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Stance and engagement in digital oratory: A corpus-based approach to interactional metadiscourse between TED talks and L2 student persuasive speeches
Date Issued
2025
Publisher
John Benjamins Publishing Company
ISSN
2542-3835
2542-3843
Citation
Journal of Second Language Studies, 2025.
Type
Peer Reviewed Journal Article
Abstract
Abstract
This study adopts a corpus-assisted approach to examine differences in interactional metadiscourse (IM) between
TED Talks and L2 student digital persuasive speeches. Two corpora were compiled for analysis: a TED corpus and a STU corpus
comprising English speeches delivered by L2 students in a public speaking course at a Hong Kong university. Quantitative results
revealed significant differences across all IM categories except hedges, with the TED corpus showing higher frequencies of
self-mentions and boosters, and the STU corpus featuring more directives and audience pronouns. Qualitative analysis further
indicated that L2 students employed a narrower range of IM forms, often overusing or underusing specific types, resulting in less
persuasive stance and weaker emotional appeal. The rhetorical divergences between the two genres offer valuable insights for L2
public speaking pedagogy, highlighting the importance of explicit instruction in stance and engagement through the effective use
of IM in digital oratory.
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