HEDGING AND EPISTEMIC STANCE IN UZBEK EFL STUDENTS’ LITERARY REFLECTIONS: A SMALL-SCALE CORPUS-BASED STUDY

Bafayeva Vazira Mukhiddinovna Researcher of Bukhara state pedagogical institute

Аннотация

This study examines the use of hedging and epistemic stance in written reflections produced by Uzbek EFL university students. The data consist of 14 student reflections on Leo Tolstoy’s Anna Karenina, analyzed using a small-scale corpus-based approach. The findings show that modal verbs expressing possibility were the most frequently used hedging devices. The study also identifies epistemic adverbs, verbs, and personal stance markers. The results highlight how EFL learners use linguistic resources to express uncertainty, interpretation, and degrees of commitment in literary writing.