Journal of Technical Writing and Communication Jan 1986

Where Techne Meets Poesis: Some Semiotic Considerations in the Rhetoric of Technical Discourse

John Steven Childs Sam Houston State University

Abstract

Stylistic analysis of scientific and technical prose reveals that technical and non-technical expository prose share a number of common characteristics; consequently, common assumptions about a clear stylistic separation between scientific and literary writing are faulty. Technical prose, moreover, possesses a number of rhetorical features which further increase its likeness to literary writing. Both style and rhetoric of technical writing thus point toward non-referential functions in scientific discourse, including the operation of significant cultural codes.

Journal
Journal of Technical Writing and Communication
Published
1986-01-01
DOI
10.2190/8fhy-87fe-vnhm-pp7c
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Topics
rhetorical criticism discourse analysis voice and style technical communication multimodality
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Citation Context

Cited by in this index (3)

  1. Fatt (2000)
    The Value of Linguistics to Technical Authors in a Digital World
    Journal of Technical Writing and Communication
  2. Todd (1998)
    A Longinian concept and methodology for technical communication
    Technical Communication Quarterly
  3. Harmon (1994)
    The uses of metaphor in citation classics from the scientific literature
    Technical Communication Quarterly

References (24) · 5 in this index

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  2. 10.1038/scientificamerican0466-102
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  3. 10.1021/es60019a005
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  4. 10.1126/science.211.4480.341
     ↗
  5. 10.1126/science.92.2389.319
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Show all 24 →
  1. 10.1038/scientificamerican0350-38
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  2. Olsson A. G. (1971)
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  3. Franco-Forman B. (1980)
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  5. 10.1038/scientificamerican0466-102
     ↗
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    Journal of Technical Writing and Communication
  7. Jones R. F. (1971)
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  8. Halloran (1978)
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    Journal of Technical Writing and Communication
  9. Chard (1975)
    The Incidence of Sentence Openers in Selected Technical or Scientific Periodica…
    Journal of Technical Writing and Communication
  10. Paul et al. (1983)
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    Journal of Technical Writing and Communication
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    Journal of Technical Writing and Communication
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CrossRef global citation count: 4 View in citation network → Build reading path →

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