Written Communication Apr 2002

From the Dynamic Style to the Synoptic Style in Spectroscopic Articles in the Physical Review

William J. Vande Kopple Calvin University

Abstract

This article presents evidence that, from selected spectroscopic articles in the earliest volumes of the Physical Review to other selected spectroscopic articles from the same journal in 1980, a shift in sentence style takes place. This shift is from what M.A.K. Halliday calls the dynamic style (which reflects happenings, processes, and actions) to the synoptic style (which reflects things, structures, and categories). The article proposes that the early writers used the dynamic style primarily to set information in a distinct time and thus to avoid giving the impression that the information should be regarded as widely generalizable. It also proposes that the later writers used the synoptic style because it allowed them to represent processes as things, to delineate many fine shades of meaning, and to extend their arguments economically. The article concludes by suggesting areas of future research for students of scientific style and for composition scholars.

Journal
Written Communication
Published
2002-04-01
DOI
10.1177/074108830201900201
Open Access
Closed
Topics
writing across the curriculum multilingual writers voice and style

Citation Context

Cited by in this index (1)

  1. Faber (2003)
    Creating Rhetorical Stability in Corporate University Discourse
    Written Communication

Cites in this index (4)

  1. FAHNESTOCK (1998)
    Accommodating Science
    Written Communication
  2. KOPPLE (1998)
    Relative Clauses in Spectroscopic Articles in the Physical Review, Beginnings a…
    Written Communication
  3. DUNMIRE (1997)
    Naturalizing the Future in Factual Discourse
    Written Communication
  4. KOPPLE (1991)
    Themes, Thematic Progressions, and Some Implications for Understanding Discourse
    Written Communication
Also cites 15 works outside this index ↓
  1. 10.1177/030631284014002001
     ↗
  2. 10.1103/PhysRevA.21.1216
     ↗
  3. 10.1103/PhysRevA.62.032714
     ↗
  4. 10.1086/353797
     ↗
  5. 10.1103/PhysRevA.21.200
     ↗
  6. 10.1103/PhysRevA.21.241
     ↗
  7. 10.1103/PhysRevA.21.148
     ↗
  8. Halliday, M.A.K. (1987)
    Comprehending oral and written language
     ↗
  9. 10.2190/SGC
     ↗
  10. 10.1103/PhysRevA.21.1225
     ↗
  11. 10.1075/tsl.18.09leh
     ↗
  12. 10.1103/PhysRevA.62.032712
     ↗
  13. 10.1103/PhysRevA.21.132
     ↗
  14. 10.1103/PhysRevA.21.248
     ↗
  15. 10.1103/PhysRevA.22.188
     ↗
CrossRef global citation count: 7 View in citation network →

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