Significance –

  • “Experts within scientific domains, then, draw upon rich representations of discourse as a social and rhetorical act, what geisler has called socially configured mental models, as they create and interpret texts and as they judge the validity and usefulness of the information within them” (Haas, 45).
    • This quote shows significance because in this case scientific experts are using their language to determine if others works or valid, or in other terms significant. If it wasn’t valid for example they may state so, lessening the significance of impact on the given field.
  • “Begin by explaining to your readers what problem you researched and why the research is necessary. Convince the readers that it is important that they continue to read” (IMRAD Cheat Sheet).
    • This shows how in the step of the introduction it is important that you prove the significance of the piece. Language is used to show why the research and write up must be read, due to it unveiling very important facts and conclusions.

Practices –

Identities –

Relationships –

  • “In addition, other studies of scientific discourse have suggested that scientists adjust the strength of their claims depending on the audience: texts meant for scientific insiders hedge and qualify claims, while texts for lay persons and their outsiders strip out such qualifiers, making claims seem more certain” (Haas, 44-45).
    • This quote fits under the category of relationships because Haas is stating how a change in writing style such as word choice (in this case the scientific work) signals the classification of the individual (scientific insider or lay person). Not only this but their relationship to the author is also presented, if they’re one of them or an outsider.   

Politics –

Connections –

  • “A text is an utterance, part of an intertextual context consisting of closely and distantly related texts, or what Jamieson called antecedent rhetorical forms. A text might draw upon, extent, or refute a myriad of other texts, whether those texts are directly cited or not” (Haas, 48).
    • This quote shows connections because it is directly stating how all work is comprised of other words. Therefore, language is used to present how ideas and words in general are connected.
  • “The authors’ skill in interpreting the results in the light of known facts and using the results as evidence for innovative explanations of the observed behavior…” (Nair, 21).
    • This shows connection because it pulls everything together and connects what is known to the results. And it then draws an overarching concept or idea that has been supported, which wouldn’t be possible without the connection.

Sign Systems and Knowledge –  

  • “Part of the problem is that there are no standard or uniform format for citing literature, except that ‘All citation in the text, and only those, must be listed in the References.’ In other words, the References section and text citations should match perfectly (Nair, 23).
    • This proves that there are many languages and many varieties of language. Due to the fact that there are several different forms on how to cite a scientific piece, such as the Harvard System and much more.