Forewords of Edited Academic Books in Applied Linguistics: A Rhetorical Analysis

Abstract

A foreword is the introductory section of a book which includes comments on the book written by someone other than the author, generally a well-known scholar, with purpose(s) mainly promotional. Despite the important promotional role of forewords, they have been allocated a relatively small piece of literature regarding the investigation of their rhetorical structure. Therefore, this study aims to investigate the rhetorical structure of the forewords of edited academic books in applied linguistics. To achieve this research, move structure analysis based on Swales' analytic concept of moves is utilized. Precisely, using a qualitative approach, the study examines the texts in terms of the textual devices signaling the moves bearing communicative functions. The results revealed eight moves including claiming centrality, introducing the book idea, justifying the book as meeting the needs, invitation to further study, justifying the book subject as meeting the needs, admiring the book, specifying the readership, and stating an overview of the book. Also, it was found out that the forewords might not be empty of moves reflecting the purpose of attracting the readers' support. The findings could have significant use in ESP (English for Specific Purposes), genre analysis and discourse analysis, and could be of value for authors and researchers who are interested in knowing how to write forewords in academic context.