FUNCTIONS OF HEDGING IN ECONOMIC RESEARCH ARTICLES

Abstract

The paper sets out to characterize the communicative role of hedging in economic research articles (RAs) based on a corpus of 15 English RAs in economic field. The paper finds out that economic writers often seek agreement and support for the strongest claims with clear evidence, while also look for the possibility of opposition. Hedges allow economic writers to upgrade or downplay their statements and strengthen their arguments by admitting limitations, uncertainties, and leave a place for peers to participate in approving knowledge. Economic writers often select a hedge that functions to present a claim with greater accuracy or with an assessment of its reliability or a hedge that provides some protection from the professional damage that might result from a claim.