Table Of ContentМИНИСТЕРСТВО НАУКИ И ВЫСШЕГО ОБРАЗОВАНИЯ
РОССИЙСКОЙ ФЕДЕРАЦИИ
ЮЖНО-УРАЛЬСКИЙ ГОСУДАРСТВЕННЫЙ УНИВЕРСИТЕТ
Ш143.21-9
Б201
Е.С. Баландина, Т.Ю. Передриенко
WRITING A RESEARCH WORK
IN LINGUISTICS
Учебное пособие
Челябинск
2020
Министерство науки и высшего образования Российской Федерации
Южно-Уральский государственный университет
Кафедра иностранных языков
Ш143.21-9
Б201
Е.С. Баландина, Т.Ю. Передриенко
WRITING A RESEARCH WORK IN LINGUISTICS
Учебное пособие
Челябинск
Издательский центр ЮУрГУ
2020
ББК Ш143.21-923
Б201
Одобрено
учебно-методической комиссией ИЛиМК
Рецензенты:
д.филол.н. Кушнерук С.Л., к.п.н. Довгополова Л.Б.
Баландина, Е.С.
Б201 Writing a Research Work in Linguistics: учебное пособие /
Е.С. Баландина, Т.Ю. Передриенко – Челябинск: Издательский центр
ЮУрГУ, 2020. – 57 с.
Учебное пособие предназначено для магистрантов I и II курсов,
обучающихся по направлению подготовки 45.04.01 «Филология (Теория и
практика английского языка)». Цель учебного пособия – познакомить
студентов с основными принципами организации лингвистического
исследования.
В учебном пособии детально изучаются основные этапы подготовки
научного исследования в области лингвистики. Авторы уделяют особое
внимание правилам написания различных частей выпускной
квалификационной работы магистра (введения, основной части, заключения,
списка используемой литературы, приложения) и предлагают разнообразные
вопросы и упражнения для тренировки и закрепления материала.
Учебное пособие соответствуют требованиям Федерального
государственного образовательного стандарта и может быть использовано
для самостоятельной работы.
ББК Ш143.21-923
© Издательский центр ЮУрГУ, 2020
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CONTENTS
1. Research Work and its Aim…………………………………………………. 4
2. Research Topic………………………………………………………………. 5
3. Academic Style……………………………………………………………… 6
4. The Content of Master Thesis ……………………………………………… 10
4.1. Title Page………………………………………………………………… 11
4.2. Abstract………………………………………………………………….. 12
4.3. The Table of Contents…………………………………………………… 16
4.4. Introduction……………………………………………………………... 17
4.5. The Body of the Thesis………………………………………………... 21
4.5.1. Theoretical Framework…………………………………………... 21
4.5.2. Literature Review………………………………………………… 24
4.5.3. Research Methodology…………………………………………… 32
4.5.4. Practical Part (Analysis)………………………………………….. 37
4.6. Conclusions……………………………………………………………... 41
5. Formatting Rules……………………………………………………………...46
6. The Presentation of Master Thesis…………………………………………… 48
7. Assessment…………………………………………………………………… 53
References………………………………………………………………………. 55
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1. RESEARCH WORK AND ITS AIM
Task 1.
Read the text and answer the questions
given below.
Research work is a process of steps
used to collect and analyze information to
increase the understanding of a topic or
issue. It consists of three steps: pose a
question, collect data and present an
answer to the question (John W. Creswell).
Master Thesis is a piece of original research work written by a student under the
supervision. Thesis idea should be original and relevant. You should reserve enough
time for writing your Thesis so that its content and structure will be as good as
possible.
Master Thesis reveals understanding, reflection and analytical abilities. This
research work should show familiarity with the previous work in the field and should
demonstrate the ability to use research methods and academic style. Furthermore,
Master Thesis must demonstrate the student’s ability to use relevant literature and to
present research results as well as show the ability for further research.
The aims of the Thesis are:
• to put into practice theories and concepts learned on the programme;
• to provide an opportunity to study a particular topic in-depth;
• to improve the student’s ability for independent research work and its practical
application;
• to combine relevant theories and suggest alternatives;
• to enable the student to apply different research methods;
• to demonstrate the student’s ability to use relevant literature and to present
research results;
• to show evidence of the ability to plan and manage Thesis within deadlines.
After the completion of the Thesis, the student should be able:
• to define, design and deliver an academically rigorous piece of research;
• to understand the relationships between the theoretical concepts taught in class
and their application in specific situations;
• to show evidence of critical and holistic knowledge and have a deeper
understanding of their chosen subject area;
• to appreciate practical implications and constraints of the specialist subject;
• to understand the process and decisions to be made in managing a project
within strict deadlines.
1. What does the Master thesis reveal?
2. What are the main aims of the Master thesis?
3. What should the student be able to do after the completion of Thesis?
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Task 2.
Study the statements and reveal the aim of the research work.
1. This study investigates overall grammatical developments of written Australian
English across the twentieth century.
2. The purpose of this study is therefore to road-test a two-step methodological
approach in the investigation of over 6000 progressive constructions in five
comparable corpora: the British, US, India, and Singapore components of the
International Corpus of English (ICE), in addition to the recently released Corpus
of Dutch English.
3. Our classification provides a unified account of the distinctive syntactic and
semantic characteristics of individual adjectives that cannot be explained by
previous studies.
4. The problem of defining humour is discussed, followed by a brief outline of the
theoretical models which underpin the analysis of the various functions which
humour serves in professional language.
5. The article aims to examine the multivoicedness of masculinities in a specific
local context.
6. This is the first attempt to test the diachronic stability of a mixed language by
means of synchronic experimental data.
7. The objective of this article is to estimate speakers’ age from their speech.
8. This study contributes to theoretical debates concerning the role of age for
second-language learning.
9. This article reports a study examining whether foreign language (FL) word
learning can be improved with a reduction in cognitive load.
10. We find that Japanese speakers are estimated to be younger than the English
speakers by English listeners.
2. RESEARCH TOPIC
Task 1.
Read the text and discuss the main points that a student should consider when
selecting a topic of the research.
A student chooses a topic for Master Thesis
together with an academic supervisor. A supervisor
proposes topics that are relevant to the research
projects of the department or the discipline. Topics
related to your unit's project themes are
recommended.
In the process of selecting a topic, you should
take into account the following points:
1. Personal interest in the theme will ensure that you complete the process.
2. Theoretical and conceptual “edge”: the topic should be interpretable using an
interesting approach and relevant concepts.
3. The topic should be researchable, in other words, there should be problems
related to the topic that you try to resolve using available data.
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Understanding of your topic, as well as the research questions, makes your work
easier to guide your choice of theory, literature and empirical data, as well as to
outline Thesis. Readers of scientific texts should always receive answers about what
the problem is (the delimited area that does not have a solution), why the problem is
interesting/important and how Thesis illustrates and solves the problem.
Task 2.
Study the following Research Topics and state the aim.
1. The linguistics of self-branding and micro-celebrity in Twitter: The role of
hashtags.
2. A cross-cultural study of English and Chinese online platforms.
3. The utility of topic modelling for discourse studies: A critical evaluation.
4. Identity and interaction: a sociocultural linguistic approach.
5. Discourse analysis of statements of purpose.
6. The Language of wisdom understood through an analysis of wise quotes.
7. Emojis as tools for emotion work: communicating affect in text messages.
8. A cross-linguistic puzzle and its theoretical implications.
Task 3.
Brainstorm activity.
Follow the instruction given below.
1. First of all consider, what is your topic for consideration? Write this in less than
25 words.
2. Next brainstorm all the ideas that come to mind. Let your ideas flow and write
down everything. Don’t censor.
3. Now, do some freewriting to a prompt: What do I already know about this
topic/question? What do I need to find out? Why do I consider this topic to be
relevant? Write for 10 minutes.
4. Finally, write a list of sources where you can find books, journals, reports that
you need to read. This will help you provide the foundation for your Thesis.
5. Discuss your ideas with other students.
3. ACADEMIC STYLE
Task 1.
Read the text and answer the questions given below.
The purpose of academic writing is to communicate complex ideas in a way that
makes them least likely to be challenged. So it’s important to avoid any ambiguity.
The distinctive features of the academic style are:
preciseness,
clear logic,
compressive character,
impersonality,
formality.
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Preciseness is a basic property of a scientific text. Preciseness and reliability of a
scientific text are established with references and citations. The bibliography is
considered to be a kind of social control over scientific value and reliability of the
results of research.
Clear logic is achieved through a system of logical connections and interrelations.
A stock of linking phrases will help to make a connection between a point in the past
and future, to refer a receptor forward or back.
For example, As we will see…; … As I said earlier…;… Linking phrases help to
develop a point (Moreover…; Despite this…;…According to our estimates,…)
The structure is also important in academic writing – it helps to make your ideas
clear, guides the reader's comprehension and can strengthen your arguments.
Compressive character and economy are also the features of academic style. A
scientific text must provide a reader with maximal information within a minimal time
period and with minimal effort. This stylistic feature is achieved with lexical and
grammatical means (See Pic. 1)
Impersonality is a measure of the extent to which a producer of a text avoids
reference to him/herself or a receptor. Using impersonal and indefinite structures,
passive constructions, infinitive clauses, etc. provides the impression of impersonal
and objective style.
Formality results from the author’s tendency to avoid connotative words in the
scientific text. Writing should be formal, but it does not need to be pompous. To
maintain formality, there are various colloquialisms and shortened forms to avoid:
Avoid shortened forms: shouldn’t, it’s for it is
Avoid popular phrases or clichés such as: when it comes to the crunch
Replace with: finally, in summary, in a crisis
Avoid casual everyday words such as: really, okay, maybe.
Correct use of grammar and punctuation is important. They show that you care
about your work and have adopted a disciplined attitude to writing academically.
They also help to make sure your meaning is understood. The most common mistakes
include:
incomplete sentences (missing a verb or needing information in the
previous sentence to make sense);
the wrong use of semicolons and colons;
the wrong use of apostrophes (check whether the s is there to indicate
possession or a plural);
nouns and verbs where singular /plural do not agree (try proofreading aloud
to spot this);
inconsistent use of tenses (always use the past tense when you are reporting
on something that was done).
Where abbreviations and acronyms are required to avoid repetition, ensure that,
on the first mention, the unabbreviated term appears together with abbreviation or
acronym, for example:
First mention: “An article in the American Journal of Philology (AJPh) reported...”
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Subsequent mention: "Writing in the AJPh, Brown concluded that..."
Sentence length is also important. Short sentences are clear and easy to read.
However, too many short sentences are monotonous. Long sentences are more
interesting but can be difficult to construct and read. Effective writing normally uses
a mixture of long and short sentences, often using a short sentence to introduce the
topic.
Pic. 1
1. What is preciseness? Do you think that it can serve as a social control over
scientific value and reliability of the results of research? In what way?
2. What problems can the author come across when dealing with bibliography?
3. How can the author achieve clear logic? Give examples of some other useful
connections that are not mentioned in the text.
4. Think about any lexical and grammatical means that can help the author to
achieve the compressive character of the text.
5. What is the tradition of impersonality in your country?
6. Do you think that it is a good option not to use connotative words in the
scientific text? How do you think in what cases a scientist can use metaphors
and bright similes?
7. What are the most common mistakes connected with grammar and punctuation?
8. What are the main rules of using abbreviations and acronyms in an academic
style?
9. What can you say about the sentence length?
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Task 2.
Match the linking words with their usage. Think of some other examples.
The principal of usage Linking words
1. Link words that introduce a) owing to, due to, as a result of,
additional information consequently, thus
2. Link words that compare and b) in order to, with the purpose of, with the
contrast aim to, in an attempt to
3. Link words that give c) moreover, in addition, furthermore, as
explanations well as
4. Link words that express d) whereas, on the other hand; although,
consequences however
5. Link words that explain the e) because, since, as, in fact
rationale for adopting a
particular procedure or line of
research
Task 3.
Fill in the gaps with the suitable linking words: therefore, as well as, however, in
order to, due to, moreover, in addition to.
1. Discredits were expressed verbally, by body signals, __________ by a
combination of the two. __________, it was also expressed in an indirect way
(impersonal accusation), that is, not through the meanings of explicit signals, but
through the inferences that may be implied by them.
2. __________ the rapid development of information technologies and globalization
trends the world is becoming more unified. __________ the role of the language
used in politics is increasing.
3. __________ illustrate the correlation of broad and narrow understandings of
linguistic manipulation, it should be noted that the need for verbal communication
between people arises in case if subsequently, they must somehow interact with
each other.
4. __________ discrediting strategy, Donald Trump also used self-promotion
strategy mostly through the tactic of promise (55%).
5. If the conditions determining a particular strategic result are reduced, in this case,
we forecast that certain speech actions must guarantee success with a fair share of
probability. __________ interaction situations may not approve the forecast.
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