Item Details

Mixed messages in criticisms in Iranian PhD dissertation defenses

Issue: Vol 11 No. 3 (2014)

Journal: Journal of Applied Linguistics and Professional Practice

Subject Areas: Writing and Composition Linguistics

DOI: 10.1558/japl.35211

Abstract:

Taking up the role of examiner in PhD dissertation defense sessions involves dealing with two contradictory desires; namely, effective delivery of criticisms and maintaining a positive interpersonal relationship with the recipients of those criticisms. This study explores the discourse strategies examiners use to express the speech act of criticism in the context of Iranian dissertation defense sessions in English for Academic Purposes. The data come from simplified transcriptions of twelve video-recorded sessions of PhD dissertation defense sessions (DDs) from 63 to 123 minutes long. The examiners’ criticisms, which are delivered in the Question-Answer (Q-A) part of defense sessions, are selected for analysis. Consulting taxonomies of criticisms provided by previous studies as the point of departure, the study also provides a taxonomy of criticisms which best fits its purpose. The identified 120 acts are classified into 10 strategy types. The analyses reveal a ‘mixed message’ in criticism acts in that they ambivalently include elements of negativity and positivity. Most criticisms include a number of mitigating strategies as well as aggravating strategies. In addition, they include strategies which ambivalently mitigate and aggravate. It is therefore argued that examiners ambivalently establish relational connection with and separation from the candidates (and their supervisors) through criticisms.

Author: Ahmad Izadi

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