Cross-cultural variation in the expression of persuasive power
in the genre of technical manuals: The case of directives

J 2019

Cross-cultural variation in the expression of persuasive power in the genre of technical manuals: The case of directives

POVOLNÁ, Renata

Basic information

Original name

Cross-cultural variation in the expression of persuasive power in the genre of technical manuals: The case of directives

Name in Czech

Mezikulturní variace ve vyjadřování persvazivní síly v žánru technických manuálů: Vyjadřování rozkazů

Authors

POVOLNÁ, Renata (203 Czech Republic, guarantor, belonging to the institution)

Edition

Discourse and Interaction, Brno, Masarykova univerzita, 2019, 1802-9930

Other information

Language

English

Type of outcome

Článek v odborném periodiku

Field of Study

60203 Linguistics

Country of publisher

Czech Republic

Confidentiality degree

není předmětem státního či obchodního tajemství

References:

URL

RIV identification code

RIV/00216224:14410/19:00107801

Organization unit

Faculty of Education

DOI

http://dx.doi.org/10.5817/DI2019-1-47

Keywords (in Czech)

mezikulturní variace; technický diskurz; technické manuály; persvaze; persvazivní síla; persvazivní strategie; rozkazy; imperativy; modální slovesa; predikativní adjektiva

Keywords in English

cross-cultural analysis; technical discourse; technical manuals; persuasion; persuasive power; persuasive strategies; directives; imperatives; modal verbs; predicative adjectives

Abstract

V originále

The paper provides a cross-cultural analysis of selected linguistic realizations of persuasion in technical manuals as typical representatives of technical discourse. It aims to identify differences and similarities between the ways persuasive power is expressed in this type of specialized discourse in English and Czech L1 texts. The data comprises manuals to various technical devices and amounts to slightly more than 200,000 words. This specialized corpus (15 manuals in English and 15 in Czech) is assumed to enable the comparison of the ways in which technical communicators express persuasion. The investigation, which is conducted from the perspectives of corpus analysis and discourse analysis, focuses on the ways in which the interactive and dynamic process of persuasion is explicitly manifested: 1. directly (i.e. using directives expressed by imperatives of full verbs, modals of obligation, necessity, prohibition, and predicative adjectives expressing the writer’s judgement of the necessity to perform an action) and 2. indirectly (i.e. using other language means than directives, such as other modals than those related to obligation, necessity or prohibition, conditional clauses, rhetorical questions). The findings are expected to be relevant and applicable in the education domain to raise technical writers’ awareness of directives as useful persuasive strategies suitable for the production of effective well-written technical manuals since their quality including the appropriate degree of persuasiveness can influence prospective consumers to make a purchase of a particular technical device.

Links

GA17-16195S, research and development project

Name: Persvaze v anglickém a českém specializovaném diskurzu

Investor: Czech Science Foundation

Citovat

POVOLNÁ, Renata. Cross-cultural variation in the expression of persuasive power in the genre of technical manuals: The case of directives. Discourse and Interaction. Brno: Masarykova univerzita, 2019, vol. 12, No 1, p. 47-74. ISSN 1802-9930. Available from: https://dx.doi.org/10.5817/DI2019-1-47.

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   author = {Povolná, Renata},
   article_location = {Brno},
   article_number = {1},
   doi = {http://dx.doi.org/10.5817/DI2019-1-47},
   keywords = {cross-cultural analysis; technical discourse; technical manuals; persuasion; persuasive power; persuasive strategies; directives; imperatives; modal verbs; predicative adjectives},
   language = {eng},
   issn = {1802-9930},
   journal = {Discourse and Interaction},
   title = {Cross-cultural variation in the expression of persuasive power in the genre of technical manuals: The case of directives},
   url = {https://journals.muni.cz/discourse-and-interaction/article/view/12330/10788},
   volume = {12},
   year = {2019}
}

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AU  - Povolná, Renata
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PB  - Masarykova univerzita
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KW  - cross-cultural analysis
KW  - technical discourse
KW  - technical manuals
KW  - persuasion
KW  - persuasive power
KW  - persuasive strategies
KW  - directives
KW  - imperatives
KW  - modal verbs
KW  - predicative adjectives
UR  - https://journals.muni.cz/discourse-and-interaction/article/view/12330/10788
L2  - https://journals.muni.cz/discourse-and-interaction/article/view/12330/10788
N2  - The paper provides a cross-cultural analysis of selected linguistic realizations of persuasion in technical manuals as typical representatives of technical discourse. It aims to identify differences and similarities between the ways persuasive power is expressed in this type of specialized discourse in English and Czech L1 texts. The data comprises manuals to various technical devices and amounts to slightly more than 200,000 words. This specialized corpus (15 manuals in English and 15 in Czech) is assumed to enable the comparison of the ways in which technical communicators express persuasion. The investigation, which is conducted from the perspectives of corpus analysis and discourse analysis, focuses on the ways in which the interactive and dynamic process of persuasion is explicitly manifested: 1. directly (i.e. using directives expressed by imperatives of full verbs, modals of obligation, necessity, prohibition, and predicative adjectives expressing the writer’s judgement of the necessity to perform an action) and 2. indirectly (i.e. using other language means than directives, such as other modals than those related to obligation, necessity or prohibition, conditional clauses, rhetorical questions). The findings are expected to be relevant and applicable in the education domain to raise technical writers’ awareness of directives as useful persuasive strategies suitable for the production of effective well-written technical manuals since their quality including the appropriate degree of persuasiveness can influence prospective consumers to make a purchase of a particular technical device.
ER  -

POVOLNÁ, Renata. Cross-cultural variation in the expression of persuasive power in the genre of technical manuals: The case of directives. \textit{Discourse and Interaction}. Brno: Masarykova univerzita, 2019, vol.~12, No~1, p.~47-74. ISSN~1802-9930. Available from: https://dx.doi.org/10.5817/DI2019-1-47.

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