Genre Analysis of MA Thesis Abstracts by native and (Iraqi) non-native Speakers of English

Abstract

Abstract

        The purpose of the present study is to investigate the macro-structure (move-step analysis) of abstract section of MA theses in linguistics. There are two corpora consist of fifteen MA theses written by American native and fifteen others by Iraqi Arab non-native speakers of English. Based on the analysis, some similarities and differences were found regarding cyclicity (move structure) and move-step frequency of occurrence. The findings of the present study are useful for Iraqi non-native writers by presenting the important factors that make them familiar with rhetorical move-step structure of MA thesis abstracts.