ABSTRACT
Metadiscursive nouns work to create the rhetorical construction of a cohesive and coherent discourse by functioning as metadiscourse, referring to the organisation of the discourse or the writers’ attitude towards elements of discourse. Engaging readers through metadiscursive nouns reveals writers’ efforts to include readers as participants in the joint construction of discourse. It is natural that discourse and cognition nouns appear frequently in the review of literature and disciplinary knowledge, but academic writers are likely to be cautious of this evaluative review and the obtrusive discussion of cognitive elements which inject subjectivity. In sum, while communicating the research, academic writers try to engage readers as discourse participants and take authorial positioning towards them and the research material. The form is a relatively more writer-centred epistemic and evaluative judgement in relation to disciplinary modes of knowing and social practice.
