Understanding Scientific, Technical, and Humanistic Texts

Scientific and Technical Texts

Scientific Texts: Refer to general and abstract knowledge about a subject.

Technical Texts: Refer to applications of knowledge.

Characteristics

• Specialized topics
• Specific purposes (or communicative intention)
• High degree of formality
• Written channel
• Academic field of use and dissemination of publications
• Specific language

The Language of Scientific and Technical Texts

Pursuit of objectivity, cool and impersonal language: enunciative sentences, rejection of stylistic ornamentation, present tense, passive voice.

Precise and clear vocabulary: using univocal terms, rejection of ambiguity (symbols), words of Greek or Latin origin.

Lexicon of Scientific and Technical Training

Regular language mechanisms:

• Derivation: power of language
• Composition: object composition: syntagmatic (e.g., atomic weight)
• Empowerment: extractor
• Abbreviation: Fe (iron symbol)

Elements using Greek and Latin hybrids: hepatitis, dental, automotive...

Borrowing elements from other languages: marketing, doping, hardware, or software.

Essay

A genre characteristic of the Humanities, often considered a literary genre. Written without a defined extension, the writer gives the reader their non-specialized personal vision on a topic. Usually does not contain footnotes, citations, or bibliographic references.

Humanistic Texts

Traditionally, knowledge was divided into letters and sciences (or humanities). Currently, this equates to experimental sciences (nature) and human sciences (theoretical + speculative doctrinal character).

The separation of science and letters shows that there is a gradation of knowledge from deductive knowledge to very abstract or speculative content.

Definition

A humanistic text is a text that deals with issues that affect human beings and their individual life in society, with a reflexive intention.

Characteristics

• Channel: written
• Formality: high or very high
• Fields of use: academic or communicative
• Communicative intention: argumentative and expository
• Objective: causing intellectual reflection
• Themes: general human topics or any specific aspect

Language

General desire for clarity and elaborate writing, standard register, expressive resources to facilitate comprehension of ideas.

Syntax

Rich constructions, dominance of enunciative sentences, but also interrogative ones.

Lexicon

Polysemic terms with different meanings in popular language. Examples of humanistic texts: opinion articles, monographs, speeches, lectures, essays.