Do Pakistani English writers hedge more in linguistics research than native English writers?

Abstract

The purpose of this corpus-based study is to compare the use of hedges and associated linguistic constituents in the linguistic research articles authored by Pakistani English Writers (PEWs) and native English writers (NEWs). NEWs hedge more than their PEWs peers, as per the outcomes of the two corpora (20 linguistics research articles by PEWs and 20 linguistics research articles by NEWs). Nevertheless, the statistics revealed that both corpora employed hedging types that were quite similar. To minimize the legitimacy of their assertions and arguments, both factions relied primarily on lexical and hedging strategies, and both groups avoided utilizing hedges such as adverbs of frequency. Likewise, neither group used epistemic nor possibility hedging much. Nonetheless, the use of linguistic elements of hedging by PEWs and NEWs authors differ considerably. PEWs are more committed to their opinions being more appealing and persuasive, owing to the clear impact of first language and culture.