Styles in English

Darbs izstādāts priekšmetā Stilistika LU Moderno Valodu fakiltātē (Angļu Filoloģija). There are different styles of English – formal, informal, fiction, scientific and pulicstic. One of the most daunting problems in assessing linguistic styles is in deciding on the appropriate dimensions of language and, once selected, determining the best unit of analysis. Therefore the basics of each style will be explained individually. Scientific style is commonly use between scientists and many professionals and it demands the use of specific vocabulary. Notwithstanding, it has been charged that ‘some of the worst, most offensive jargon is spoken and written by sociologists’ [2]. Besides the use of jargon and nonsense words, one of the main causes of dullness in scientific and technical reports is the use of the passive voice. ‘Apparently, many writers think that passivity is more appropriate to the dispassionate communication of objective results than the use of active verbs and straightforward sentence construction’[2]. Philanthropist and businessman Robert A. Day points out that ‘a scientific text is not a literary work and therefore, the language should not be overtly complex’ [3]. He also mentions that scientists should avoid the use of metaphors or anything that may alter the style and context of the paper.