Finite Adverbial Clauses in L2 Academic Research Writing: A Cross-Examination of Disciplinary Research Articles Authored by Filipino Researchers

Adverbial clauses are often-overlooked elaborated and explicit structures of L2 academic research writing. In this study, the researcher cross-examined finite adverbial clauses in Filipino-authored qualitative and quantitative research articles (RAs) in Applied Linguistics, Psychology, Sociology, Curriculum and Instruction, Measurement and Evaluation, and Communication through automated and manual coding techniques. The main findings revealed that cause/reason clauses were the most dominant adverbial clauses especially in qualitative disciplinary RAs. Final cause/reason and conditional clauses were more pervasive than their initial equivalents whereas initial concessive clauses were more ubiquitous than their final counterparts. In conclusion, cause/reason clauses are the most operational adverbial clauses across the six disciplines. Filipino researchers regardless of disciplines convey more causes/reasons for the arguments in the main clauses when writing qualitative research. Final cause/reason and conditional clauses are normative in qualitative and quantitative disciplinary RAs whereas initial concessive clauses provide background for the main clauses which carry new arguments.