Epistemic Rhetorical Stance: Hedges and Boosters in L1 and L2 Students’ English Writing

A key aspect of academic writing involves delivering writer`s argument with an appropriate degree of mitigated expression and strong assertion. However, positioning statements with balanced qualification and certainty remains a formidable challenge for second language learners. Despite its significance, we know little on the use of epistemic devices in Korean students` English writing. The purpose of this paper is to compare the expression of...