THE ENGLISH ABSTRACT IN JOURNAL ARTICLES ON APPLIED LINGUISTICS: LEXICO-GRAMMATICAL FEATURES

Abstract

This study explores the lexico-grammatical features of the abstracts of research articles (RAAs) in the field of applied linguistics. The data for this study is 30 RAAs from the two journals - English for Specific Purposes Journal (ESPJ) and TESOL Quarterly Journal (TSQJ). The analysis was based on Systemic Functional Grammar (SFG) as an analytical tool and confined to three systems of transitivity, modality and thematisation. The results reveal that regarding transitivity, an overwhelming majority lies with material and relational processes although all types of processes are present. As for modality, most of the clauses are non-modalised. As far as thematic structure is concerned, this genre contains mainly single unmarked topical themes; the use of multiple, interpersonal and textual themes is infrequent. The results of this study hold practical implications for teaching English for Academic Purposes.