A tale of three waves: Or, concerning the history and theory of metadiscourse

In this paper we provide an overview of past and current research on metadiscourse and highlight new research discourses emerging from the field. We trace the category back to its critical and theoretical origins, examining the three ‘waves’ that have configured it over the last four decades. We investigate how metadiscourse has evolved and the reasons why it continues fascinating researchers in professional and academic fields in a variety of disciplines and domains. We then focus on the fact that, as communication moves online and a variety of genres become digitalised, researchers active in metadiscourse are increasingly concerned with digital communication and are accordingly questioning (or adapting) well-established methodologies, but also proposing new and much-needed perspectives on reflexivity. The field is undoubtedly in a flux and new and interesting approaches and eclectic frameworks are emerging, which merit consideration.