Attitudinal Resources in the English Textbook Life – Upper Intermediate: A Systemic Functional and Intercultural Perspective
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.17507/jltr.1703.29Keywords:
attitudinal resources, stance, EFL textbook, intercultural communication, cultural valuesAbstract
This study investigates attitudinal resources in the international English as a Foreign Language (EFL) textbook Life – Upper Intermediate through the lens of the Appraisal framework (Martin & White, 2005). It focuses on how evaluative meanings are distributed and realized across different text types to shape stance and interpersonal positioning in pedagogical discourse. A qualitative discourse analysis was conducted on selected reading passages to identify instances of Affect, Judgement, and Appreciation, with particular attention to their polarity, distinguishing between positive and negative instances. The findings reveal that Appreciation predominates, highlighting the textbook's emphasis on valuing human achievements, social harmony, and cross-cultural understanding. Judgement and Affect appear more selectively, constructing moral perspectives and empathy in the narratives. These attitudinal patterns demonstrate how the textbook constructs an implicitly positive worldview aligned with global educational discourse. The study contributes to the understanding of evaluation in instructional materials and offers insights into the linguistic realization of stance in international EFL publishing.
References
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Chou, M. H. (2022). Using literature circles to teach graded readers in English: An investigation into reading performance and strategy use. Innovation in Language Learning and Teaching, 16(2), 144–163. https://doi.org/10.1080/17501229.2021.1885412
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Dontcheva-Navratilova, O. (2009). Epistemic modality in Czech academic writing in English. Discourse and Interaction, 2(2), 7–24.
Dummett, P., Hughes, J., & Stephenson, H. (2021). Life: Upper intermediate (2nd ed.). National Geographic Learning/Cengage Learning.
Ebrahimi, S. F., & Mohsenzadeh, A. (2022). Functional analysis of stance nouns in English Language Teaching research articles. Southern African Linguistics and Applied Language Studies, 40(4), 430–440. https://doi.org/10.2989/16073614.2022.2075903
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Hashim, S. S. (2022). Critical discourse analysis of the attitudinal resources in modern English poetry: The appraisal system. International Journal of Linguistics, 14(2), 163–181.
Hood, S. (2010). Appraising research: Evaluation in academic writing. Palgrave Macmillan.
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Khamkhien, A. (2014). Linguistic features of evaluative stance: Findings from research article discussions. Indonesian Journal of Applied Linguistics, 4(1), 54–69. https://doi.org/10.17509/ijal.v4i1.600
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Muti’ah, & Azizah, V. M. (2024). Investigating students’ attitudes on oral corrective feedback: Small-scale survey in academic speaking class. International Journal of English Linguistics, Literature, and Education (IJELLE), 6(1), 26–37.
Myskow, G. (2017). Appraising history: Stance and engagement in Japanese high school history textbooks. Linguistics and Education, 38, 1–10.
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Nguyen, T. M. L. (2023). The language of evaluation in English textbooks at the secondary level in Vietnam from the viewpoint of systemic functional grammar [Doctoral dissertation]. University of Education, The University of Danang.
Ross, A. S. (2016). The construction of stance in the 2012 Australian prime ministerial debates. Journal of Language and Politics, 15(4), 488–510.
Sahragard, R., & Meihami, H. (2016). A selective study of the appraisal system in cosmetic advertisements: A systemic functional perspective. International Journal of Applied Linguistics and English Literature, 5(4), 45–52.
Siromaa, M., & Rauniomaa, M. (2021). Stance and evaluation. In M. Haugh, D. Z. Kádár, & M. Terkourafi (Eds.), The Cambridge handbook of sociopragmatics (pp. 95–116). Cambridge University Press.
Termjai, M. (2025). A study of vague language in argumentative essays by Thai EFL undergraduate students. 3L: Language, Linguistics, Literature, 31(1), 269–284.
Thompson, G., & Hunston, S. (2000). Evaluation: An introduction. In S. Hunston & G. Thompson (Eds.), Evaluation in text: Authorial stance and the construction of discourse (pp. 1–27). Oxford University Press.
Tomlinson, B. (2012). Materials development for language learning and teaching. Language Teaching, 45(2), 143–179.
Vo, L. H., & Le, L. V. (2025). Exploring EFL writers’ authorial voice in academic discussions: A graduation-based appraisal analysis. Forum for Linguistic Studies, 7(5), 932–946.
White, P. R. R. (1998). Telling media tales: The news story as rhetoric [Doctoral dissertation]. University of Sydney.
White, P. R. R. (2006). Evaluative semantics and ideological positioning in journalistic discourse. In R. Miller & M. Pano Alamán (Eds.), Mediating ideology in text and image (pp. 37–67). Peter Lang.
White, P. R. R. (2016). Evaluative contents in verbal communication. In A. Rocci & L. de Saussure (Eds.), Verbal communication (Vol. 3, Handbooks of Communication Science, pp. 77–96). De Gruyter Mouton.
Channell, J. (2000). Corpus-based analysis of evaluative lexis. In S. Hunston & G. Thompson (Eds.), Evaluation in text: Authorial stance and the construction of discourse (pp. 38–55). Oxford University Press.
Chou, M. H. (2022). Using literature circles to teach graded readers in English: An investigation into reading performance and strategy use. Innovation in Language Learning and Teaching, 16(2), 144–163. https://doi.org/10.1080/17501229.2021.1885412
Coffin, C. (2006). Historical discourse: The language of time, cause and evaluation. Continuum.
Dontcheva-Navratilova, O. (2009). Epistemic modality in Czech academic writing in English. Discourse and Interaction, 2(2), 7–24.
Dummett, P., Hughes, J., & Stephenson, H. (2021). Life: Upper intermediate (2nd ed.). National Geographic Learning/Cengage Learning.
Ebrahimi, S. F., & Mohsenzadeh, A. (2022). Functional analysis of stance nouns in English Language Teaching research articles. Southern African Linguistics and Applied Language Studies, 40(4), 430–440. https://doi.org/10.2989/16073614.2022.2075903
Geng, Y., & Wharton, S. (2016). Evaluative language in doctoral theses: Similarities and differences between L1 Chinese and L1 English writers. Journal of English for Academic Purposes, 22(1), 80–91. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jeap.2016.01.001
Gray, J. (2010). The construction of English: Culture, consumerism and promotion in the ELT global coursebook. Palgrave Macmillan.
Hashim, S. S. (2022). Critical discourse analysis of the attitudinal resources in modern English poetry: The appraisal system. International Journal of Linguistics, 14(2), 163–181.
Hood, S. (2010). Appraising research: Evaluation in academic writing. Palgrave Macmillan.
Hyland, K. (2005). Metadiscourse: Exploring interaction in writing. Continuum.
Hyland, K. (2017). Metadiscourse: What is it and where is it going? Journal of Pragmatics, 113, 16–29. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pragma.2017.03.007
Hyland, K., & Jiang, F. K. (2016). “We must conclude that…”: A diachronic study of academic engagement. Journal of English for Academic Purposes, 24(1), 29–42. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jeap.2016.09.003
Khamkhien, A. (2014). Linguistic features of evaluative stance: Findings from research article discussions. Indonesian Journal of Applied Linguistics, 4(1), 54–69. https://doi.org/10.17509/ijal.v4i1.600
Kim, C. (2025). Evaluative stance in L1 and L2 argumentative essays: A corpus-based comparison. Forum for Linguistic Studies, 7(4), 998–1011.
Martin, J. R., & Veel, R. (Eds.). (1998). Reading science: Critical and functional perspectives on discourses of science. Routledge.
Martin, J. R., & White, P. R. R. (2005). The language of evaluation: Appraisal in English. Palgrave Macmillan.
Muti’ah, & Azizah, V. M. (2024). Investigating students’ attitudes on oral corrective feedback: Small-scale survey in academic speaking class. International Journal of English Linguistics, Literature, and Education (IJELLE), 6(1), 26–37.
Myskow, G. (2017). Appraising history: Stance and engagement in Japanese high school history textbooks. Linguistics and Education, 38, 1–10.
Nguyen, B. H., Vu, H. T., Bui, T. T. T., Vu, T. T. T., & Dang, H. T. K. (2025). Evaluative language: Attitudinal resources in Vietnamese history textbooks. Theory and Practice in Language Studies, 15(2), 656–666. https://doi.org/10.17507/tpls.1502.35
Nguyen, T. H. L., Pham, L. T., Nguyen, T. T., & Ngo, B. T. (2018). Evaluative language in Singaporean and Vietnamese primary school textbooks (a preliminary study on Grade 2). HNUE Journal of Science: Educational Sciences, 67(2), 22–28.
Nguyen, T. M. L. (2023). The language of evaluation in English textbooks at the secondary level in Vietnam from the viewpoint of systemic functional grammar [Doctoral dissertation]. University of Education, The University of Danang.
Ross, A. S. (2016). The construction of stance in the 2012 Australian prime ministerial debates. Journal of Language and Politics, 15(4), 488–510.
Sahragard, R., & Meihami, H. (2016). A selective study of the appraisal system in cosmetic advertisements: A systemic functional perspective. International Journal of Applied Linguistics and English Literature, 5(4), 45–52.
Siromaa, M., & Rauniomaa, M. (2021). Stance and evaluation. In M. Haugh, D. Z. Kádár, & M. Terkourafi (Eds.), The Cambridge handbook of sociopragmatics (pp. 95–116). Cambridge University Press.
Termjai, M. (2025). A study of vague language in argumentative essays by Thai EFL undergraduate students. 3L: Language, Linguistics, Literature, 31(1), 269–284.
Thompson, G., & Hunston, S. (2000). Evaluation: An introduction. In S. Hunston & G. Thompson (Eds.), Evaluation in text: Authorial stance and the construction of discourse (pp. 1–27). Oxford University Press.
Tomlinson, B. (2012). Materials development for language learning and teaching. Language Teaching, 45(2), 143–179.
Vo, L. H., & Le, L. V. (2025). Exploring EFL writers’ authorial voice in academic discussions: A graduation-based appraisal analysis. Forum for Linguistic Studies, 7(5), 932–946.
White, P. R. R. (1998). Telling media tales: The news story as rhetoric [Doctoral dissertation]. University of Sydney.
White, P. R. R. (2006). Evaluative semantics and ideological positioning in journalistic discourse. In R. Miller & M. Pano Alamán (Eds.), Mediating ideology in text and image (pp. 37–67). Peter Lang.
White, P. R. R. (2016). Evaluative contents in verbal communication. In A. Rocci & L. de Saussure (Eds.), Verbal communication (Vol. 3, Handbooks of Communication Science, pp. 77–96). De Gruyter Mouton.
