The Liepaja University (LiepU) researchers’ team is involved in an international research project “Academic Writing in the Baltic States: Rhetorical Structures through Culture(s) and Languages” (EMP475, acronym Bwrite)
Project promoter:
University of Tartu (Estonia)
Principal investigator: Djuddah Leijen
Other partners:
Vilnius University (Lithuania), University of Bergen (Norway)
Project duration:
4 years (01.01.2020–31.12.2023)
Finance program:
EEA Financial Mechanism Research Cooperation Grants
LiepU researchers:
Principal investigator Diāna Laiveniece
Senior researchers Agnese Dubava, Dzintra Lele-Rozentāle
Researcher Baiba Egle
In this project, we keep to the assumption that the way academic texts are written is culture-dependent. While quite a large body of research is available on writing traditions in languages with large populations of speakers (e. g. English, German, Spanish), less is known about writing traditions associated with languages spoken by fewer people. As such, we are mainly missing an understanding of rhetorical conventions when it comes to academic writing in Latvian, Estonian and Lithuanian.
The current project aims to map rhetorical conventions of academic writing in Latvian, Estonian and Lithuanian. Focusing on the humanities and social sciences, we will investigate the academic discourse on macro- and micro-level. As such, we will investigate the rhetorical structure typical of specific genres as well as stance and coherence in discourse.
The project contributes to understanding local writing conventions and helps to preserve Latvian, Estonian and Lithuanian in all the domains, including research and higher education.
The results can be used when teaching academic writing in Latvian, Estonian and Lithuanian. Besides, the results will contribute to studies of academic identity aspects and add to the intercultural rhetoric research worldwide.