5. CHARACTERISTICS OF SCIENTIFIC
TEXTS A
scientific text has a number of features or characteristics.
Some features characterize scientific
texts are: 1.
Objective, 2.
Impersonal, 3.
Technical, 4.
Practical, and 5.
Written Language. All
of these characteristics find their expressions
in langauge, particularly in lexicogrammatical
aspects.
5. 1 Objective
A concept or idea is called objective when
it is perceived similar by all persons regardless
of the surrounding elements, such as temporal,
spatial, manner characteristics. On the contrary,
a subjective idea is one which is contextually
dependent, that is the idea varies in terms of
location and manner. Subjectivity in language is
coded by linguistic aspects of 1 Mental
Process, 2 Epithet, 3 Modality, 4
Euphemism, and 5 Connotative Meaning.
1 Mental Process, that is verbs coding
cognition, affection and perception,
such as know, realize, understand, feel,
like, love, hate, see, hear…,
2 Epithet, that is adjectives which accept
intensifier very and degrees of
comparisons, such as high, low, pretty,
good ,
…, 3
Modality which codes assessment, opinion,
personal judgments, such as certain,
may, will, can, certain, sometimes, must
…, 4
Euphemism wash my hand, pass away,
ask one’s hand, and 5
Connotative Meanings. In
order to remain objective in a scientific text,
the use of the five subjective elements should
be avoided or if not possible be minimized.
Objectivity and subjectivity are in contrast
proportion in the sense that if subjectivity
increases, objectivity decreases and if
objectivity increases, subjectivity decreases. Occasionally
subjective assessment is used such
as in a scale measuring attitudes. The term ‘good’,
‘better’, ‘best’ and ‘excellent’ are used after
being made objective by defining each of the
term: being ‘good’ means that almost 8o of the
case is favorable.
5. 2 Impersonal
Ideas or concepts in scientific texts are
impersonal in the sense that involvement of the
writer of the text typically coded as personal
pronouns I, we, she and the writer is avoided.
Being personal implies subjectivity. Thus, to
maintain the objectivity pronouns are not used.
However, personality is allowed only in
acknowledgement. To maintain impersonality,
clauses in scientific texts are typically realized in
the passive voice. This is the main reason for
the dominant us of passive voice in scientific
texts. Another
realization of impersonality is promoting
the Value or Participant. In effect instead
of representing an arachnid is an invertebrate
animal having eight legs extending an equal
interval from the central body Trimble 1985: 80,
the clause an invertebrate animal having eight legs
extending an equal interval from the central body
is called an arachnid or an alternative of a meteorological
instrument that is used to measure the
seed of the wind is called an anemometer for an anemometer
is a meteorological instrument that is used
to measure the seed of the wind. In Indonesian the
use of quasi passive clause such as buku itu mereka
ambil is one alternative of coding impersonality
for its active counterpart mereka mengambil
buku itu. This way of promoting Value
in relational process clause is also the property
of technicality.
5. 3 Technical
Technicality refers to a linguistic form
which conveys meanings of a number of other
linguistic forms. In other words, technicality
contains condensed meaning of words. There is
no discipline or scientific study without
technicality as the terms used codes specificity
in the disciplines. A technical term is constituted
by three elements, namely 1 the term, 2
Metaphorical Representations and Scientific Texts Amrin Saragih
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ENGLONESIAN: Jurnal Ilmiah Linguistik dan Sastra, Vol. 2 No. 1, Mei 2006: 1 – 11
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definition with a 3 process typically Relational
Process in between the term and definition.
The following example shows the technical
aspects of language in which a definition is
derived.
Table 4: Technicality
Atom is
refers to
points to
is defined as
indicates means…
the smallest element of an entity
Engineering the
process of harnessing or directing the
forces and materials of nature for the use and convenience
of man Barometer
a meteorological instrument used for the measurement
of atmospheric pressure
Precipitation All
forms of water which fall from the sky Token
Term Process:
Relational Verb
Values Definition
Technicality differs from acronym or
abbreviation in that technicality involves
condensation of meaning whereas acronym
covers contraction of form. A technical term
may be a common word which carries
condensed meanings whereas acronym carries
common sense in short form. For example sound
in sound is a compression of wave that can be heard
is technical term. Although one knows in
common sense the meaning of sound, as a
technical term the word carries different
meaning. On the other hand UFO is an
abbreviation of unidentified flying object. Once
the full or complete form is given the meaning is
obvious. However, it should be noted that an
acronym may sometimes serve as a technical
term. A
concrete thing is one which is identifiable
by all senses seeing, hearing, feeling,
smelling, tasting…. In other words, the more
senses can be used to identify an object, the
more concrete the object becomes. On the contrary,
the less senses are potentially used to identify
an object, the more abstract the object becomes.
In this way, water is more concrete than
air, waterless is more abstract than water and waterlessness
is more abstract than watery. Abstraction,
as Martin 1993b: 226 has observed,
deals with coding of meaning in nominal
group rather than in clause and logical relation
meaning is buried in process. To exemplify,
the text in 1 is concrete or much more
concrete than that in 2 where clauses have
been recoded in nominal group and logical relation
in verb. 2
Australia’s steel‐making capacity, and
of demands, rubber, metal goods and motor
vehicles enlarged partly because war
demanded. a.
Ali was absent because he was ill. b.
The Dutch colonized Indonesia for almost
four centuries, which caused the
people to be poor and ignorance. 3
a. The enlargement of Australia’ steel‐
making capacity, and of chemicals,
rubber, metal goods and motor
vehicles all owed something to the
demands of war.
b. Ali’s absence was due to his illness.
c. The Dutch colonization in Indonesia
resulted in poverty and ignorance.
5. 4 Practical
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