David Banks - Academia.edu (original) (raw)

Call for Papers by David Banks

Communication of science to the general public is progressively more often recognized as an equal... more Communication of science to the general public is progressively more often recognized as an equally crucial responsibility of scientists to research, and scientific writing is being looked upon as public discourse to an increasing extent. However, while scientists are explicitly taught research methodologies, they mostly seem to be expected to ‘naturally’ acquire the ability to communicate with other scientists, and they usually receive inadequate explicit training and do not seem to easily develop the skills needed to communicate scientific concepts to lay audiences.
The present collection of papers, which will be submitted to a journal in linguistics once a suitable number of high quality submissions has been reached, aims to discuss the linguistic and discourse issues of contemporary scientific communication in light of recent views on the role and functions of science and scientists in society with the aim of practically contributing both to its advancement and to broad dissemination.
Contributions are solicited that address the interface between language and science or amongst language, science and education, particularly approaching it via such methodologies as genre analysis, discourse analysis, rhetorical analysis and multimodal analysis.

Topics of interest may include (but are not limited to) the following:

- The historical development of scientific discourse;

- Scientific discourse and its context;

- Aspects of contemporary scientific discourse;

- Scientific writing as public discourse;

- Strategies for the communication of uncertainty;

- English in scientific knowledge construction and local hybridizing practices;

- The place of translating in science communication;

- Authorship, identity and genre;

- Language and peer review;

- Content and Language Integrated Learning: linguistic implications.

Select Bibliography
Alastrué Ramón Plo, Pérez-Llantada Carmen (eds.), English as a Scientific and Research Language. Debates and Discourses English in Europe, Vol. 2, De Gruyter Mouton, 2015
Banks David, The Development of Scientific Writing. Linguistic Features and Historical Context, Equinox, 2008
Bauer, Martin W., “The Evolution of Public Understanding of Science. Discourse and Comparative Evidence”, Science, Technology and Society, Vol. 14, No 2, 2009, pp. 221-240

Curry Mary Jane, Hanauer David I. (eds.), Language, Literacy, and Learning in STEM Education: Research Methods and Perspectives from Applied Linguistics, John Benjamins 2014

Halliday, M.A.K. (ed. Jonathan J; Webster), The Language of Science, Continuum, 2004.

Kueffer Christoph, Larson Brendon M.H., “Responsible Use of Language in Scientific Writing and Science Communication”, BioScience, Vol. 64, No 8, 2014, pp.719-724

Pérez-Llantada Carmen, Scientific Discourse and the Rhetoric of Globalization: The Impact of Culture and Language, Continuum, 2012

Wallace, Carolyn S., “Framing New Research in Science Literacy and Language Use: Authenticity, Multiple Discourses, and the ‘Third Space’”, Science Education, Vol. 88, No 6, November 2004, pp. 901–914
Winter Stephan, Krämer Nicole C., Rösner Leonie, Neubaum German, “Don’t Keep It (Too) Simple. How Textual Representations of Scientific Uncertainty Affect Laypersons’ Attitudes”, Journal of Language and Social Psychology, Vol. 34, No 3, June 2015, pp. 251-272

Yore Larry D., Marilyn K. Florence, Terry W. Pearson, Andrew J. Weaver, “Written Discourse in Scientific Communities: A conversation with two scientists about their views of science, use of language, role of writing in doing science, and compatibility between their epistemic views and language”, International Journal of Science Education, Vol. 28, Nos 2–3, 15 February 2006, pp. 109–141

Please send a 300-word abstract by 1 January 2016 to:
david.banks@univ-brest.fr
emiliadimartino@gmail.com

Papers by David Banks

Publications

The first academic periodical was the Journal des Sçavans, which first appeared in January 1665. ... more The first academic periodical was the Journal des Sçavans, which first appeared in January 1665. It was followed two months later by the Philosophical Transactions. The Journal des Sçavans was sponsored by the state and was made up mainly of book reviews and covered all the known disciplines of the time. The Philosophical Transactions was a private venture based on Oldenburg's correspondence and was restricted to science and technology. Scientific writers were motivated by personal reputation, the desire to improve the human condition, and, sometimes, priority. The "publish or perish" syndrome is a recent development. Among the factors that have influenced it are the increasing professionalization of science, the development of the peer-review system, and, towards the end of the twentieth century, a desire for rapid publication. The fact that English has (recently) become the lingua franca of scientific publishing creates additional difficulties for non-Anglophone scientists, which their Anglophone colleagues do not have to face. Scientific language, similar to all languages, evolves constantly. One area that seems to be changing at the moment is that of passive use, which is the subject of ongoing research. Cultural differences may also have a role to play. For example, French scientists may have to overcome a basically Cartesian education.

Revue française de linguistique appliquée

Text & Talk

The Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society was founded in 1665 by Henry Oldenburg. This ... more The Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society was founded in 1665 by Henry Oldenburg. This article analyzes the domains of study and most frequent genres present in the items published in the year 1675. This provides part of the background necessary for the understanding of these scientific texts from a former period. The fields most frequently encountered are those of astronomy and physics. The subjects treated in the domain of astronomy are dependent on the celestial events that took place that year. Those in the area of physics are determined by the interests of a few eminent scientists such as Robert Boyle and Denis Papin. The incidence of agricultural items is due to the intellectual heritage of Francis Bacon. Less frequent are the areas of medicine, biology, botany, and geography. Among the less common fields, such as geology and technology, items concerning watches are significant, because of their importance to solving the longitude problem. Fields covered uniquely by book reviews, such as language, economics, and architecture, are more marginal to the interests of the journal's readership.

Journal of World Languages

Functional Linguistics

Some recent research has suggested that use of the passive voice in scientific writing has declin... more Some recent research has suggested that use of the passive voice in scientific writing has declined over the last few years. This study attempts to see to what extent that is true.

Anglophonia French Journal of English Studies, 2002

ASp, 2002

Systemic Functional Linguistics as a model for text analysis ASp, 35-36 | 2002 INDEX Mots-clés: a... more Systemic Functional Linguistics as a model for text analysis ASp, 35-36 | 2002 INDEX Mots-clés: analyse de texte, linguistique systémique fonctionnelle, LSF, métafonction sémantique, registre, résumé

ASp, 2001

Even a very 'official' e-mail letter makes an impression that is not so official as e.g. an offic... more Even a very 'official' e-mail letter makes an impression that is not so official as e.g. an official letter written on a paper with a heading. It always has a flavour of informality … (Uhlírová 1994: 276) Academic mediation: the functions of an electronic discussion list ASp, 31-33 | 2010 Academic mediation: the functions of an electronic discussion list ASp, 31-33 | 2010

Language Sciences, 2004

Is a rapprochement between Systemic Functional Linguistics and the Th eories de l' enonciation po... more Is a rapprochement between Systemic Functional Linguistics and the Th eories de l' enonciation possible within the French university system? These seem to represent respectively inductive and deductive modes of thought. It is therefore of interest to look at possible points of contact and dissimilarities. The Th eories de l' enonciation are metaphysical theories and as such are not subject to the Principle of Falsification. The domains of the Th eories de l' enonciation seem conceptually close to the metafunctions of the systemic model. The Th eories de l' enonciation might benefit from adopting the distinction between thematic and information structure common in the systemic approach. Systemic Functional Linguistics treats texts as a whole, whereas the Th eories de l' enonciation tend to analyse individual segments within a text. They also tend to treat only those grammatical questions with which the theory deals well. The Th eories de l' enonciation appear to have a link with formalist approaches in that they accept basic forms which are subsequently modified in the cognitive process; Systemic Functional Linguistics may have produced something similar in the concept of congruent forms. Although starting from diametrically opposed points, it might be hoped that these two theories are working towards each other, and might at some point meet.

Language Sciences, 2010

Systemic Functional Linguistics has frequently been criticized for being anglocentric. Although t... more Systemic Functional Linguistics has frequently been criticized for being anglocentric. Although this question has begun to be addressed in recent years, a large imbalance still remains. In this context Caffarel's book A Systemic Functional Grammar of French (Continuum, 2006), following on from her 2004 article, is to be welcomed as the first book-length treatment of French in a Systemic Functional framework. The analyses she provides show that in many ways French functions in a manner similar to English, with one major exception, the interpersonal metafunction. According to Caffarel the interpersonal analysis of the French clause is in terms of a Negotiator and a Remainder, where the obligatory components of the Negotiator are the Finite, the Subject, and the Predicator. This contrasts with the usual SFL analysis of the English clause in terms of Mood and Residue. However, further consideration shows that the French clause is amenable to a Mood + Residue analysis, and at the same time English clauses can be analysed in terms of Negotiator + Remainder. It would seem that Caffarel's suggestion supplies an alternative way of looking at the interpersonal metafunction rather than a structure which distinguishes between English and French.

Language and Literature, 1997