Scientific style: features. Language features of the scientific style

The scientific style, the features of which are the subject of research for linguists, is a combination of specific speech techniques that are mainly used in the scientific, scientific, technical, popular science field for expressing and designing ideas, hypotheses, and achievements that are diverse in content and purpose.

General characteristic of a scientific text

A scientific text is a result, result, or report on research activity that is created for a circle of people with the appropriate qualifications for its perception and evaluation. In order to make it as informative as possible, the author must resort to the use of a formalized language, special means and methods of presenting material. Most often, a scientific text is a published or printable work. The texts of the scientific plan include specially prepared materials for oral presentation, for example, a report at a conference or an academic lecture.

The characteristic features of the scientific style are tone neutrality, an objective approach and informational content, structured text, the presence of terminology and specific language tools adopted by scientists for a logical, adequate presentation of the material.

Varieties of scientific style

The prevalence of the written form of the existence of scientific-style works determines the validity, reasonableness, clarity of their content and design.

The division of scientific texts into types and types is explained, firstly, by the difference in objects described by numerous disciplines, the content of research activities of scientists, and the expectations of a potential audience. There is a basic specification of scientific literature, which divides the texts into scientific, technical, humanitarian, scientific and natural. One can distinguish more private sublanguages ​​that exist inside each of the sciences - algebra, botany, political science, etc.

M.P. Senkevich structured the types of scientific style according to the degree of "scientificness" of the final work and identified the following types:

1. The scientific style proper (otherwise, academic) is characteristic of serious works intended for a narrow circle of specialists and containing the author’s research concept — monographs, articles, scientific reports.

2. The statement or generalization of the scientific heritage contains secondary informational materials (abstracts, annotations) - they are created in a scientific-informative or scientific-abstract style.

3. A separate scientific and advertising area is occupied by industrial advertising, which presents the results and benefits of specific products - new achievements in technology, electronics, chemistry, pharmacology and other applied areas of science.

4. Scientific and reference literature (reference books, collections, dictionaries, catalogs) is intended to give extremely concise, accurate, without details information, to present only facts to the reader.

5. A special field of application for educational and scientific literature, the fundamentals of sciences are presented here and a didactic component is added, providing illustrative elements and materials for repetition (educational publications for various educational institutions).

6. Popular science publications present biographies of prominent people, the history of the origin of various phenomena, a chronicle of events and discoveries and are accessible to a wide range of interested people thanks to illustrations, examples, and explanations.

Scientific Text Properties

The text, created in a scientific style, is a standardized closed system.

The main features of the scientific style are compliance with the regulatory requirements of the literary language, the use of standard turns and expressions, the use of the capabilities of the "graphic" language of symbols and formulas, the use of references and notes. For example, cliches are generally accepted in the scientific community: we will talk about the problem ..., it should be noted that ... the data obtained during the study led to the following conclusions ..., we proceed to the analysis ... etc.

To transfer scientific information, the elements of an “artificial” language are widely used - graphic: 1) graphs, diagrams, blocks, drawings, drawings; 2) formulas and symbols; 3) special terms and lexical features of the scientific style - for example, the names of physical quantities, mathematical signs, etc.

The referral apparatus (footnotes, links, notes) forms a more accurate idea of ​​the subject of speech and serves the realization of such quality of scientific speech as the accuracy of quotations and verifiability of sources.

So, the scientific style, the features of which are characterized by the correspondence to the norm of the literary language, serves the accuracy, clarity and conciseness in the expression of the thoughts of the study. A monologic form is characteristic of a scientific utterance, the logic of the narrative is revealed sequentially, the conclusions are framed as complete and meaningful phrases.

The semantic structure of a scientific text

Every text of a scientific style has its own logic of construction, a certain finished form, corresponding to the laws of structuring. Typically, the researcher adheres to the following scheme:

• introduction to the essence of the problem, justification of its relevance, novelty;
• selection of the subject of research (in some cases, the object);
• goal setting, the decision in the course of its achievement of certain tasks;
• a review of scientific sources that in any way affect the subject of the study, a description of the theoretical and methodological basis for the work; rationale for terminology;
• theoretical and practical significance of a scientific work;
• the content of the scientific work itself;
• description of the experiment, if it is being conducted;
• research results, structured conclusions based on its results.

Language signs: vocabulary

The abstract tone and generalization form the lexical features of the scientific style:

1. The use of words in their specific meanings, the predominance of words with an abstract meaning ( volume, patency, resistance, conflict, stagnation, word formation, bibliography , etc.).

2. Words from everyday life in the context of a scientific work acquire a terminological or generalized meaning. This applies, for example, to technical terms: coupling, coil, tube , etc.

3. The main semantic load in the scientific text is carried by the terms, however, their share is not the same in different types of works. The terms introduce certain concepts into circulation, the correct and logical definition of which is a necessary condition for a professionally written text ( ethnogenesis, genome, sinusoid ).

4. For works of a scientific style, abbreviations and complicated words are characteristic: publishing house, GOST, Gosplan, million, research institutes.

The linguistic features of the scientific style, in particular, in the field of vocabulary, have a functional orientation: the generalized-abstract nature of the presentation of the material, the objectivity of the views and conclusions of the author, the accuracy of the information presented.

Language features: morphology

Morphological features of the scientific style:

1. At the grammatical level, using certain forms of the word and constructing phrases and sentences, an abstract text of the scientific text is created: it is noted that ..., it seems that ... etc.

2. Verbs in the context of a scientific text acquire a timeless, generalized meaning. Moreover, mainly forms of the present and past tense are used. Their alternation gives neither "picturesqueness" nor dynamics to the narration, on the contrary - they indicate the regularity of the described phenomenon: the author notes, indicates ...; goal achievement contributes to the solution of problems , etc.

3. The prevailing imperfective verbs (approximately 80%) also attach a generalized meaning to the scientific text. In steady turns verbs of a perfect form are used: consider ...; show by examples , etc. Indefinitely personal and impersonal forms are also used with a touch of duty or necessity: characteristics relate to ...; need to be able to ...; do not forget about ...

4. In the passive meaning, reflexive verbs are used: it is required to prove ...; explained in detail ...; problems are considered , etc. Such verb forms make it possible to focus on the description of the process, structure, mechanism. Brief passions of the same meaning have the same meaning: o the determination is given ...; the norm can be comprehended , etc.

5. In scientific speech, short adjectives are also used, for example: the attitude is characteristic .

6. A typical sign of scientific speech is the pronoun we , used instead of I. This technique forms such features as author’s modesty, objectivity, generalization: During the study, we came to the conclusion ... (instead: I came to the conclusion ...).

Language tags: syntax

The linguistic features of the scientific style in terms of syntax reveal the connection of speech with the specific thinking of the scientist: the constructions used in the texts are neutral and common. The most typical method is syntactic compression, when the volume of the text is compressed while increasing its information content and semantic content. This is realized with the help of a special construction of phrases and sentences.

Syntactic features of the scientific style:

1. The use of the definitive phrases “noun + noun in the genitive case”: metabolism, liquidity of the currency, a device for dismantling , etc.

2. Definitions expressed by the name adjective are used in the meaning of the term: unconditioned reflex, solid sign, historical digression , etc.

3. The scientific style (definitions, reasoning, conclusions) is characterized by a compound noun predicate with a noun, as a rule, with a dropped verb-connective: Perception is a basic cognitive process ...; Deviations from normative realizations of the language are one of the most striking features of children's speech. Another common “predicate formula” is a compound nominal predicate with a short participle: it can be used.

4. Adverbs in the role of circumstances serve to characterize the quality or properties of the phenomenon under study: significantly, interestingly, convincingly, in a new way; all these and other events are well described in historical literature ....

5. The syntactic structures of sentences express the conceptual content, therefore, the standard for a writing scientist is a full-blown narrative-type sentence with an allied connection between its parts, with a neutral in terms of style lexical content and normative word order: I must say that zoopsychologists have been trying for a long, hard and unsuccessfully to teach the most developed humanoid (chimpanzee) sound language. Among complex sentences, structures with one subordinate dominate: Between intellect and language, there is an intermediate primary communicative system, which is called the functional basis of speech.

6. The role of interrogative sentences is to draw attention to the material presented, to express assumptions and hypotheses: Maybe the monkey is capable of gestural speech?

7. For the implementation of a detached, deliberately impersonal presentation of information, impersonal offers of various types are widely used: Friendly communication (heart-to-heart talk, chatter, etc.) can be attributed to status-equal genres ... Thus, the desire to be an objective researcher speaking on behalf of a generalized scientific community is emphasized .

8. In order to formalize a causal relationship between phenomena, in scientific speech, complex sentences are used with a composing and subordinate allied connection. Complex conjunctions and allied words are often found: in view of the fact that, despite the fact that, because, because, because, whereas, while, while, and others. Complicated sentences with subordinate explanatory, definitive, reasons are widespread, conditions, time, effect.

Communications in a scientific text

The scientific style, the features of which are the specific use of language tools, is based not only on the regulatory framework of the language, but also on the laws of logic.

So, in order to present his thoughts logically, the researcher must use the morphological features of the scientific style and syntactic possibilities to connect the individual parts of his statement. Various syntactic constructions, complex sentences of various types with “paper-clips”, clarifying, participial, participial sentences, enumerations, etc., serve this purpose.

Here are the main ones:

• a comparison of any phenomena ( as ..., so ... );
• the use of connecting sentences containing additional information about what was said in the main part;
• participial turnovers also contain additional scientific information;
• introductory words and phrases, plug-in constructions are used for communication between semantic parts both within one sentence and between paragraphs;
• “Paper-clips” (for example, in this way, therefore, in conclusion, in other words, as we see ) serve to establish a logical connection between different parts of the text;
• homogeneous sentence members are needed to list logically similar concepts;
• frequent use of clichéd structures, logical and concise syntactic structure.

So, the scientific style, the features of the communication tools of which we have considered, is a fairly stable system, difficult to change. Despite the extensive system of opportunities for scientific creativity, the regulated norms help the scientific text “keep in shape”.

Language and style of non-fiction text

The presentation of the material in popular science literature is close to neutral, general literary, as the reader is offered only specially selected facts, interesting aspects, fragments of historical reconstructions. The form of presentation of this kind of data should be accessible to non-specialists, therefore, the selection of material, the system of evidence and examples, the manner of presentation of information, as well as the language and style of works related to non-fiction, are somewhat different from the actual scientific text.

You can clearly visualize the features of the popular science style in comparison with the scientific one using the table:

Popular science style involves many means belonging to the nationwide language, but the features of its originality are given to it by the functional features of using these means, the specific organization of the text of such a scientific work

So, the peculiarities of the scientific style are specific lexical and grammatical means, syntactic formulas, thanks to which the text becomes “dry” and accurate, understandable for a narrow circle of specialists. Popular science style is designed to make the story of a scientific phenomenon accessible to a wider circle of readers or listeners (“just about the complex”), therefore it approaches in terms of its impact to works of art and journalistic style.