Non-Normative Tenses in English RA Abstracts

Abstract

Normative verb tenses in the English research article (RA) abstract constitute the present in the rhetorical moves of Introduction, Purpose, and Conclusion and the past in Method and Product. However, non-normative tenses may at times appear. This paper looked at non-normative tenses in English RA abstracts. Based on a preliminary analysis of 20 RA applied linguistics abstracts, the study develops how non-normative tenses work in the genre of RA abstracts. Findings discuss writers’ intentions lying in each non-normative tense in each rhetorical move: the present perfect in the Introduction Move, the past in Purpose, the present in Method, the present in Product, and auxiliaries in Conclusion.