Evaluative Meanings and Disciplinary Values - eTheses Repository ...

judgments tend to draw on both emotional and rational considerations when using this
semantic group of adjectives in the A DJ PR EP N pattern.
The four semantic groups in judgment will be used to explain how applied linguistics
and business studies differ in the writers attitude, the contexts of situation, and the
disciplinary culture in terms of the use of the pattern A DJ PR EP N. The subsequent
sub-sections will present the evidence for these disciplinary parameters in detail.
8.1.1. Bias
The first group of judgment meanings is the BIAS group. This group indicates whether a thing,
data, or approach is (un-)biased towards a specific condition, a situation, an activity, or a
research result. In other words, this group does not indicate prejudiced views in a general
sense. Unlike other semantic groups, the BIAS group is oriented toward specific adjectives,
namely biased and neutral in the pattern A DJ PR EP N, rather than specific prepositional type
of the pattern (e.g. the USEFULNESS group is oriented to A DJ for N).
biased PR EP N
neutral PR EP N
PREP. ALC BC PREP. ALC BC
toward(s) 11 5 about 0 1
against 2 1 as 0 1
by 3 5 between 0 2
to 2 0 on 1 2
Total 18 11 Total 1 6
Prop. 62% 38% Prop. 14% 86%
Table 8.1. biased/neutral PR EP N
As can be seen in Table 8.1, evaluations of bias seem to occur more frequently in ALC than in
BC, whereas neutral situations appear more frequently in BC than in ALC. The reason for the
former is that the two disciplines see different things, and the reason for the latter is that the
neutral situation is more desirable in business studies than applied linguistics.
statements, and are often positive in their evaluative polarity, whereas in business studies this
pattern is more likely to express negatively critical evaluations of data collection procedures
carried out by other people:
125