Metadiscourse markers in the essays of l2 learners of English

There are several rhetorical tools that writers can utilize to make their texts more convincing. One of these tools is metadiscourse. Metadiscourse is comprised of patterns that writers make use of to interact with their readers. Metadiscourse markers are studied under two categories named interactive and interactional. Interactional metadiscourse markers, which are analyzed in this study, help writers to communicate with their readers, and convey their attitude and stance towards their texts and they are studied in five types: hedges, boosters, attitude markers, engagement markers and self-mention. Metadiscourse is highly studied in academic contexts. In this research, argumentative texts produced at the end of three modules by preparatory class students in a private university in Turkey were analyzed in terms of the use of interactional metadiscourse markers to determine if there is any difference between modules regarding the types and frequency of markers used. The findings show that in general, Turkish EFL students use engagement markers and hedges most frequently, which are followed by boosters, self-mention and attitude markers respectively. However, when the relationship between the given markers and the modules were scrutinized, a decrease was observed in all categories. Keywords: metadiscourse, L2 writing, English as foreign language, argumentative texts, interactional metadiscourse markers