On the function of stance-neutral formulations: Apparent neutrality as a powerful stance constructing resource

What is it about?

The function of ACKNOWLEDGE resources (stance-neutral formulations that introduce external propositions) are investigated in this paper. ACKNOWLEDGE resources include such formulations as "according to", "say", "state", and so on. While the formulations themselves do not contain stance, these resources are found to play a crucial role for academic texts to construct stance in larger discourse. Corpus-based study with commentaries. SFL, APPRAISAL, ENGAGEMENT, EAP, stance taking.

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Why is it important?

It was established that academic writers need to clarify their stance toward propositions they introduce into the text. A number of studies on reporting verbs claimed that utilising valued-laden verbs are crucial for academic writers to write successfully. My study, on the contrary, showed that more neutral formulations than value-laden ones are utilised to introduce propositions into text in successful academic writing. Furthermore, neutral formulations were found to actively construct stance in discourse.