Rhetorical structure of the Arabic patent abstracts
Patent abstracts function as an essential part of patents, in which drafters summarize their invention and try to persuade the evaluators to accept their invention. These abstracts also have a crucial function as a useful alternative tool for effective and quick information retrieval. However, th...
| Main Authors: | , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Penerbit Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia
2019
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| Online Access: | http://journalarticle.ukm.my/14102/ http://journalarticle.ukm.my/14102/ http://journalarticle.ukm.my/14102/1/30810-114103-1-PB.pdf |
| Summary: | Patent abstracts function as an essential part of patents, in which drafters summarize their
invention and try to persuade the evaluators to accept their invention. These abstracts also
have a crucial function as a useful alternative tool for effective and quick information
retrieval. However, there is a scarcity of work on how these abstracts are constructed in
Arabic context despite a considerable number of studies in different languages. This study,
therefore, examines the rhetorical structure of 60 patent abstracts written in Arabic by Arabicspeaking
drafters in the field of Human Necessity (HN) _ one of the eight classifications that
includes patents related to social life_following Swales' (1990) Create a Research Space
(CARS) model. The results revealed that Arabic patent abstract section consists of five
obligatory moves and an optional one. Based on the genre analysis conducted, a proposed
rhetorical move/step model which may be useful for patent drafters is developed. These
findings are useful for Arabic-speaking drafters and novice inventors for a better
understanding of the rhetorical structure commonly applied in their drafting of patent
abstracts. A better understanding of how patent abstracts are drafted can improve not only
their drafting skills to meet the expectations of the target discourse community, but also the
chance for successful patent grants. |
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