Scientific prose style. The language of science is governed by the aim of the
functional style of scientific prose, which is to prove a hypothesis, to create new concepts,
to disclose the internal laws of existence, development, relations between different
phenomena, etc. The language means used, therefore, tend to be objective, precise,
unemotional, devoid of any individuality; there is a striving for the most generalized from
of expression.
“The proper medium of scientific expression,” writes E.Sapir, “is
therefore a generalized language that may be defined as a symbolic
algebra of which all known languages are translations. One can
adequately translate scientific literature because the original scientific
expression is itself a translation.”
The first and most noticeable feature of this style is the logical sequence of
utterances with clear indication of their interrelations and interdependence. It will not be
an exaggeration to say that in to other functional style do we find such a developed and
varied system of connectives as in scientific prose.
A second and no less important feature and, perhaps, the most conspicuous, is the
use of terms specific to each given branch of science. It will be wise to state in passing that
due to the rapid dissemination of scientific and technical ideas, particularly in what are
called the 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 and
eventually begin to develop new meanings. But the overwhelming majorities of terms do
not undergo this process of de-terminization and remain the property of scientific prose.
There they are born, may develop new terminological meanings and there they die. No
other field of human activity is so prolific in coining new words as science is. The
necessity to penetrate deeper into the essence of things and phenomena gives rise to new
concepts, which require new words to name them. As has already been pointed out, a term
will make more direct reference to something than a descriptive explanation, a non-term.
Hence the rapid creation of new terms in any develops science.
Достарыңызбен бөлісу: |