Specialist Language Style of Science - Article Example

SCHOOL OF EDUCATION Essay on Specialist Language Style of Science Description of the language of science It has been found that the specialist language of science is being very different from that of regular language being used students as per O’Toole (2003). Further, it has been seen that each style follows certain purpose, value and feature, which could also be seen for the specialist language of science (Bailin and Grafstein 2001). Experts such as Bailey and Butler (2002) believe that each language style fulfil certain purpose such as language style, aim of the writing, features, characterisation as well as the overall style of the language. It has also been found that various methods could be used for analysing the language style and the features, which may include understanding the grammar, the sentence structure and even the words used in the given text. In case of scientific text as well, certain methods are used to analyse the text. For instance, a scientific text would have to be analysed at the word, sentence and paragraph levels. At the word level, one need to check for technical and semi-technical words, while at the sentence levels the features of the technical words being used would be analysed. Further, at the paragraph level features such as passive voice, dense sentences, text boxes, pointers and figures need to be checked (Garner and Borg 2005). Sample 1 On this sample, McLaughlin’s SMOG (Simple Measure Of Gobbledegook) Grading (1969) was carried out, which indicated that the students at 13 years would understand this text. However, this particular text was aimed at students in the age group of 10-11 years, which means that the text is being too advanced for the target students. The appropriateness of the text however also relies on other measures as well, which in this case focuses on the difficulty that a student might face while reading it. Nonetheless, it is also important to consider other factors as well. Word level: The text consists of various technical words, which is mostly seen in science textbooks. After the analysis of the sample text it has been found that there exists at least six such words which students at the age group of 10-11 years may not understand. These words being: endangered, gestation, mating, embryos, unfertilised and litter. Further, the sample does not explain the meaning of these technical words as well. Therefore, a student is left to grapple to understand the meaning of these words in order to comprehend the entire passage. Also, as these technical terms require explanation, it would mean that the teacher would take much more time making the students understand about the passage, as each technical term is a passage in itself. It is also interesting to note that the passage gives the scientific name of grey nurse shark, Carcharias Taurus in italics, but does not mention it as the scientific name for the animal. This may create confusion in the minds of the students as well, as they would not be able to understand the meaning of the term if they read it without any assistance. Sentence level: The average length of the 10 sentences in the main body of the text is 15 words, with the longest sentence being 27 words and the shortest being 8 words. The sample also uses certain referral words to link the words within the sentences. For instance, “It is”, “they” and “towards” are some such words that are linking the words in the sentences together as well as linking the various sentences as well. The noun is being rightly replaced by pronoun ‘it’ in most sentences, making it easier for the sentences to flow one after the other. Paragraph level: After analysing the sample, it has been found that the text has mostly used passive voice, which is considered to be a common method of writing while presenting scientific facts. This is because of the fact that the stress is more on the discovery or the scientific fact rather than the person who is responsible for making such a discovery. The entire text is being divided into three main paragraphs, with the first talking about the importance of Grey Nurse Shark, emphasising on the fact that it is an endangered species. The second paragraph provides details about the physical aspects of the shark, while the third paragraph describes the mating and procreation methods used by the species. Further, a black and white picture of the shark is also given between the second and third paragraphs. This helps the students in providing a visual impact of the text as imageries help in retaining information in a better manner. Sample 2: After carrying out the SMOG test on this text sample, it was found that the text is suitable for students at the age group of 15-16 years. However, this text is being meant for students in the age group of 13-14 years, which clearly states that the students intended for this text would not be able to understand the work properly as it might cause them difficulties to comprehend the analysis being carried out in the sample text. Word level: The text describes various technical words which are typically being used while conducting a scientific study. These words being: experiment, beaker and Bunsen burner. However, what is important is that, the text does not describe beaker or Bunsen burner in detail. Further, there are certain technical words that the text does not describe but are present in the image given in the sample. These words are thermometer, stirring rod, wire gauze and tripod. These extra words may create confusion in the minds of the students as they may be left clueless about the usage of these things as they are not described in the text given. Sentence level: The entire text comprises of only 5 sentences, with the longest sentence consisting of 19 words and the shortest of 8 words, thus creating a lot of variations in the language. As the text describes an experiment that needs to be carried out, each sentence is required to flow from one sentence to another in a logical and correct manner. Further, each step of the experiment is also required to be described in a proper and detailed manner so that the students may follow them properly. Although, the first two sentences are clear enough for the students to understand, the third sentence might cause issues. In this sentence, the reader is left to understand and interpret the given figure rather than the text describing the steps in a detailed manner. Here the students might grapple with the use of thermometer, stirring rod, wire gauze and tripod as their functions are not explained in detail in this sentence. Although, students may figure out the use of thermometer for recording temperature and stirring rod for stirring the water and ice cubes in the beaker, it might pose problems for the students to understand how to use the tripod and the wire gauze, without proper guidance from the teacher. Most of the sentences provide a concise and comprehensive way of conducting an experiment. Further, being a scientific writing sample, most of the sentences were written in passive voice to stress on the steps of the experiments. For example the sentence, “They measured the temperature every minute and recorded the results in a table” clearly provides the view that the students were asked to monitor the progress of the experiment and record the results from time to time in an orderly manner. Paragraph level: This text sample only consists of a single paragraph, followed by the figure of the experiment and a single line describing the results of the experiment, which is being displayed through a box at the end of the sample. However, even in the single paragraph, the entire experiment is described in a concise manner and every step is given in detail for the students to follow. Further, the figure given along the steps further describes the experiment and would help the students in understanding the experiment in a better manner. Also, the results given in a box at the end nicely concludes the purpose of the experiment, tying up the entire text and figure together. This helps to describe that the experiment has been successful with the students recording the temperature properly at regular intervals, which could be analysed easily at a later stage. Sample 3: After conducting the SMOG test on the above text sample, it was indicated that the text was being suitable for students at the age level of 15-16 years. However, this text is being meant for students who were of 14 years of age, which might state that some of the technical aspects of the experiment might be tough for the students to follow. Word level: Most of the words used in this text sample have been very simple to follow as they were not really technical scientific terms, but more of mechanical terms such as brake pads. Further, the text also provides the name of four prominent brands of brake pad, which are being: Dart, Spurs, Grip and Hokin. However, what is missing from this text is a brief description about these brands and why it is important to conduct this experiment. Further, the differences and similarities between these brands are also not explained in this text. Sentence level: The sentences used in this text are very simple and in fact the experiment described in this text is given in a pointer format, making it easier for the readers to understand and comprehend the steps of the experiment. Further, the role of each of the participants in the experiment in also described properly, making it easier for the students to assign the roles right before starting with the experiment. Paragraph level: Technically, there are two paragraphs in this text, the first talking about the aim of the experiment and providing the names of the brands of the brake pads to be used for this experiment, while the second paragraph provided the procedure of the experiment. The procedures are also described in a simple manner and could be easily understood by the readers. Further, the text also provides pictures of the brake, brake pads and a bicycle to help the students understand about the experiment. However, the issue with this text is that the figures provided in the sample are not properly labelled, which might cause some confusion for the students. Also, the text sample provides detailed results of the experiment, thus, just like the sample 2, ties the entire experiment properly, by providing the steps of the experiment first and then the figures associated with the experiment, followed by the results of the experiment. Characteristics of the Scientific style of English. The scientific texts that are being evaluated in this paper when analysed for its value for English language, it has been found that their value might not be a lot and may not contribute towards enhancing the language skills of the students. In case of a good scientific writing it could be stated that such writing style requires clarity of thought rather than literary genius. Such writing needs to be concise, comprehensive and easily understood by the students. Some of the basic characteristics of good scientific writing are clarity of thoughts, clear arguments and conclusion, providing definitions for difficult words, explaining the steps of the experiments in a proper manner, generalising the scientific fact and inferring the data correctly. Further, the text should be properly researched and re-researched for finding any faults. Some scientific experiments are also carried out to compare and contrast various results, therefore, the text should also contain sentences and words that describe these processes as well (Schleppegrell 2004). Some of the chief features of scientific writing could be recognised in the word, sentence and paragraph levels as well. For instance, most words in a scientific writing are either technical or semi-technical in nature. The sentences are mostly passive and dense and various referral words are also being used. On the paragraph level, short paragraphs are mostly used, often providing dot points or pointers about the steps of the experiment, followed by neatly labelled figures and text boxes (Stoller 2004). Areas likely to cause problems: Scientific style of writing may also cause various problems for students. For instance, at the word level, the student would have to understand various technical and semi-technical terms before understanding the entire text. Without knowing the meaning of a particular term, the student would not be able to comprehend the scientific text at all. Therefore, it is often left to the teacher to describe the terms while explaining the text to the students. Further, often the sentences used in such scientific texts are long and difficult to understand. Each experiment requires certain set procedure and the students are required to follow them one after another. This also requires teachers to supervise the work of the students or make them understand the process very well (Unsworth 1999). References: Bailey, A. L., & Butler, F. A. (2002). An evidentiary framework for operationalizing academic language for broad application to K-12 education: A design document. LA: University of California, Los Angeles. Bailin, A., & Grafstein, A. (2001). The linguistic assumptions underlying readability formulae: A critique. Language & Communication, 21, 285–301. Garner, M., & Borg, E. (2005). An ecological perspective on content-based instruction. Journal of English for Academic Purposes, 4(2), 119–134. O’Toole (2003). Literacy across the Secondary Curriculum: Different games have different rules. Australia, Five Senses Education. Schleppegrell, M. J. (2004). The language of schooling: A functional linguistics perspective. Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum. Stoller, F. (2004). Content-based instruction: Perspectives on curriculum planning. Annual Review of Applied Linguistics, 24, 261–283. Unsworth, L. (1999). Developing critical understanding of the specialised language of school science and history texts: A functional grammatical perspective. Journal of Adolescent and Adult Literacy, 42(7), 508–521. Read More

 

 

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