Reporting Verbs in ELT Research Discussions: A Corpus-Based Comparison of Thai Scholars and International Editor-Authors

Abstract

Academic writing often requires authors to position their work in relation to previous studies, frequently through the use of reporting verbs (RVs). These verbs are essential rhetorical tools for presenting findings, evaluating prior research, and engaging with readers. This study investigates the use of RVs in the discussion sections of English language teaching (ELT) research articles written by Thai scholars (TS) and international editor-authors (IE), the scholars who also hold editorial roles in top-tier journals. Drawing on Hyland’s (2002) classification of RVs, the study compares the frequency and rhetorical functions of the most commonly used RVs in two balanced corpora of 20 discussion sections each. Using both corpus-based and qualitative content analysis, the study reveals key cross-cultural differences. Thai scholars tended to employ more RVs overall and showed a stronger preference for discourse-oriented verbs, while international editor-authors favored research-oriented verbs. These findings highlight differing rhetorical conventions in academic writing and suggest that a deeper awareness of RV use may help novice scholars enhance the clarity and persuasiveness of their academic writing.