Exploring Implicit Meta-Discourse In Legal Discourse: An Analysis Of The Chinese And American Constitutions
Research in meta-discourse, particularly explicit meta-discourse or meta-discourse markers has contributed much knowledge on the discourse features of specialised genres. However, there are very few studies on implicit meta-discourse. The current study explores implicit meta-discourse in legal di...
| Main Authors: | , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Universitas Pendidikan Indonesia
2017
|
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://eprints.usm.my/39078/ http://eprints.usm.my/39078/1/EXPLORING_IMPLICIT_META-DISCOURSE_IN_LEGAL_DISCOURSE_AN_ANALYSIS_OF_THE_CHINESE_AND_AMERICAN_CONSTITUTIONS.pdf |
| Summary: | Research in meta-discourse, particularly explicit meta-discourse or meta-discourse markers has
contributed much knowledge on the discourse features of specialised genres. However, there are very
few studies on implicit meta-discourse. The current study explores implicit meta-discourse in legal
discourse by comparing the implicit interpersonal meta-discourse in the Constitution of the People’s
Republic of China with the Constitution of the United States. The focus of the study is the use of
implicit meta-discourse, particularly the grammatical meta-discourse in the legal discourse of two
different languages and cultural groups. The findings demonstrate that there are similarities and
differences in the use of implicit meta-discourse in the two constitutions. Within the context of
language discourse, the findings of the current study suggest that legal discourse is distinctive in the
use of implicit interpersonal meta-discourse, particularly in the way writers intrude into the discourse
implicitly by certain key grammatical forms of meta-discourse. Despite the objectivity and rigour of
legal discourse, the current study found that there is some level of subjectivity in such discourse,
evident from the use of implicit meta-discourse. |
|---|