Rhetorical Conventions in the Conclusion Genre: Comparing English and Persian Research Articles in the Field of Social Studies

Abstract

The present study examined the generic structure of the conclusion section of English and Persian Research Articles (RAs) in the field of social studies with the aim of investigating the difference between the two languages. To do so, 50 English and Persian conclusions written and published in credible leading journals were analyzed based on Yang and Allison (2003) model. Results revealed that although there was a kind of unity between the two languages, there were differences between the two corpora. Regarding the frequency of the moves, English authors utilized Move 5 (i.e., Summarizing the study) and Step 2 of Move 6 (i.e., Indicating significance/ advantage) frequently; while, Persian authors used Move 2 (i.e., Reporting results) and Step 3 of Move 4 (i.e., Accounting for results) more. In addition, results showed that the least infrequent move and step in conclusion sections of English RAs were Move 4 (i.e., Commenting on results) and Step 4 of Move 4 (i.e., Evaluating results); whereas, the least frequent move and step in Persian conclusions were Move 7 (i.e., Deduction from the research) and Step 2 of Move 7 (i.e., Recommending further research). Regarding the sequence of moves, findings indicated that English authors tended to use Move 5 (i.e., Summarizing the study) as the opening move of the conclusion section; while, Persian authors utilized Move 1 (i.e., Back ground information) as the most prominent opening move.

DOI: 10.5901/mjss.2015.v6n6s1p372