A critical analysis of the use of passives and relative clauses in Freshwater Ecology research articles

Authors

Keywords:

relative clauses, English for Academic Purposes, research articles, passives

Abstract

Within the framework of comparative studies, this paper discusses the use of passives and relative clauses in Freshwater Ecology research articles. In a corpus of 20 articles, a critical analysis was undertaken in order to highlight existing differences between native and non-native English-speaking authors, male and female researchers, time periods and journal categories. Results revealed non-native English research writers making more use of both passives and relative structures. However, only gender differences were found in the use of relative clauses, with female researchers employing more relatives than their male counterparts. Temporal differences are consistent with previous research that noted a shift towards a less formal discourse in scientific writing. From a didactic point of view, findings of this study are expected to broaden the knowledge of existing variations in scientific writing so that EAP scholars may develop practical writing strategies at the undergraduate or postgraduate level in universities worldwide.

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Author Biography

Maria Diaz-Redondo, Universidad Nacional de Educación a Distancia

Dr. María Díaz-Redondo holds a BA in English Studies from UNED (Spain), a BSc in Environmental Sciences from UAM (Spain), PhD in River Restoration and Management from the University of Lisbon (Portugal). Since 2000, her professional career has focused on the field of Freshwater Ecology, and as such she chose the analysis of the academic English used in research articles in this field of expertise. Her main motivation for this study revolved around helping researchers in this field to be aware of the stylistic conventions and avoid overuse or misuse that can lead to publishing failure, and at the same time, to contribute in broadening the understanding of this topic among ESP students and lecturers.

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Published

2021-06-23

How to Cite

Diaz-Redondo, M. (2021). A critical analysis of the use of passives and relative clauses in Freshwater Ecology research articles. Revista De Lenguas Para Fines Específicos, 27(1), 140–156. Retrieved from https://ojsspdc.ulpgc.es/ojs/index.php/LFE/article/view/1343

Issue

Vol. 27 No. 1 (2021): Revista de Lenguas para Fines Específicos

Section

Artículos/Articles

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