خلاصة:
With regard to the relationship between the use of modality and readability levels oftexts, 2 opposing views have been raised. The first view endorses direct positiverelationship between modality and readability in the sense that the use of modalityincreases textual understandability. The second view is that the use of modality leadsto an increase in the number of words, resulting in readability reduction of the texts.Hence, the present study tries to first compare argumentative, expository, andnarrative text types in terms of the use of modalities; then, it explores the possibleinterplay between metadiscourse use and readability indices of the texts. To this end,33 representative texts from different discourse modes were analyzed in terms of thedegrees of idea density and the frequencies of metadiscourse signals. The results ofSpearman rank correlation coefficients did not show any statistically significant gotogethernessbetween metadiscourse use and readability. Moreover, the focused texttypes were not significantly different in terms of the use of metadiscourse modalities,except for shift topic and hedging markers. Targeting intelligibility indices andstylistic devices as dimensions of textual quality, the present study offers implicationsfor writing research and materials design purposes.
ملخص الجهاز:
Hence, the present study tries to first compare argumentative, expository, and narrative text types in terms of the use of modalities; then, it explores the possible interplay between metadiscourse use and readability indices of the texts.
Moreover, the focused text types were not significantly different in terms of the use of metadiscourse modalities, except for shift topic and hedging markers.
To this aim, issues such as establishment of logical relationships (including coherence and cohesion) among different parts of the developed texts and consideration of discursive, pragmatic, and linguistic features which can lead to the achievement of such goal are of paramount importance.
g. , Camiciottoli, 2010; Dafouz-Milne, 2008; Liu & Braine, 2005; Taboada, 2006) have focused on the devices that can establish cohesion and coherence in texts to increase their understandability.
In this regard, modality especially metadiscourse signals which establish relationships among readers, texts, and writers make the texts meet parts of the prerequisites of high understandability and have the potentiality to be investigated together with readability.
Are there any significant relationships between readability and use of modality across expository, argumentative, and narrative text types?
2. Are there any significant differences between expository, argumentative, and narrative texts in terms of the use of metadiscourse markers?
g. , selection of reading strategies, short term memory) are taken into consideration (Kintch & van Dijk, 1978), whereas readability is the result of the interactions between writers, readers, and the texts.