Following the work of Hyland (2003, 2004), several studies have investigated the structural,linguistic, and socio-cultural features of dissertation acknowledgements (DAs). This research explores the interface between identity construction...
moreFollowing the work of Hyland (2003, 2004), several studies have investigated the structural,linguistic, and socio-cultural features of dissertation acknowledgements (DAs). This research explores the interface between identity construction and the linguistic features of a Master’s DA, written by a student of Literary Studies, using a two-pronged analytical framework. Three key
findings emerged from the analysis. First, the paper observed a two-move generic structure adopted in the text under study. The paper also demonstrates that the writer of the acknowledgement systematically varies linguistic choices at the lexical, grammatical, and discoursal levels, in order to construct varying and different identities. The third point concerns the hybridization of the DA in terms of the incorporation of formal and informal linguistic elements. Based on these findings, it can be said that the paper has implications for the identity theory, academic (thesis) writing, and further research on DA.
Key words: dissertation acknowledgement, genre, identity, literary studies
