Hedging 1.

1 Life in the United Arab Emirates In a recent book, Smith (2009) describes the enormous changes that the UAE has undergone in the last 30 years. In her chapter focusing on the people of the country, she writes that Emirati citizens now live a lifestyle that their ancestors in the pre-boom days could not even have dreamed of. All Emiratis, she states, now possess several four wheel drive vehicles, live in opulent ten-bedroomed houses and spend their summers in London. Quality of life is high and, according to Smith, without exception, Emirati people are happy with their lives (p.23). However, Jones (2010) argues that although citizens are generally content, most of them would prefer to turn back the clock and return to the lives of their grandparents and great grandparents. This is mainly due to fact that globalization, while bringing many benefits, has also led to an erosion of local cultural and national identity. An example given by Jones is the disappearance of the freej, or local neighborhood. Emiratis, he writes, no longer see their neighbors, never socialize with them, and dont even know their names (p.34). Other writers (e.g. Wilson, 2007; Choueri, 2006) comment on the decline of family values. Choueri, for example, points to the fact that Emiratis now live exclusively in nuclear families, grandparents live alone, and families see each other only once or twice a year, whereas in days gone by they would see each other every day, or at least once or twice a week. References Choueri, B. (2009, October 21). The globalized family. Gulf Times Online. Retrieved October 23, 2009 from http://www.gulftimes.com Jones, T. (2010). The good old days: life in the Gulf, 1900-1950. New York: MEP. Smith, G.P. (2009). UAE, land of opportunity. London: Middle East Publications. Wilson, Z. (2007). Family value decline in the Middle East. The Arab World. Retrieved 2 May, 2010 from http://www.thearabworld.com

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Hedging In academic writing, it is important to be careful in how you present information, so that the reader understands the status of the knowledge you are communicating. If you overstate information (e.g. smoking is the most serious problem in the world), or suggest that it applies to more people than it does in reality (e.g all Emirati families own a farm), or state something you dont have proof for (e.g. fairies exist), you may mislead the reader, or he/she may think that your information is unreliable, or non-academic. To avoid overstating or over-generalizing information, we use hedging. Overstatement/ Overgeneralization/ Not enough proof All English people live in England Americans eat hamburgers Hedging (being careful about how we present information)

Most English people live in England. A large number of Americans eat hamburgers Emiratis travel to Germany in Some Emiratis travel to Germany in summer summer. Some houses are haunted. It may be true that some houses could possibly be haunted. There is a small amount of evidence to suggest that haunted houses may exist, although this is controversial. Humans are able to read minds. It is possible that some humans might be able to read minds, but proving this in a controlled scientific setting is very difficult. There is more than one universe. A number of physicists have developed a theory that there could be more than one universe. Women enjoy shopping more than It seems that women enjoy shopping more men do. than men do, though this may be a stereotype. Women tend to enjoy shopping more than men do, but this may depend on what kind of item is being shopped for.

Hedging 1.1 Look at these sentences and decide if they are correct, incorrect, or if they overstate, over-generalize or understate the point they are making. If necessary, suggest changes to the wording to overcome any problems. 1. Emirati women do not smoke sheesha. 2. Violence on television leads to violence in real life. 3. Women are more talkative than men. 4. Men dislike talking about their emotions. 5. Smoking cigarettes leads to cancer. 6. All Arabs are Muslim. 7. All Muslims are Arabs. 8. Most Emiratis speak Arabic. 9. Emirati men do housework. 10. Children are brought up by their maids these days. 11. At university level, Emirati men and women do not study together. 12. Cracked nail varnish is the most serious problem known to humankind. 13. Dubai suffers from a shortage of shopping malls. 14. It is possible that the earth revolves around the Sun. 15. There is no doubt that ghosts exist. 16. Aliens have already visited this planet. 17. It never rains in Dubai 18. People were happier in the past. 19. In this globalized world, everyone has access to mobile phones, computers and the internet. 20. In the future, we will all have our own personal flying cars.