Disciplinary and Move Analyses of Hedging in Abstracts of DIPES II Dissertations of the Higher Teachers’ Training college of Maroua

This paper examines hedging as a rhetorical resource employed by fifth year (DIPES II) students of the Higher Teacher Training College Maroua in Cameroon to show politeness, respect, humility and tentativeness presenting their arguments or stating facts subjective opinions. A specialized corpus 46.368 tokens was used hedges were retrieved using AntConc 3.4.4. Data analyzed both quantitatively qualitatively. The analysis shows that there is generally an unsatisfactory representation abstracts. findings further reveal markers intentional vagueness, accuracy writer-oriented are most common strategies. Students seemingly rely on relatively simpler types like some, few, may, could, number of. Conversely, more complicated constructions such it appears that, possible seem virtually inexistent. Department Bilingual Letters found be tentative than counterparts other disciplines. It equally observed strategies research any communicative purpose In substance, innovation this may lie its artful combination disciplinary investigation with move ‘marginalized’ academic genre, exclusive focus novice writing non-native professional institution. has led conclusion use can now regarded not only discipline-specific but also move-specific.