18
Student 6:
“
For example, if the student did not understand what the teacher
said, they can ask the teacher to repeat,…”
Student 7: “If some people including researchers think that NESTs are not
really good in teaching English, here I will,…”
1.6 Adverbial, Adjectival, Nominal Modal Phrase
Table 7. Distribution of Approximators of Adjectival, Adverbial, Nominal
Phrase Adjectival, Adverbial,
Nominal Phrase
Total Occurrence
Maybe 9
Assumption 8
Probably 5
Suggestion 1
Perhaps 1
Claim 1
Adjectival, adverbial, nominal modal phrases were used less by the students. Only 11 students managed to slip these phrases on their writing. This particular lexical
items has similar function as other hedges which to show the uncertainty. Most of them are found in st
udents’ comments. Maybe is the adverbial phrase which is used the most in the students writing.
Example: Student 15
: “
despite the fact that maybe some NNEST who take a study
abroad,…”
Student 16
: “ it did not mean that his NEST did not know the answer, but
perhaps
his NEST could not explain it”
19
1.7 Compound Hedges
Table 8. Distribution of Approximators of Compound Hedges
Compound Hedges Total Occurrence
May seem 3
Might think 3
Might Rarely 2
May Assume 2
May tend 1
May tend to 1
Compound hedges just like adverbial, adjectival, and nominal phrases were rarely to be found but appeared in some of the students writing. Only 6 students applied
this type of hedges in their writing. There are no significant difference on the number of occurrence of each lexical item.
Example: Student 7
: “
Although the issue of NESTs and Non-NESTs may seem
trivial,…”
Student 17 :
“Although accented speech may seem of concern to only small
group of students ,…”
2. The Absence of Hedges
The main problem students are having in the application of hedging is that they sometimes forget to put one in their proposition and comments. I have sorted some
proposition and comments in the students’ writing which I think are supposed to be hedged. In relation to the previous discussion, although it may seem as if the students
