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5.
The Scientific Prose Style
The first and the most noticeable feature of scientific prose style is the logical
sequence of utterance. There is developed system of connectives in this style.
A second and no less important feature of this style is the use of terms specific to
each given branch of science. Due to the rapid dissemination of scientific and
technical ideas,
particularly in exact sciences, we may observe the process of “de-
terminization”, that is, some scientific and technical terms begin to circulate outside
the narrow field they belong to begin to develop new meanings. But the majority of
terms do not undergo this process of determinization and remain the property of
scientific prose. The necessity to penetrate deeper into the essence of things and
phenomena gives rise to new concepts, which require new words to name them.
Words employed in scientific prose are mostly used in their primary logical meaning.
Neutral and common literary words used in scientific
prose as terms are
followed by an explanation.
A third feature of modern scientific prose is the use of quotations and
references. References have definite compositional pattern, namely, the name of the
writer
referred to, the title of the work quoted, the publishing house, the place and
year
it was published, and the page of the excerpt quoted or referred to.
A fourth feature of scientific style is the frequent use of foot-notes [20]. The
impersonality of scientific writings can also be considered a typical feature of this
style. Impersonal passive constructions are frequently used with the verbs
suppose,
presume, assume, conclude, point out, infer
, etc., as
in “It should be pointed out”, “It
must not be assumed”, “It must be emphasized”, “It can be inferred
”, etc.
The passive constructions frequently used in scientific prose of the exact
sciences are not indispensable in the Humanities.
Emotiveness is not entirely excluded from scientific prose.
Yet in modern
scientific prose such emotional words as marvelous, wonderful, monstrous,
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magnificent, brilliant are very seldom used. At least they
are not constituents of
modern scientific style.
The style of scientific prose has 3 subdivisions:
1) the style of humanitarian sciences;
2) the style of “exact” sciences;
3) the style of popular scientific prose.
Its function is to work out and ground theoretically objective knowledge about
reality.
The aim of communication is to create new concepts,
disclose the international
laws of existence.
The peculiarities are: objectiveness; logical coherence, impersonality, unemotional
character, exactness.
Vocabulary. The use of terms and words used to express a specialized concept
in a given branch of science. Terms are not necessarily. They may be borrowed from
ordinary language but are given a new meaning.
The scientific prose style consists mostly of ordinary words which tend to be
used in their primary logical meaning. Emotiveness depends on the subject of
investigation but mostly scientific prose style is unemotional.
Grammar: The logical presentation and cohesion of thought manifests itself in a
developed feature of scientific syntax is the use of established patterns.
– postulatory;
– formulative;
– argumentative.
The impersonal and objective character of scientific prose style is revealed in
the frequent
use of passive constructions, impersonal sentences. Personal sentences
are more frequently used in exact sciences. In humanities we may come across
constructions but few.
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The parallel arrangement of sentences contributes to emphasizing certain points
in the utterance.
Some features of the style in the text are:
– use of quotations and references;
– use of foot-notes helps to preserve the logical coherence of ideas.
Humanities in comparison with “exact” sciences
employ more emotionally
coloured words, fewer passive constructions.
Scientific popular style has the following peculiarities: emotive words, elements of
colloquial style.
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