谨慎的学术作者倾向于避免绝对的肯定,往往留有稍许余地,避免过度概括。
One of the most noticeable stylistic aspects of academic communication is the tendency for writers to avoid expressing absolute certainty, where there may be a small degree of uncertainty, and to avoid making over-generalisations, where a small number of exceptions might exist. This means that there are many instances where the epistemologica strength (strength of knowledge) of a statement or claim is mitigated (weakened) in some way. In the field of linguistics, devices for lessening the strength of a statement or claim are known as hedging devices.
Analysis of research reports have shown that discussion sections tend to be particularly rich in hedging devices, particularly where writers are offering explanations for finding.
在提出解释或假说时保持谨慎
Being cautious when giving explanations or hypothesis
are almost certainly
These frequent storms could be due to climate change.
may be
might be
It is almost certain that
It is likely that
It may be that the more extreme weather is a result of climate change.
It could be that
It is possible that
A likely explanation
A probable explanation is that these frequent storms are a result of climate change
A possible explanation
在解释结果时保持谨慎
Being cautious when explaining results
This inconsistency may be due to ...
This discrepancy could be attributed to ...
A possible explanation for this might be that ...
It seems possible that these results are due to ...
This rather contradictory result may be due to ...
There are several possible explanations for this result.
There are two likely causes for the differences between ...
A possible explanation for these results may be the lack of adequate ...
在讨论可能的结果或提出建议时保持谨慎
Being cautious when discussing implications or recommendations
One possible implication of this is that ...
The findings of this study suggest that ...
The evidence from this study suggests that ...
Taken together, these results suggest that ...
The data reported here appear to support the assumption that ...
Initial observations suggest that there may be a link between ...
Strategies to enhance X might involve ...
There would therefore seem to be a definite need for ...
A resonable approach to tackle this issue could be to ...
Another possible area of future research would be to investigate why ...
如何避免过度概括
Devices for avoiding over-generalisation
almost all
most
Ozone is toxic to many types of living organisms.
the majority of
certain types of
some types of
nearly always
Ozone levels frequently exceed WHO levels in many cities.
often
occasionally
Being cautious when writing about the future
will almost certainly
will probably
Severe weather is likely to become more common in the future.
could
may
might
It is almost certain that
There is a strong possibility that
It is likely that the situation will improve in the long term.
There is a possibility that
There is a small chance that
对研究发现要谨慎解读
Advising cautious interpretation of findings
These data must be interpreted with caution because ...
These results therefore need to be interpreted with caution.
However, with a small sample size, caution must be applied, as the finding might not be ...
These finding cannot be extrapolated to all patients.
Although exclusion of X did not ..., these results should be interpreted with caution.
It is important to bear in mind the possible bias in these responses.
指导老师:宁 梅
信息采集提供:戴佳沛
图文编辑:王 倩