PROXIMITY CONSTRUCTION IN CHINESE LINGUISTIC MA NOVICES' AND EXPERTS' ACADEMIC WRITING: EVIDENCE FROM STANCE AND ENGAGEMENT FEATURES

This study examines proximity construction in Chinese linguistic MA novices' and experts' academic writing. Analyzing 50 English MA theses and 100 articles from reputable journals, novices show comparable categories in stance and engagement features, but heavily rely on external voices, diminishing their identities. Besides, they encounter challenges in effectively utilizing engagement features.