Metadiscourse : exploring interaction in writing , ken Hyland , continuum ,

Introduction Linguists’ interest in discourse in recent years is gradually shifting from the traditional focus on ideational dimension of texts and speech to the ways they function interpersonally (Hyland, 2004). Such a view argues that writers or speakers do not simply produce a text to convey information and to represent an external reality. They, however, seek to ensure that the information they present is understandable and acceptable. In this regard, they draw their addressees in, and try to motivate them to follow along. To communicate effectively, they anticipate their receivers' expectations, requirements and resources, and try to engage them in their texts and affect their understandings of them. Writing or speaking is, therefore, viewed as a social and communicative process between writers or speakers and readers or listeners (Hyland and Tse, 2004; Hyland, 2004; Hyland, 2005). Metadiscourse is a widely used term in current discourse analysis, and is a relatively new approach that refers to the ways writers or speakers project themselves in their texts to interact with their receivers. It is a concept which is based on a view of writing or speaking as a social engagement (Hyland, 2005; Dafouz-Milne, 2008). It is, therefore, believed to play an important role in organizing the discourse, engaging the audience and signaling the writer's or speaker’s attitude (Fuertes-Olivera et al., 2001). As a result, it has been taken up and used by researchers to trace patterns of interaction, and to discuss different aspects of language in use. Appearing in continuum series, Ken Hyland’s book offers an in-depth analysis of the theory and application of metadiscourse. In his book, Hyland brings into clearer focus the boundaries of metadiscourse and presents important insights into the theoretical and practical aspects of it. This book will, therefore, be appreciated and welcomed by analysts, researchers and teachers. The book is divided into nine chapters which are organized into three sections. Section one Section 1 (What is metadiscourse) discusses the underlying assumptions, conceptions and classifications of the term metadiscourse and introduces its goals and rationale to provide a basis for its understanding and application. It consists of three chapters. Chapter one Chapter 1 (First Impression) provides a brief picture of metadiscourse by explaining its general definitions and its context of emergence. As discussed by Hyland, the term metadiscourse was first introduced by Zelling Harris in 1959 to represent a writer’s or speaker’s attempts to guide his receivers’ perception of the text. The concept was later developed by other scholars. At first a distinction was drawn between transactional (the communication of information) and interactional (the communication of affects) functions of language. The scholars, however, tended to value the transactional function more. They, consequently, paid their attention to the ways ideas were expressed. Sinclair, however, offered an alternative approach in 1981 by making a distinction between the interactive and autonomous planes of discourse. By the autonomous planes he meant how experiences and ideas are unfolded through the organization of the text, and by interactive plane how language is used to create a relation between the reader and the writer. Shiffrin’s( 1980) notion of meta-talk helped forward the realization of the notion of metadiscourse. She believed that meta-talk lets the writer to project himself in the text and to take into account the organizational and evaluative aspects of the text to clarify the information conveyed. This is actually what metadiscourse entails. The underlying conception of metadiscourse is that the only aim of communication is not the conveyance of information. But rather the writer and the reader interact with each other to affect the ways the information is understood.