scholarly journals Passive voice, first person pronouns and mental process verbs in the physical sciences reseach article

2021 ◽  
Vol 16 (1) ◽  
pp. 37
Author(s):  
David Banks
Keyword(s):  
Scientific Writing ◽  
Traditional Model ◽  
First Person ◽  
Mental Process ◽  
Physical Sciences ◽  
Passive Voice ◽  
Person Pronoun

Recent studies have suggested that there has been a decrease in passive use, and an increase in the use of first person pronouns in scientific writing. This study looks at six sample texts from the physical sciences. The correlation between low passive use and use of first person pronoun subjects is only partial. The influx of verbs of a mathematical nature in recent decades has led to an increase in verbs of mental process. These lend themselves more easily to the use of first person pronouns. There are now two models available, a progressive model using fewer passives and a number of first person pronoun subjects, and a traditional model using passive forms extensively and avoiding first person pronoun subjects.

The passive voice in scientific writing through the ages: A diachronic study

2020 ◽  
Vol 40 (4) ◽  
pp. 467-489
Author(s):  
Alvin Ping Leong
Keyword(s):  
Nineteenth Century ◽  
Twentieth Century ◽  
Scientific Writing ◽  
Science Journal ◽  
Passive Voice ◽  
Composing Process ◽  
Diachronic Study ◽  
Time Periods ◽  
Current Shift ◽  
Modern Era

AbstractDiachronic studies on scientific writing have indicated an increase in the use of passives from the seventeenth to the twentieth century. With the current shift in focus towards making scientific writing more accessible, there is less certainty on the extent of passive use in the modern era. Although the use of the active voice is presently encouraged, the findings from available studies are mixed. There are also few diachronic studies involving recent articles. This present study investigated the trend in passive use from the nineteenth century to the present day using 80 articles from a multidisciplinary science journal covering four time periods (1880, 1930, 1980, and 2017). The study found that the extent of passive use was stable from 1880 to 1980 (occurring in about 29–36% of all clauses) but declined in 2017 (averaging below 25%). The study also found a decline in the use of finite passives to describe methodological actions and a corresponding increase in the use of first-person pronouns in the 2017 articles. Further work involving a larger corpus and an understanding of writer decisions in the composing process is needed.

The use of second person pronouns in a literary work

2014 ◽  
Vol 43 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Helen de Hoop ◽  
Lotte Hogeweg
Keyword(s):  
Literary Work ◽  
First Person ◽  
The Novel ◽  
Main Character ◽  
Second Person ◽  
Person Pronoun

AbstractFor this study we investigated all occurrences of Dutch second person pronoun subjects in a literary novel, and determined their interpretation. We found two patterns that can both be argued to be functionally related to the de-velopment of the story. First, we found a decrease in the generic use of second person, a decrease which we believe goes hand in hand with an increased distancing of oneself as a reader from the narrator/main character. Second, we found an increase in the use of the descriptive second person. The increased descriptive use of second person pronouns towards the end of the novel is very useful for the reader, because the information provided by the first person narrator himself becomes less and less reliable. Thus, the reader depends more strongly on information provided by other characters and what these characters tell the narrator about himself.

Bodily Awareness and Self-Consciousness

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
José Luis Bermúdez
Keyword(s):  
First Person ◽  
Basic Form ◽  
Bodily Awareness ◽  
Person Pronoun ◽  
Spatial Content

We are embodied, and we are aware of our bodies ‘from the inside’ through different forms of bodily awareness. But what is the relation between these two facts? Are these forms of bodily awareness types of self-consciousness, on a par, say, with introspection? In this paper I argue that bodily awareness is a basic form of self-consciousness, through which perceiving agents are directly conscious of the bodily self. The first two sections clarify the nature of bodily awareness. Sections III to V I explore how bodily awareness functions as a form of self-consciousness and how this is connected to the property of being immune to error through misidentification relative to the first person pronoun. In section IV I consider, and remain unconvinced by, an argument to the effect that bodily awareness cannot have first person content (and hence cannot count as a form of self-consciousness). Finally, section V sketches out an account of the spatial content of bodily awareness and explores the particular type of awareness of the bodily self that it provides.

The First-Person Pronoun

2004 ◽  
pp. 174-202
Author(s):  
Eros Corazza
Keyword(s):  
First Person ◽  
Person Pronoun

Managing ideological differences in joint political press conferences

2013 ◽  
Vol 12 (3) ◽  
pp. 315-334 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ulla Moberg ◽  
Göran Eriksson
Keyword(s):  
Political Parties ◽  
First Person ◽  
Personal Pronoun ◽  
Party Leaders ◽  
Clear Cut ◽  
Person Pronoun ◽  
Ideological Differences ◽  
Dialogue Theory

This study focuses on Swedish political press conferences and explores the discursive efforts of politicians to express unity despite diverging ideological views. It concerns the use of the first person pronoun ‘we’ (Swedish. we) and is influenced by both dialogue theory and linguistic theories, which highlight the meaning of pronouns in context. The data consist of transcribed web broadcasts of press conferences with the leaders of the four political parties that form the Swedish Government since 2006. Our analysis reveals that a clear-cut use of the personal pronoun ‘we’ can serve the same political purposes as a more ambiguous use, i.e. to show unity while there are differences. The four party leaders are involved in a communicative project of ‘doing unity’ to demonstrate that they are a very capable government.

scholarly journals Abdullah Munsyi and the missionaries

2008 ◽  
Vol 162 (4) ◽  
pp. 408-440 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jan van der Putten
Keyword(s):  
Nineteenth Century ◽  
First Person ◽  
Political Structure ◽  
Historical Events ◽  
Person Pronoun ◽  
Harsh Criticism

Father of Modern Malay Literature is an epithet often ascribed to Abdullah bin Abdul Kadir Munsyi, a Malay author who lived in Melaka and Singapore during the first half of the nineteenth century. Two of his works, Hikayat Abdullah (Tale of Abdullah) and Kisah pelayaran Abdullah ke Kelantan (Account of Abdullah’s voyage to Kelantan) are the stories most often ingled out as those that form the bridge between traditional and modern Malay writing. Characteristics of these writings viewed by critics as modern elements are the foregrounding of the authorial self through the use of the first-person pronoun, realistic descriptions of historical events and persons, and harsh criticism of the culture, socio-political structure, and practices of the Malay community (Milner 1995).

scholarly journals Behavioral Evaluations of Anesthesiology Residents and Overuse of the First-Person Pronoun in Personal Statements

2011 ◽  
Vol 3 (2) ◽  
pp. 151-154 ◽  
Author(s):  
John J. Badal ◽  
Wayne K. Jacobsen ◽  
Bradley W. Holt
Keyword(s):  
First Person ◽  
Residency Programs ◽  
Behavioral Traits ◽  
Clinical Evaluations ◽  
Person Pronoun ◽  
Personal Statement ◽  
Subjective Measurements ◽  
Admissions Process ◽  
The Relationship

Abstract Background The admissions process for residency encompasses numerous objective and subjective measurements by which an applicant is evaluated. The personal interview and clinical evaluations are widely considered the most reliable method to identify unwanted behavioral characteristics. However, the role of a personal statement is less clear. There are reports of residency programs attempting to identify selfish or egocentric behavioral traits by counting the frequency of the first-person pronoun “I” in personal statements. The purpose of this study is to define the relationship between anesthesiology resident evaluations and the frequency of the first-person pronoun within their personal statements. Methods Resident evaluations of 48 anesthesiology graduates were collected for 5 competencies. The iScore was calculated by determining the frequency of “I” in relation to total word count. Results Correlation analysis between iScore and the 5 evaluation categories showed no significant relationship. Conclusion When examining the relationship between resident evaluations and iScore, the lack of significant correlation makes it difficult to predict resident performance based on “I” counts. This may be because the personal statement is a thoughtfully developed document that undergoes extensive editing, which may suppress or minimize writing styles that suggest the presence of unwanted behavioral traits. Further examination of personal statements with a larger sample size and data from other institutions and specialties are needed.

Meaning of the First Person Pronoun

2008 ◽  
Vol 13 ◽  
pp. 87-110
Author(s):  
Sukharanjan Saha ◽  
Keyword(s):  
First Person ◽  
Person Pronoun

A cross-disciplinary corpus-based study on English and Chinese native speakers’ use of first-person pronouns in academic English writing

2017 ◽  
Vol 38 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Gao Xia
Keyword(s):  
Computer Science ◽  
Native Speakers ◽  
Research Articles ◽  
First Person ◽  
Academic English ◽  
English Writing ◽  
Person Pronoun

AbstractThis paper reports on a study that comparatively investigated the differences and similarities in the use of first-person pronouns by English and Chinese native speakers (ENSs and CNSs) in their academic English writing. Using a corpus comprising journal research articles (RAs) from the fields of Physics, Computer Science, Linguistics and Management written by ENSs and CNSs, I present data to reveal that (i) the use of first-person pronouns in Physics is more frequent than that in other disciplines for both ENSs and CNSs; (ii) there are no consistent ENS/CNS frequency differences in first-person pronoun usage across the four disciplines; (iii) the plural first-person pronoun

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