Make Your Voice Heard
I had an argument with one of my postgraduate students a couple of weeks ago. I pointed at some elements of an informal style in his articles, and reminded him of some strict requirements for academic writing in English. He, in answer, provided some examples from published articles of “renowned ELT authors" who do not keep to the rules declared. My student’s humorous suggestion was to transform their annoying idea, "Do as I say, not as I do," onto a more perspective way, "Let's do as they do, not as they say!"
My postgraduate student has definitely found his voice and does not need any prompts. Others, who are still on their way of searching for their own voice and style of writing, could find them beneficial.
By Elina Savitskaya (Chuikova), Doctor of Education, Associate Professor,
Head of FL Teaching Department,
Head of Philological Faculty at Moscow City University (Samara Campus).
CHuikovaES@mgpu.ru
The practice of writing for academic purposes builds the author’s individual style and teaches them to be original and credible. The incorporation of Anglo-American rhetoric tradition in academic communication resulted in the requirements for the researcher’s contribution. To present personal outcomes effectively, it is necessary to write in a convincing factual manner. In the blog, I’m inviting you to find your voice in L2 argumentative writing. You will also learn to measure its strength and force it.
Subconsciously, editors assess writers’ voices: i.e. to which extent they may produce an effect on a reader. There is a strong positive association between the strength of an authorial voice and the quality of the authors’ text. Note that LOW voice strength indicates LOW and mid-level of writing quality while HIGH and mid voice strength is correlated to HIGH proficiency in writing (Zabihi et.al.,2019, p. 331).
What is authorial voice?
This is the demonstration of specific skills such as “assertiveness, self-identification, reiteration of the central idea, and writer presence and autonomy of thought” (Zabihi, et. al. 2019, p. 333). Among the most vivid descriptors that indicate the quality of the author’s voice or the writer’s presence are:
1) self-identification expressions, i.e. phrases that state directly your opinion and/or your position
2) intensifiers, i.e. words and word combination that add the level of certainty to your ideas
3) references to the available resources and their combination to indicate your expertise in your research area, and
4) responses to other voices that add validity and trust to your words.
Strategies for voice strengthening
On a more practical note, let me share some of the strategies that can help strengthen your voice in writing.
-
Make a list of self-identification expressions while reading the published articles.
I’m sure you have already had a collection of the credible articles from your research field. You can find the examples of self-identification expressions in various parts of the articles. “Self-identification expressions such as ‘in my point of view…’ or ‘I believe that…’ as well as intensifiers like ‘definitely,’ ‘certainly,’ or ‘must’ are among the indicators of authorial voice in a given piece of writing.”(Zabihi, et. al. 2019, p. 334)
NB! The variation of frequency and discourse functions of first-person pronouns is subject to the influence of writers’ linguistic and disciplinary backgrounds. (Flowerdew, et. al. 2015)
2. Learn how to hedge and intensify your ideas.
Using hedging and boosting devices helps you demonstrate the strength of your argument or soften your criticism. Have a look at the example:
1) Although they may increase overall travel time, airport security checks appear to be necessary for safeguarding air travel.
2) Although they do increase overall travel time, airport security checks are essential for safeguarding air travel.
In the original sentence 1, underlined words express the possibility of the measures, though the author is not certain about the necessity to take them at all. In the rewritten sentence 2, the author’s position is strong and certain: the measures must be taken.
I think the table with hedging and intensifying phrases will be helpful. Copy and save it for further reference.
Hedging and intensifying vocabulary
Let me illustrate this strategy with examples. Read three versions of the same text to “feel” the contrast. Think which of them sounds more original and credible. Why?
1) Nowadays more and more people hold the opinion that the extended family is less important than in the past. It seems that the relationships between members of a family are not as close as before. Hundreds of studies have been done on this issue to analyze the factors which have led to this change. Furthermore, a great deal of evidence shows us that...
2) Nowadays, numerous studies have been done on learning or teaching English for academic purposes. Hinkel (2011) noted that EAP has emerged out of the broader field of English for specific purposes (ESP), and it focuses on academic context by teaching English specifically to facilitate learners’ study or research through the medium of English. Weir (2000) studied the difficulties in speaking English for academic purpose. Williams (2005) presents the skills and strategies students needed to meet the demands of academic study in English.
4) Averill (1982) defines emotions from the socioconstructivist, framework. He considers emo-tions as part of a broad system of behaviour, rather than patterns of psychological arousal, feelings, or cognitive appraisals. ...A different angle is adopted by Markus and Kitayama (1991, 1994), who argue that depending on the sociocultural environment, he / she will develop the ‘proper’ emotions suiting that context. What is closely relevant to this study is Markus and Kitayama’s (1991) observation about the different ways in which Western and Eastern cultures communicate emotion.
(Retrieved from Martin Hewings: Writing in English for Academic Purposes)
Have you chosen the text that seems to you more expert?
Right, it is the third one. The author goes far beyond mentioning other experts. He/she compares various views and states their position clearly by noting what reference is more relevant to this research. Such strategy indicates that they know the experts in the research field. By comparing and contrasting different positions, they have strengthened their own.
NB! “You may use another writer’s material to support your ideas. But remember that it is still YOUR paper. It should not become simply a collection of ideas and quotations from other sources.” (Leki, 1998)
Final Thoughts
The authorial voice is what makes one text different from another. If you want to sound convincing when sharing your ideas, work on finding your own voice. The strategies that I’ve described - using self-identification expressions, itensifiers and hedges, and reference to authorities - can help the reader “hear” your voice. This will deepen their understanding of your position and lead to your credibility as the author.
Please, feel free to circulate this to any of your contacts who might also like to learn the strategies of developing an authorial voice.
#authorial voice #convincing style #academic writing
Sources
Academic English: How Is It Different? – An interview with Martin Hewings. URL: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=29nizxc8k5k
ScienceDirect. (n.d.). Collection of peer-reviewed journal articles and book chapters. https://www.sciencedirect.com/
Flowerdew, J., & Wang, S. (2015). Identity in academic discourse. Annual Review of Applied Linguistics, 35, 81–99. https://doi.org/10.1017/S026719051400021X
Hewings, M. (2021). Writing in English for Academic Purposes: challenges for teachers and how to overcome them. Cambridge University Press webinar at CambridgeEnglishTeacher.org
Leki, I. (1998). Academic writing: Exploring processes and strategies (2nd ed.). St. Martin's Press.
Zabihi, R., Mehrani-Rad, M., & Khodi, A. (2019). Assessment of authorial voice strength in L2 argumentative written task performances: Contributions of voice components to text quality. Journal of Writing Research, 11(2), 331–355. https://doi.org/10.17239/jowr-2019.11.02.04