Appraisal Resources in Science Communication: Astrophysics Discourse in Academia and Media

Shoja, Leila; Karambeigi, Amir Mamood; Afshar, Tahereh

doi:10.22034/jls.2026.145290.1338

Appraisal Resources in Science Communication: Astrophysics Discourse in Academia and Media

Articles in Press

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

¹ Assistant Professor, English Language and Literature Department,, Ilam University, Ilam, Iran.

² MA. in TEFL, English Language and Literature Department, Ilam University, Ilam, Iran

³ Associate Professor, English Language and Literature Department, Ilam University, Ilam, Iran

10.22034/jls.2026.145290.1338

Abstract

Science communication has been investigated through a variety of theories and perspectives. However, certain fields that are targets of science popularization have not received due attention. This study, therefore, aimed to examine evaluation in the spoken academic and popularized English discourse of astrophysics. Thirteen episodes from a well-regarded documentary represented the popularized discourse in the research, while twelve academic lectures by college professors represented the academic discourse. First, the data were transcribed using Trint, and then the corpus was analyzed with UAM CorpusTool based on the categories of Appraisal Theory. The analysis revealed that the most frequent resources in both corpora were Graduation, Attitude, and Engagement, respectively. Moreover, the results of four chi-square tests revealed significant differences in the use of appraisal resources between them. The findings, which are explained by different factors such as the audience and communicative goals, have implications for science communicators in academic and popular contexts.

Keywords

Main Subjects

Discourse Analysis and Pragmatics

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Appraisal Resources in Science Communication: Astrophysics Discourse in Academia and Media

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Articles in Press, Accepted Manuscript
Available Online from 18 May 2026

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Appraisal Resources in Science Communication: Astrophysics Discourse in Academia and Media

References

Articles in Press, Accepted Manuscript Available Online from 18 May 2026

Files

History

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How to cite

Statistics

Articles in Press, Accepted Manuscript
Available Online from 18 May 2026