A study of appraisal in male and female voices of historical texts

Abstract

This paper examines a corpus of male and female historical texts from the perspective of Appraisal. The historical discourse has been long regarded an instance of objective and immobile truths. However, recent theories have defended an interpretive role of historical language that allows a multiplicity of readings and significances. The theory of Appraisal can be applied to the study of the historical discourse in that it provides an analysis of meanings in context and of the rhetorical effects that it may produce (Martin and White, 2005). In particular, I focus on the category of engagement, which is intent on the recognition of dialogical alternatives that relate to certain meanings, and the consequences derived from the choice of one meaning rather than another. Through a mainly quantitative methodology, I will classify and compare the resources of engagement in male and female historical texts, and will try to point out how the authors assess the past and in what way they address their audience.