imposture can yield in applied linguistic theory. Modernist scholars focus on revealing abuses of institutional power and on uncovering the artificiality of language rituals, whereas poststructuralist scholars seek to understand the social and historical conditions of possibility of discourses of imposture. They attempt to deal with the pervasive contradictions of the search for authenticity and legitimacy in a world of commodified discourses and self-declared authorities. In such a world, multilingual subjects have a particular role to play to transform imposture into the multilingual art of interrogating and imagining various forms of discourse.

• © Oxford University Press 2012

 

Towards developmental world Englishes

KINGSLEY BOLTON1, DAVID GRADDOL, CHRISTIANE MEIERKORD

© 2011 Blackwell Publishing Ltd

World Englishes. Volume 30, Issue 4, pages 459–480, December 2011

ABSTRACT: Over the last three decades scholars promoting the world Englishes paradigm (WE) have worked towards establishing a more positive attitude towards international varieties of English. However, despite the best intentions of Western linguists working in this field, there is an obvious imbalance between the developed and developing world in many contexts of English language education. Educators and teachers in many Outer Circle and Expanding Circle contexts face difficulties in terms of conditions, facilities, and resources very different from those of Western institutions. Academics in developing societies have parallel difficulties in publishing research, both in journals and in books with international publishers, while local options for publishing are often restricted. This paper suggests a number of ways in which linguists and other scholars might begin to engage with a range of issues related to ‘developmental world Englishes’

 

 

World Englishes and postcolonialism: Reading Kachru and Said

1. IAN MAI CHI LOK

© 2012 Blackwell Publishing Ltd

World Englishes. Volume 31, Issue 4, pages 419–433, December 2012

ABSTRACT: Prompted by a recurrent question from students, this paper examines perspectives from world Englishes and postcolonial studies in relation to one another. Focusing on two critical thinkers, Braj B. Kachru and Edward W. Said, each section highlights relevant themes and ideas from selected works of each scholar and discusses points of convergence and divergence between the various positions. One argument here is that while ‘Englishes’ are conceived as relatively static categories constricted to specific geopolitical boundaries, such Englishes are at the same time used by individuals whose cultural consciousness and experience are dynamic. Insight such as this, drawn from a juxtaposed study of the work of Braj B. Kachru and Edward Said, can inspire the world Englishes project. At a broader level, it is suggested that a more comprehensive understanding of language and culture may be reached by approaching world Englishes and postcolonial studies in counterpoint.

 

Appendix 3.

Below are given the samples of abstracts in Ukrainian national linguistic journals.

Analyze their layout and specific features.

Lyudmyla Bordyuk (Ukraine)