More information
Description
In academic setting, writing is an increasingly important skill for students and scientists. Being the most convenient form of evaluation, writing tasks are increasingly popular in university settings. Within the last decades, writing has also become central for researchers whose performance is often evaluated in terms of publications. Nowadays, most scientists publish their work in English, the current lingua franca of science. However, in the Baltic States, scientists still have the opportunity (and sometimes obligation) to publish research in the local languages, especially in social sciences and humanities. Estonian, Latvian, and Lithuanian are also (still) relevant in teaching and learning on lower levels of higher education.
The current project aims to map rhetorical conventions of academic writing in Estonian, Latvian and Lithuanian. Focusing on the humanities and social sciences, we will investigate the academic discourse on macro- and micro-level. As such, we will investigate rhetorical structure typical of specific genres as well as stance and coherence in discourse. The project contributes to understanding local writing conventions and helps to preserve Estonian, Latvian, and Lithuanian in all the domains, including research and higher education. The results can be used when teaching academic writing in Estonian, Latvian and Lithuanian. In addition, the results will contribute to studies of academic identity aspects and add to the intercultural rhetoric research worldwide.