Основы научной коммуникации на английском языке. Introduction to English Academic Communication

Ю.С. Старостина
М.В. Черкунова

ОСНОВЫ 
НАУЧНОЙ КОММУНИКАЦИИ
НА АНГЛИЙСКОМ ЯЗЫКЕ

INTRODUCTION
TO ENGLISH ACADEMIC 
COMMUNICATION

Учебное пособие

Москва
Издательство «ФЛИНТА» 
2018

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УДК 811.111(075.8)
ББК 81.432.1-5я73
С77

С77 

Старостина Ю.С.
Основы научной коммуникации на английском языке. 
Introduction to English Academic Communication [Электронный 
ресурс] : учеб. пособие / Ю.С. Старостина, М.В. Черкунова. — 2-е 
изд., стер. —  М. : ФЛИНТА, 2018. — 109 с.
ISBN 978-5-9765-3774-3
Дисциплина «Введение в научную коммуникацию» входит в перечень обязательных дисциплин и ставит целью ознакомить студентов с основными языковыми параметрами современной англоязычной устной и письменной научной коммуникации. В рамках курса 
рассматриваются лингвистические особенности научного дискурса 
на всех уровнях языковой системы с учетом экстралингвистических 
факторов, сопровождающих ситуацию англоязычной академической 
коммуникации. Кроме того данный курс направлен на развитие у 
студентов практических навыков использования английского языка в 
профессиональной и научной деятельности.
Для студентов старших курсов, обучающихся по программам бакалавриата по направлениям «Филология» и «Лингвистика».

УДК 811.111(075.8)
ББК 81.432.1-5я73

ISBN 978-5-9765-3774-3 
© Старостина Ю.С., Черкунова М.В., 2018
© Издательство «ФЛИНТА», 2018

CONTENTS

Introduction  .......................................................................................................4

Unit 1. Basic Characteristics of Scientifi c Functional Style  .............................6

Unit 2. Title of the Academic Text  .................................................................18

Unit 3. Structure of the Academic Text  ..........................................................24

Unit 4. Annotations  .........................................................................................27

Unit 5. Abstracts and Précis [‘preisi] (рефераты)  ..........................................33

Unit 6. Oral Forms of Academic Communication  ..........................................40

Unit 7. Academic Presentations  ......................................................................45

SUPPLEMENT  ...............................................................................................55

 
I. Formal and informal academic words and expressions  .........................55

 II. New Functional Paradigm of Emotional Interjections
in Modern English  .................................................................................62

 III. The Canons of Rhetoric (transcript)  ......................................................66

 IV. Структура отчета по дисциплине «Основы научной
коммуникации»  ....................................................................................68

 V. Требования к анализу научного текста  ..............................................69

 VI. Образцы анализа научного текста  ......................................................70

 VII. Sample text for individual analysis  ........................................................76

 VIII. Annotations for Analysis  ......................................................................101

References  .....................................................................................................108

Introduction

Pre-reading

Give a defi nition of the notion ‘communication’.

Reading

Macmillan dictionary of Contemporary English defi nes the 
notion of communication as ‘the process of giving information 
or of making ideas known to someone’1. So in the broadest 
sense communication means intercourse or dialogue. However, 
there are various types of communication which are used in 
different spheres of human activity. The type of communication 
typical of academic sphere is called academic communication. It 
involves presenting ideas effectively and formally in a scholastic 
environment.
Academic communication is quite a broad fi eld which includes 
the language of higher education (lectures and labs, note-taking, 
academic writing (academic essays)), the language of research in the 
humanities (history, literary theory, linguistics) and the language of 
science (maths, physics, chemistry, etc.). Academic communication, 
as any other type of communication, exists in two basic forms, that 
is the written and the oral ones. Written academic communication 
includes writing academic articles (including academic headlines 
and bibliography), writing annotations and abstracts, writing 
academic reviews of different kinds and translation of academic 
articles into other languages. Oral academic communication involves 
delivering lectures at universities and colleges, giving academic 
presentations at conferences (presenting the results of one’s own 
research, analyzing colleagues’ presentations, commenting and 
asking questions) and participating in academic discussions and 
round-table talks. All these academic practices comprise the 
scientifi c functional style.

1 URL: http://www.macmillandictionary.com/dictionary/british/communication

Check yourself

1. How do you understand the notion ‘academic communication’?
2. What areas of communication does academic communication 
comprise?
3. What are the two basic forms of academic communication?
4. Which genres represent oral academic communication? 
Written academic communication?
5. What is another name for academic communication?

UNIT 1. Basic Characteristics of Scientific 
Functional Style
✧

Pre-reading

What is a functional style? What styles do you know?

Reading

Functional style is defi ned as a system of interrelated language 
means serving a defi nite aim in communication (I.R. Galperin).
There are fi ve functional styles:
1) scientifi c functional style (its main aim is transmitting 
scientifi c knowledge);
2) publicistic functional style (main aim — infl uencing public 
opinion);
3) newspaper functional style (main aim — informing the 
audience about the latest events);
4) the functional style of offi cial documents (aim — preserving 
and passing offi cial information);
5) belles-lettres functional style (main aim — giving aesthetic 
pleasure to the reader and the self-expression of the 
author).
Scientifi c functional style presupposes generally objective, 
unemotional and impersonal way of narration and is mainly aimed 
at presenting scientifi c facts and results of academic researches. Its 
basic features are the following ones:

● 
accuracy;

● 
clarity;

● 
objectivity;

● 
relevance for specifi c academic circumstances.

Each functional style is subdivided into sub-styles and 
genres. The main written academic genres are monographs, 
articles, textbooks, annotations, theses and dissertations. The oral 
genres include lectures, academic presentations and academic 
discussions.
Each genre has its own peculiarities; still, all of them have a 
defi nite number of common features on every level of the language 
(phonological, morphological, lexical, syntactic, textual, discourse 
level). These common features form the system of linguistic markers 
of academic communication.

The system of linguistic markers
of academic communication

1. On phonological level academic communication is 
characterized by standard pronunciation and standard intonation 
patterns.
2. On morphological level academic communication is 
characterized by the presence of specifi c word-forming elements, 
namely suffi xes and prefi xes.

‘Academic’ suffi xes

SUFFIX
MEANING
EXAMPLE

-able
can be
identifi able, predictable

-cy
state or quality
accuracy, literacy

-ics
study of
genetics

-ify
give sth a quality
clarify, purify, solidify

-ness
state or quality
effectiveness

-ship
state or experience of having 
a specifi c position
professorship, leadership

‘Academic’ prefi xes

PREFIX
MEANING
EXAMPLE

awithout
apolitical, atypical

antebefore
antecedent

bitwo, twice
bilingual, bi-monthly

cowith
co-author, co-editor

deopposite direction
decentralize, declassify

dysabnormal
dyslexia

equiequal
equidistant, equilateral

hyperhaving too much
hypersensitive

interbetween, connected
interrelated, interact

malbadly
malpractice

outmore, to a greater 
extent
outnumber, outlive

miswrongly
mistranslate

Other academic prefi xes include counter-, il- / im- / in- / ir-, neo-, 
sub-, retro-, post-, pre-, pro-, pseudo-, super-, trans-, semi-, ultra-, 
under-, well-, anti-, col-, dis-, etc.

3. Lexical peculiarities are the following ones:
1) wide usage of terminology relevant to this or that academic 
sphere.
A term is a word or word-combination which gives the exact 
indication to this or that academic notion. It is used to describe 
a thing or to express a concept, especially in a particular kind of 
language or branch of study.
Terminology is the body of terms used within a particular subject 
of study or theory.

Examples: linguistic terms — idiolect, verbal repertoire, 
phraseological unit, infi nitive constructions, discourse, phoneme; terms 
in the theory of literature — free verse, stream of consciousness, etc.
2) wide usage of formal (‘bookish’) vocabulary, for example:

NEUTRAL
FORMAL

in short, briefl y, basically
in sum, to sum up

only
sole(ly)

almost / more or less
virtually

try
attempt

mainly / mostly
primarily

typical of
characteristic of

give (a talk)
deliver (a lecture)

wrong
improper

last
fi nal

show
demonstrate

good
prime

there’s no way
cannot in any way

For more information, see Supplement I.
3) usage of everyday vocabulary in a different, specialized, 
academic meaning.

EVERYDAY USE
MEANING
ACADEMIC USE
MEANING

1
2
3
4

Standards of 
discipline in 
schools have 
declined.

Ability to control 
oneself or other 
people

Asocial Linguistics is a relatively 
new discipline.

Area of study

Таблица (окончание)

1
2
3
4

Underline your 
family name on 
the form.

Draw a line 
under it
The research 
underlines the 
importance of 
gender factor 
in studying an 
idiolect

Gives emphasis 
to

The lake was 
frozen solid.
Not liquid or gas We have no solid 
evidence that...
certain, of a good 
standard

4) of proper names.
5) abbreviations (mainly from Latin).

ABBREVIATION
STANDS FOR

1
2

e.g.
for example (from Latin, exempli gratia)

i.e.
that is (from Latin, id est)

etc. [et set(ə)rə]
and so on (from Latin, et cetera)

NB
note carefully (from Latin, nota bene)

et al [et æl]
and others (from Latin, et alii)

ibid.
in the same place as the preceding footnote 
(from Latin, ibidem)

cf
compare (from Latin, confer)

q.v.
which you can see (from Latin, quod vid): 
used to refer the reader to another part of a 
book or article for further information

op. cit.
see previously quoted work by author (from 
Latin, opus citatum)

ed.
editor (in bibliography)

vol.
volume (in biblipgraphy)

Таблица (окончание)

1
2

p.
page

pp.
pages

f, ff
pages which follow, e.g. 245f (245 and the 
following pages)

6) wide use of link verbs: to effect, to provide, to involve, to result 
in, to lead to, to imply
7) restricted use of phrasal verbs, interjections, colloquial 
vocabulary, words with emotive colouring (however, these are 
possible in oral forms like lectures)
8) rare use of expressive means and stylistic devices.

1. Syntactic level
1) complete, extended sentences;
2) wide use of composite sentences (both compound and complex 
with various types of clauses);
3) use of double conjunctions and connectives within a sentence: 
as... as, both... and, either... or;
‘It will not be an exaggeration to say that in no other functional 
style do we fi nd such a developed and varied system of connectives 
as in academic prose’;
4) direct word order with occasional use of inversion for 
emphatic purposes (With every justifi cation can we say that...);
5) extensive use of participial, gerundial, and infi nitive 
constructions;
6) strong reliance on the passive voice, since the passive voice 
is a way with the help of which English allows writers to remove 
explicit mention of the human agent from a sentence because an 
object, process, or concept appears in the subject position;
7) impersonal constructions with one and it in the position of the 
subject;