Columnist Insights: A Corpus Based Analysis of Boosters and Self-Mentions in Pakistani English Newspaper

Abstract

This study investigates the employment of interactional metadiscourse features, specifically self-mentions and boosters, by Pakistani male writers in English-language opinion columns across prominent national newspapers such as The News (TN), Dawn News (DN), and The Express Tribune (TET). Utilizing a mixed-methods approach within a descriptive research framework, this analysis encompasses a randomly selected sample of 90 opinion columns from each newspaper. Guided by Hyland's (2005) bifurcation of metadiscourse into interactional and interactive dimensions, the study quantitatively and qualitatively assesses the prevalence of these markers, shedding light on their strategic use in the nuanced context of Pakistani journalistic discourse. The results showed that the authors intentionally used boosters to make their points stronger and show they were confident about their ideas. They also talked about themselves in their writing to make a closer connection with the readers. This study highlights how these writing techniques can make opinion articles more convincing and interesting. It helps us understand better how writers in Pakistani newspapers use these methods to improve their work. Through this exploration, the research addresses a notable gap in the literature, enriching the discourse on metadiscourse application in non-Western journalistic settings.