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Description
This study examines how intermediate-level Japanese university students use English intensifiers (e.g., very, really, so) to construct interpersonal stance in argumentative essays. Drawing on Systemic Functional Linguistics and Appraisal Theory, it explores how intensifiers amplify evaluation and shape emerging academic voice. A mixed-methods analysis of 60 essays reveals frequent overuse of general boosters and limited pragmatic variation.
Abstract section 2: Contribution/research questions
This paper asks three questions:
1. How do intermediate Japanese university learners use intensifiers to construct attitudinal stance?
2. Which evaluative domains (affect, judgment, appreciation) are most frequently intensified?
3. To what extent does intensifier use reflect developing control over academic register?
The study reframes intensifier overuse as part of pragmatic development and contributes to research on emerging L2 academic voice.
Abstract section 5: References
Halliday, M. A. K., & Matthiessen, C. (2014). Halliday’s Introduction to Functional Grammar (4th ed.). London: Routledge.
Hyland, K. (2005). Stance and Engagement in Academic Discourse. Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan.
Abstract section 4: Outcomes/results
Findings indicate heavy reliance on high-frequency boosters such as very and really, primarily modifying general appreciation (e.g., very important, really good). Intensifiers frequently function as default emphasis markers rather than strategically deployed rhetorical resources. This pattern contributes to a spoken-like tone and occasionally weakens argumentative precision. Variation across writers suggests uneven pragmatic development, with some evidence of emerging selectivity in stronger texts. Overall, intensifier use reflects an intermediate stage of academic voice development in which emphasis is present but not yet consistently aligned with disciplinary expectations.
Abstract section 3: Content/method
The dataset consists of 60 argumentative essays (approx. 30,000 words) written by intermediate-level English majors (CEFR B1–B2 equivalent) at a Japanese university. A mixed-methods approach combines corpus-based frequency and collocation analysis with qualitative discourse analysis. Intensifier tokens are categorised and examined in relation to evaluative lexis and modality. The analysis is informed by M.A.K. Halliday’s interpersonal metafunction and Appraisal Theory.
Abstract section 1: Relevance
Intensifiers are highly frequent in learner writing, yet their pragmatic role in stance construction remains underexplored, particularly among intermediate EFL learners. In Japanese university contexts, students often rely on familiar boosters while developing control over academic register and objectivity. By examining intensification as an interpersonal resource rather than a lexical issue, this study contributes to interlanguage pragmatics and L2 writing research. It also responds to pedagogical concerns about how learners manage emphasis and evaluation in argumentative writing within English-medium higher education settings.
| Title | Intensifiers as Stance Markers in L2 Writing |
|---|---|
| Teaching Context | College and university education |