The Frequency and Function of Just in British and New Zealand Engineering Lectures

Research problem: This corpus comparison study examines the occurrences of $,font frog = w52timhbox{frog just}$ as used in British and New Zealand engineering lectures in order to discover its frequency and functions and to consider its role in professional communication. Research questions: Is $,font frog = w52timhbox{frog just}$ as frequent in the academic genre of university lectures as in other genres of spoken English? (1) Does $,font frog = w52timhbox{frog just}$ have the same functions in British and New Zealand engineering lectures as found in a previous study at an American university? (2) Does a better understanding of the different ways that $,font frog = w52timhbox{frog just}$ is used in lectures have pedagogical implications for professional communication, especially for English as an additional language learners? Literature review: Previous studies show $,font frog = w52timhbox{frog just}$ mainly functions as a ‘”minimizer’” (merely, only, simply) in university lectures in America, and functions the same in British and New Zealand university lectures on engineering. $,font frog = w52timhbox{frog Just}$ also functions as part of a metadiscursive frame (let me $,font frog = w52timhbox{frog just}$ explain), and stance (the speaker\´s attitude toward the content communicated: don\´t $,font frog = w52timhbox{frog just}$ copy down what I\´ve done). In response, Engli- h as an additional language learners can learn to recognize and distinguish the different functions of $,font frog = w52timhbox{frog just}$ and use them appropriately. Methodology: The researcher used a corpus linguistics methodology to determine the frequency of $,font frog = w52timhbox{frog just}$ and a discourse analysis method to see if the functions of $,font frog = w52timhbox{frog just}$ identified in a previous study of the Michigan Corpus of Academic Spoken English applied to the corpus of British and New Zealand engineering lectures. These lectures are all part of the Engineering Lecture Corpus, which was started at Coventry University and includes AUT University in New Zealand. Results and discussion: The frequency of $,font frog = w52timhbox{frog just}$ in British and New Zealand engineering lectures was high: it occurred in the top 50 words in the wordlists of both sets of lectures. $,font frog = w52timhbox{frog Just}$ was used in British and New Zealand engineering lectures the same way as in the American university, functioning mostly as a “minimizer,” often to reduce the imposition of what was being said or asked. It occurred much more frequently in the British engineering lectures than the New Zealand ones, often in short stretches of discourse. Its “locative” meaning, used when indicating a precise location, occurred more often in the New Zealand Electrical Engineering lectures and in the British Civil Engineering lectures. A study of the different ways that $,font frog = w52timhbox{frog just}$ fun