Is Different From : A Corpus-Based Study of Evaluative Adjectives in Economics Discourse

Economics discourse is now seen as characterized by intersubjectivity and interactivity, since economists take a stance by using lexico-grammatical elements and rhetorical features to build a convincing argument from a personal perspective, to attain solidarity with readers, and to claim social participation in the economics community. Evaluation and particularly evaluative adjectives are thus a crucial feature of economics discourse. Taking a qualitative and quantitative approach, this study explores, in a small specialized corpus, the functions of evaluative adjectives, their variation across genres and registers, and whether they are constrained by the specific domain of economics. Findings show that evaluative adjectives can adopt more than one function simultaneously, they vary across genres and registers, and that they are strongly constrained by domain. Moreover, given the need to use specialized language internationally, this study wants to build, especially in NNS economists, an awareness of the features which typify economics discourse and a better understanding of the crucial role evaluative adjectives hold when economists have to communicate critical perspectives while building their professional persona