journal of linguistic studies

(22) This article is the first in-depth analysis of the Nigerian reform. It suggests
that the Nigerian authorities failed to learn the lessons of Chile. (SPb6)
c) reporting verbs suggest, indicate, show, find, argue and claim. The authors use them
to put a strong emphasis (e.g. claim or argue) or weak emphasis (e.g. suggest,
indicate) on the results or just to show the findings (e.g. show, demonstrate,
illustrate, reveal, find):
(23) It argues that the progressives saw European unity in a socialist federation
as a way of staving off the disasters of war, the European hegemony of Nazi
Germany, the restoration of 'small states' in post-war Europe and a damaging
post-war rupture between the democracies and the USSR.. (FPa3)
d) that clauses preceded by an evaluative main clause. The authors use them to lay out
the major details of their results or they allow the authors to be more specific about
their main findings:
(24) Findings indicate that while ticket prices influence attendance generally,
the response of different income groups is similar, with a 10 per cent increase
in price accompanied by a 9 per cent drop in demand. (SPa4)
Move Presenting conclusions is the fifth one being the essential part of the rhetorical
structure of the abstracts analysed. In Move 5 the authors interpret their results, point to
how they can be applied or indicate whether hypotheses or theses, stated in Move 2 –
Introducing purpose, are accepted or refused. Whereas Move 1 – Background indicates
the importance of a research article topic, Move 5 - Presenting conclusions accentuates
the significance of a specific research. It accounts for 93.75% of the social, 62.50% of the
election and 50% of the foreign policy corpora. The analysis has also demonstrated that
there are variations when it comes to the frequency of its steps in three fields of political
science. Namely, the incidence of Step 2: Interpretation of Results is 50% in the
election policy RA abstracts; whereas it is an optional step in the social policy RA
abstracts. It is a facultative step together with Step 1: Explicit Announcements of
Conclusion in the foreign policy corpus.
Step 1 – Explicit Announcements of Conclusion is marked by the use of the noun
phrases a conclusion, a key conclusion, the paper, the analysis and the verbs conclude
and lead, in most cases followed by that clauses:
(25) After assessing the relative merits of the various proposals for a federal Iraq,
we conclude that a system based on five broad regions, though not ideal, is the
least bad of the options available. (EPa4)
(26) The article concludes by arguing that the adoption of HS may have the
added benefit of transcending the exigencies of the present-day and the
parochialism of Western and Eurocentric concerns found in much contemporary
IR. (FPa8)
In Step 2 – Interpretation of Results the authors interpret their results, giving more
details and providing possible implications by the use of the reporting verbs – mean,
suggest, indicate – the verb phrases give little indication, lend support to, become
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