Contributions of the philosophy of science to juridical semantics

Contrastive rhetoric in context: Danish economists writing in two languages

As part of an investigation of a bilingual (diglossic?) academic environment, the paper examines sentence-level differences among academic papers in economics of three kinds: by Danes in Danish, by Danes in English, and by native speakers of English in English.

The possibility of systematic transfer of rhetorical features from Danish to English arises because the linguistic context involves frequent switching from oral Danish to written English, and from written English to written Danish and vice versa, in relation to the same subject matter. On the basis of questionnaires and other documentattion, this context is described and exemplified.
Comparability of texts compared cannot be perfect, but how it can be approached is a key issue. Low-level, objectively definable features – in this case sentence themes and grammatical subjects – are examined to avoid the 'orientalism' or anglocentricity typical of many contrastive-rhetoric studies. Nevertheless, these features allow inference about textual organisation.
Results show that a number of features are of course common to all writers in English, as against Danish. However, some appear to be common to writers with a Danish background, and these are not necessarily features which Danes are aware of transferring.
It is not clear what the implications of this type of information are in a context of English as an international language, but possible implications are discussed.


Shelov, Dr. Serguey
On generic term definition
A method of term definition analysis is outlined which enables us to amplify on the concept of generic definition and to make term definition classification substantially more precise and consistent. Being applied to a term definition system the following rule is valid to establish the nearest generic concept and its differen-tiating characters:
The nearest generic concept is denoted by a minimum (if counted in autono-mous words) semantically accomplished and syntactically independent part of the Definiens that includes maximum (if counted in autonomous words) term already introduced in a subject field. The rest part of the Definiens denotes differentiating characters of this generic concept. There is only one differentiating character if the rest part of the Definiens syntactically relates to only one word, and there are ‘n’ (conjunct) differentiating characters if the rest part of Definiens syntactically relates to ‘n’ different words.
The rules and procedures involved in the definitional analysis also contribute to the proper classification of term definitions. A good deal of verbal term definitions can be classified into the following types: 1. generic, 2. enumerative (extensional, denotative), 3. operational, 4. contextual, 5. non-specific and 6. common definition, of which only the four first types partly correlate with traditional types of terminological definitions.


Shpanova, Natalya
Flexible component technology for maritime English teaching
together with: Larisa Trusheva
A flexible component technology for Maritime English teaching based on communicative approaches worked out during the recent years in the Educational Center "Lingua Plus" is presented here.
This technology includes the following components: 1) common language elements (based on Cambridge educational programs, including basic, elementary and pre-intermediate levels); 2) Specific Professional Vocabulary for different positions (Navigators and Engineers) as well as for different professional situations; 3) a block of specific lingua-cultural concepts which help seafarers adapt performing services in international and multicultural crews; 4) a block of typical professional situations and role plays; 5) a block of official correspondence; 6) a block of computing test programmes; 7) a block of special audio- and video-materials for developing and mastering skills of professional communication.
The technology allows to solve problems of selecting professional vocabulary and its relevant incorporating into basic communicative teaching programs and other specialized blocks; it supports communicative and interactive approaches in the described components; it also provides adapting of the teaching programs to seafarer's age, their foreign language level and professional skills.
Skujina, Prof. Valentina
Vitality of the Latin and Greek Word-elements in the modern interlingual term-building processes
In different European languages there is a great number of words with similar spelling and pronunciation wich consist of elements of Latin and Greek origin. Some of these words are borrowings from clasical languages, another ones are built using Latin and Greek elements in English, French or other contemporary languages, including Latvian (e.g. programmatura 'software', luksofors 'trafic lights').
Unfortunately, in many cases such "internationalisms" have different meanings in different languages and lead to misunderstandings when used in interlingual communication (e.g. translation, revision). Nevertheless, such derivatives seem to be necessary for new term-building processes in the 21st century as well.
Therefore it would be use-worthy to fix the main structural-semantic models for new international derivatives on the base of Latin and Greek elements, and in cases of semantic discrepancy to try making the semantics of such roots and affixes adequate to the main meaning of such elements in their original.


Skulstad, Aud Solbjørg

Discourses and interdiscursivity

"Traditional" notions of register suggest a homogeneity of text which is often not the case. Writers of texts which belong to the domain of business, for instance, often break out of the typical register of business and draw on a number of different discourses to achieve certain communicative aims. A discourse refers to language associated with a particular institution or a social practice (Kress 1989, Fairclough 1995). Thus, we may identify discourses such as business discourse, media discourse, medical discourse, racist discourse, football discourse, and so forth. A text or a document such as a corporate annual report may draw on a number of discourses associated with particular institutions and social practices and on conventions associated with specific genres. The present paper illustrates how writers of corporate annual reports and university annual reports draw on a number of discourses to realize their communicative aims.

It still makes sense to talk about business writing or academic writing. But what characterizes business writing is not the use of a set of words and phrases. Instead, we may recognize that members of business communities share specific sets of values and communicative purposes which influence and constrain the choice of linguistic and rhetorical strategies (Skulstad 1999).

References
Fairclough, N. (1995) Critical Discourse Analysis: The Critical Study of Language. London: Longman

Kress, G. (1989) Linguistic Processes in Sociocultural Practice. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

Skulstad, A. S. (1999) Genre awareness in ESP teaching: issues and implications. International Journal of Applied Linguistics. Vol. 9, No. 2, 285-298.

Slepovitch, Assoc. Prof. Viktor
Business communication as part of LSP teaching and business education in Belarus
Business communication has recently emerged as a new area of education in Belarus which is making efforts in transition to market economy. In the context of broadening international contacts, teaching business communication, in fact, is occupying a border line position between LSP (specifically, ESP) issues and business education, thus killing two birds with one stone. This paper considers strategies in teaching business communication in English as a foreign language to students of international business at the Belarus State Economic University (Minsk, Belarus). These strategies include both a language focus and thinking through communications problem when choosing between better and worse rather than right and wrong. The above approach as well as the course designed on its basis helps consider appropriate means of overcoming numerous “faux pas” in business communication observed by the author in the process of negotiations, job application, telephoning and in other settings.

Stotesbury, Hilkka