t scientific prose is defined by clarity, logical representation, monosematic words, special vocabulary and unemotionality. At the same time in popular scientific prose a lot of stylistic devices are employed to create vividness to interest the reader. the next chapter we will directly discuss some peculiarities and the examples of the usage of different stylistic devices in popular scientific literature.
Chapter 2. Peculiarities of popular scientific prose
core of any popular scientific text is terminology, the main characteristics of which are the aspiration for unambiguity and absence of emotional expressive evaluative connotations, ie the capability of precise expression of specific notions. popular scientific texts we can notice the usage of specific terms even in the texts, which are orientated on the reader rather distant from the concerned field.
e.g. The child begins his game of world-picture modelling at some intermediate period previous to parturition and his traumatic expulsion into the external world. It is as difficult to define this period as it is to define when the foetus has become human. One might be tempted to define it as the period when the nervous system has developed. That will not do either: there are many species with nothing like man s nervous system who have no difficulty in carrying on the game of life, of trial and error, of hypothesis formulation, testing of the hypothesis or its retention ... [Sherman, 1989: 636] the next examples the usage of specific terms is evident: .g. Well, if you start with 1 and continue doubling indefinitely, you will have a series of numbers which, by appropriate addition , can be used to express any finite number at all..g. Therefore, instead of writing out all the 2 s, it would be convenient to note how many 2's are being multiplied together by using an exponential method ..g. In the case of mechanics , the outstanding achievement was a successful Quantitative description of the motion of freely falling bodies. .g. Not only was this description sophisticated and exact, but it also introduced the first Quantitative concept for measuring change of state of motion , that of acceleration . [Hartfopf, 1965: 17]
This is as far as the similarity with the scientific prose is concerned. involve the reader in the process of thinking and discussion many authors aspire to establish a dialog between him or her and the reader. The explicity of dialog in popular scientific texts is achieved by the usage of interrogative and hortatory sentences, and personalized manner of narration. constructions are visible part of the dialog and their aim is to provoke the reader s response and involve him or her in the discussion and to enhance the activity of perception:
e.g. How can we measure a tiny difference?.g. How is it possible?.g. Do you remember the problem on paper sizes in Chapter 1? ». G. A question comes immediately to mind: Did the pattern of mass arise out of logical necessity, or was it simply random?.g. What is this force and where did it come from?
(National Geographic, 2003) these interrogative constructions rhetorical questions are notable for their specific stylistic loading. question doesn t need an answer, the answer is already included in it. Rhetorical question is put with the aim of attraction of the reader s attention, increasing the emotional tone of the narration and making the reader draw a conclusion himself or herself:
And grammar? Who needs the eternal hair-splitting arguments about shall and will or which and that raquo ;? The uselessness of it can be demonstrated by the fact that virtually no one gets it straight anyway. Aside from losing valuable time, blunting a child's reasoning faculties, and instilling him or her with a ravening dislike for the English language, what do you gain? (Scientific American, 2000) chain of rhetorical questions we can find in the next abstract:
What then is time? Is it a devouring monster described by the Reverend Bramston? Or is it an ever-rolling stream bearing everything away to some other place? Or could time be likened to the irascible old gentleman who revenged himself on the Mad Hatter by keeping the time at 6 o clock tea time all day and every day for months? (Scientific American, 2001) the author inclines the reader to the nece...
