Constructing the Scientific Dialogue in Mathematics: The Search of an Equilibrium between Words and Symbols in Game Theory Research Articles

Abstract

Most scientific communication is conducted in English, which may be a difficult task and a source of obstacles for researchers whose primary language is not English (Bitchenera & Basturkmen, 2006; Borlogan, 2009; Duff, 2010; Matsuda & Matsuda, 2010). As a matter of concern for language scholars, this situation requires at least two actions: (1) the development of research focused on the problems faced by researchers when writing in a foreign language, and (2) the design and implementation of pedagogical and didactic programmes or services aimed at providing researchers with the tools to enhance their linguistic and rhetorical skills. In both cases, the ultimate objective of these lines of action is to help researchers integrate into and interact with their knowledge communities in an independent, active and successful way. Considering those needs and the emerging interest in English as a lingua franca or as an international language, many scholars have devoted to studying the features of writing and language use across the world and across disciplines (Hyland, 2004; Matsuda & Matsuda, 2010; Mercado, 2010). However, few have explored the case of Mathematics (Lemke, 2002; Morgan, 2008; O’Halloran, 2005; Schleppegrell, 2007), and even fewer have investigated the discourse of scientific research articles (SRA) in this discipline (Graves & Moghadassi, 2013, 2014). In view of this situation, investigation of the discourse of science in the field of Mathematics (Game Theory - GT) as used in the Institute of Applied Mathematics (IMASL), at the National University of San Luis (UNSL), becomes both an answer to local researchers’ needs and an attempt to contribute to current research in writing, evaluative discourse and use of English as an international language for the communication of science. Thus, the main objective of this work is to conduct a comparative description between unpublished GT SRAs written in English by IMASL researchers and published GT SRAs written in English by international authors, in terms of linguistic features used to build authorship and authorial stance. The exploration of the genre is made from the perspective of the system of Appraisal (Hood, 2010; Martin & White, 2005; White, 2000), with the aid of Corpus Linguistics (CL) tools (Cheng, 2012; Meyer, 2002; Tognini-Bonelli, 2001). The results of this research are expected to be useful for the enhancement of knowledge of language professionals devoted to the teaching of writing as well as translation, proofreading, editing and reviewing services. A further goal is to lay the foundations for the production of didactic material which can potentially be incorporated into writing courses or professional writing, translation, reviewing and proofreading training programmes.