Appraisal in the research genres: An analysis of grant proposals by Argentinean researchers La valoración en géneros científicos: Un análisis de solicitudes de fondos para investigación de escritores argentinos

Writing an effective grant proposal poses many challenges for researchers, in particular for those whose native language is not English and who may have received little formal instruction in writing. While considerable research has been undertaken on the genre of the research article, grant proposals have received much less attention, despite their major significance in research settings. This study aims at investigating how grant proposal writers in the disciplines of chemistry and physics position themselves in relation to other researchers and theorists in key obligatory stages of this genre, namely Benefits and Importance Claim (Connor & Mauranen, 1999). Two successful and praiseworthy examples from disciplinary areas where access to international funding is regarded as important are analyzed. They were written by Argentinean non-native English speakers working at the Universidad Nacional de San Luis. The proposals are analyzed by using the Appraisal framework proposed by Martin (2000) and Martin and White (2005), with a focus on the system of ENGAGEMENT. Results indicate that the proposals were highly heteroglossic, and that a variety of ENGAGEMENT resources were used. The instances were predominantly expansive, suggesting that authors tend to invite rather than challenge their colleagues' views. This may be interpreted as an attempt to address a potentially varied audience. These results can assist authors in becoming aware of the interpersonal resources they may use to position themselves and align their audiences when writing their grant proposals. Los investigadores no nativos del idioma inglés deben enfrentar muchos desafíos al elaborar sus solicitudes de fondos para investigación, en particular, aquellos que no han recibido una capacitación sistemática en escritura. Los estudios sobre los significados interpersonales en géneros científicos desde la perspectiva Sistémico-Funcional se han ocupado principalmente del artículo de investigación. Sin embargo, y a pesar de su importancia en ámbitos académicos, otros géneros no han atraído tanta atención. Este trabajo indaga acerca de la manera en que los escritores de solicitudes de fondos de investigación de las disciplinas de Química y Física se posicionan frente a sus colegas, en las etapas obligatorias de este género: Beneficios y Declaración de Importancia (Connor & Mauranen, 1999). Se analizan dos solicitudes que cumplieron acabadamente con su objetivo. Fueron escritas por investigadores argentinos hispanohablantes de la Universidad Nacional de San Luis, al momento de solicitar financiamiento d