Chapter 11. The use of hedging devices in L2 legal writing
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Natalia Dolgova Jacobsen
Abstract
The focus of this chapter is to determine the conceptual profile of the rhetorical phenomenon of hedging and to investigate how hedging devices are represented in legal memos produced by L2 writers of English. Because it addresses negotiation of various poles on the reality spectrum, hedging is crucial for the construction of an effective legal memo. A sample of 14 memos is analyzed utilizing a mixed method approach. The analysis demonstrates that the differences in the objective “success” of memos are conditioned by each writer’s textual and functional patterns of hedging. These conclusions elucidate the processes guiding legal memo writing and the longitudinal development of the hedging function in the writing patterns of non-native legal writers.
Abstract
The focus of this chapter is to determine the conceptual profile of the rhetorical phenomenon of hedging and to investigate how hedging devices are represented in legal memos produced by L2 writers of English. Because it addresses negotiation of various poles on the reality spectrum, hedging is crucial for the construction of an effective legal memo. A sample of 14 memos is analyzed utilizing a mixed method approach. The analysis demonstrates that the differences in the objective “success” of memos are conditioned by each writer’s textual and functional patterns of hedging. These conclusions elucidate the processes guiding legal memo writing and the longitudinal development of the hedging function in the writing patterns of non-native legal writers.
Chapters in this book
- Prelim pages i
- Table of contents v
- List of contributors vii
- Acknowledgements ix
- Introduction. Discourse and cognitive perspectives on language learning 1
-
Part I. Discourse perspectives
- Chapter 1. Culture, gender, ethnicity, identity in discourse 11
- Chapter 2. Discourse management strategies revisited 37
- Chapter 3. Senior confessions 63
-
Part II. Cognitive perspectives
- Chapter 4. The speech went on (and on) as Kerry dozed off (*and off) 85
- Chapter 5. The role of embodiment in the semantic analysis of phrasal verbs 111
- Chapter 6. Synesthetic metaphors of sound 131
- Chapter 7. Conceptual vs. inter-lexical polysemy 159
-
Part III. Applications to L2 teaching and learning
- Chapter 8. Formulaicity and context in second language pragmatics 193
- Chapter 9. What is happened? Your amazon.com order has shipped 213
- Chapter 10. Effects of L2 exposure on the use of discourse devices in L2 storytelling 249
- Chapter 11. The use of hedging devices in L2 legal writing 275
- Afterword. The theoretical and applied foundations of Andrea Tyler’s approach to the study of language 301
- Name index 311
- Subject Index 315
Chapters in this book
- Prelim pages i
- Table of contents v
- List of contributors vii
- Acknowledgements ix
- Introduction. Discourse and cognitive perspectives on language learning 1
-
Part I. Discourse perspectives
- Chapter 1. Culture, gender, ethnicity, identity in discourse 11
- Chapter 2. Discourse management strategies revisited 37
- Chapter 3. Senior confessions 63
-
Part II. Cognitive perspectives
- Chapter 4. The speech went on (and on) as Kerry dozed off (*and off) 85
- Chapter 5. The role of embodiment in the semantic analysis of phrasal verbs 111
- Chapter 6. Synesthetic metaphors of sound 131
- Chapter 7. Conceptual vs. inter-lexical polysemy 159
-
Part III. Applications to L2 teaching and learning
- Chapter 8. Formulaicity and context in second language pragmatics 193
- Chapter 9. What is happened? Your amazon.com order has shipped 213
- Chapter 10. Effects of L2 exposure on the use of discourse devices in L2 storytelling 249
- Chapter 11. The use of hedging devices in L2 legal writing 275
- Afterword. The theoretical and applied foundations of Andrea Tyler’s approach to the study of language 301
- Name index 311
- Subject Index 315
