1.2. Scientific Style
The peculiarities of a functional style influence the translation process
and result.
Terminological units
play a great role in scientific and
technical texts. (The problems of terminology are considered in 1.3.).
The main characteristics of scientific texts are as follows: information
value (richness of content), logicality (strict succession, clear connection
between the general idea and details), exactness and objectiveness of
exposition and clearness.
Monological speech has a leading position in the scientific style.
Speech genres, presenting this style of language are scientific
monographs, scientific articles, theses, papers, reviews, annotations,
instructions, scientific reports and lectures.
Commonly scientific style is realized in the written form of speech. It is
characterised by restrictions and accurate choice of words and
constructions. However, such factors as the development of mass
media, the growth of importance of science in the modern society,
increasing amount of various conferences, symposia, seminars promote
to the significance of scientific speech.
The characteristics of the language of scientific literature are
determined by the aim of scientific prose, which is to give information
about scientific ideas, inventions, investigations, to prove a hypothesis,
to create new concepts, to disclose the internal laws of existence,
development, relations between different phenomena, etc. Therefore, the
language means used in the texts of this style tend to be precise,
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objective, unemotional, devoid of individuality. The most generalized
form of expression is also typical of scientific style.
Scientific speech is characterised by the logicality of thought, its
successive and objective narration. The texts of scientific style contain
exact definitions of considered concepts and phenomena, every
sentence or statement is logically connected with the preceding or
following information. Thus, one of the most noticeable features of this
style is the
logical sequence of utterances
with clear indication of their
interrelations and interdependence. It should be pointed out that
scientific prose has the most developed and varied system of
connectives among all the functional styles.
The next characteristic feature of scientific style is what is called
science-patterns
. There are three types of them: postulatory,
argumentative and formulative. A scientific theory or conjecture, a
hypothesis or a forecast must be based on facts, which are already
investigated, systematized and defined. Therefore, every piece of
scientific prose begins with postulatory pronouncements which are
expected to be self-evident and needing no proof or additional
explanation. A reference to these facts is only preliminary to the
exposition of the writer‟s ideas and is therefore summed up in precisely
formulated statements accompanied, if considered necessary, by
references to sources. The
author‟s own ideas are also expressed in the
form of a doctrine or theory of a principle, an argument, the result of an
investigation, conclusions, etc. The definition sentence-pattern in
scientific prose, that is the sentence which sums up the ideas, facts and
arguments, is generally a kind of conclusive statement.
The next observable feature of the style of scientific works and one
that is paid attention to by the reader, is the use of
quotations and
references
. These sometimes occupy as much as half a page. The
references are often placed at the back of the book and shaped as an
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appendix. They have a definite compositional pattern, which includes the
name of the writer, the title of the work, the publishing house, the place
(the city) and year it was published, and the page of the extract quoted or
referred to.
Another feature of scientific style, which makes it distinguishable from
other styles, is the frequent use of
foot-notes
, which are not of the
reference kind, but
digressive in character
. This meets the requirements
of the scientific style, which is logical coherence of ideas expressed by
the author/authors. Anything that seems to violate this requirement or
seems not to be immediately relevant to the facts described or ideas
expressed but at the same time may serve indirectly to give more
detailed information or back up the idea is placed in a foot-note.
Scientific functional style
does not imply slang and colloquialisms
.
Moreover, evaluation is not typical of scientific prose. Evaluation is used
to express the author‟s point of view, to make it clear and
understandable, and it has rational rather than expressive character.
Scientific style has a
lack of emotiveness, as it doesn‟t serve the
achievement of exactness, logicality, objectiveness and abstract
character of statement.
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