The language of sciencea view from the other side

Marina Pantcheva

Language advisorHSL | University of Tromsø

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Language problems in grant applications

Successful grant applications have fewer language problems

layout

spelling

verbiage

wrong word

style

typos

grammar

punctuation

6%

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funded applicationsrejected applications

1Do knot trust the spell Czech

More than one of 10 bachelor students plan to enrol in research training program. Less then two of 100 want still to continue with they’re research short after they are ready whit the Master’s thesis, because they have bean unsatisfied with the field, which they have chosen.

not wrong

More than one of 10 bachelor students plan to enrol in research training program. Less then two of 100 want still to continue with they’re research short after they are ready whit the Master’s thesis, because they have bean unsatisfied with the field, which they have chosen.

18 mistakes

2Write in plain English

69,5 % preferred this

Text:more crediblemore stimulatingmore interesting

Author: more competentwith better organized mind

Plain English makes authors appear smarter

1580 scientiststwo texts

same factssame order

same five terms

Plain English Scientific English

Turk and Kirkman (pp. 14-16, 1989)

3Keep the sentence short

applicationsHSL

acceptedapplications

21,5 wordsper sentence

26 wordsper sentence

Recommended sentence length: max 25 words

applicationsCASTL

29 wordsper sentence

4Leave white space

Background for the studyDeaf people communicate with two hands. Hearing people communicate with only one mouth. What are the implications of this difference for our view of human language? The proposed research aims to approach this issue by addressing concrete questions, using innovative methods.

Primary and secondary objectivesThis proposal focuses on three questions that target different components in Dutch Sign Language. What kind of information does the

'other' hand contribute to communication?

What is the role of the ‘other’ hand in marking smaller units within a sentence?

What are the articulatory activities of the 'other' hand when it does not function to express linguistic information?

To answer these questions, the most recent technical possibilities will be employed…

Background for the studyDeaf people communicate with two hands. Hearing people communicate with only one mouth. What are the implications of this difference for our view of human language? The proposed research aims to approach this issue by addressing concrete questions, using innovative methods.Primary and secondary objectivesThis proposal focuses on three questions that target different components in Dutch Sign Language.• What kind of information does the 'other'

hand contribute to communication?• What is the role of the ‘other’ hand in

marking smaller units within a sentence?• What are the articulatory activities of the

'other' hand when it does not function to express linguistic information?

To answer these questions, the most recent technical possibilities will be employed. Our corpus of NGT, one of the first and largest digital sign language corpora in the world, will serve as a basic resource for addressing all questions. Secondly, recent measurement techniques enable quantitative articulatory studies.An answer to these questions will help us understand to what extent the differences observed between spoken and signed languages are fundamental, or whether they reveal common aspects of our human communicative capacity.We know that deaf people do not utter two different sentences at the same time (one with the left and one with the right hand), but there are indications that from below the level of single signs up to the structuring of discourse, the two hands contribute to communication in a fashion not be paralleled in spoken languages. The two hands can be mere copies of each other both in form and function, but there is always one dominant hand.

line spacing > word spacing, 120% font size in running text

word spacing

Background for the studyDeaf people communicate with two hands. Hearing people communicate with only one mouth. What are the implications of this difference for our view of human language? The proposed research aims to approach this issue by addressing concrete questions, using innovative methods.

Primary and secondary objectivesThis proposal focuses on three questions that target different components in Dutch Sign Language. What kind of information does the

'other' hand contribute to communication?

What is the role of the ‘other’ hand in marking smaller units within a sentence?

What are the articulatory activities of the 'other' hand when it does not function to express linguistic information?

To answer these questions, the most recent technical possibilities will be employed…

serif font in running text

non-serif font in headings, 130% font size

white space around headings

boldface for emphasis

flush left

Background for the studyDeaf people communicate with two hands. Hearing people communicate with only one mouth. What are the implications of this difference for our view of human language? The proposed research aims to approach this issue by addressing concrete questions, using innovative methods.

Primary and secondary objectivesThis proposal focuses on three questions that target different components in Dutch Sign Language. What kind of information does the

'other' hand contribute to communication?

What is the role of the ‘other’ hand in marking smaller units within a sentence?

What are the articulatory activities of the 'other' hand when it does not function to express linguistic information?

To answer these questions, the most recent technical possibilities will be employed…

serif font in running text

non-serif font in headings, 130% font size

white space around headings

boldface for emphasis

flush left

Background for the studyDeaf people communicate with two hands. Hearing people communicate with only one mouth. What are the implications of this difference for our view of human language? The proposed research aims to approach this issue by addressing concrete questions, using innovative methods.

Primary and secondary objectivesThis proposal focuses on three questions that target different components in Dutch Sign Language. What kind of information does the

'other' hand contribute to communication?

What is the role of the ‘other’ hand in marking smaller units within a sentence?

What are the articulatory activities of the 'other' hand when it does not function to express linguistic information?

To answer these questions, the most recent technical possibilities will be employed…

serif font in running text

non-serif font in headings, 130% font size

white space around headings

boldface for emphasis

flush left

5Ask others to read your text

Reading list

Clark, S and G Pointon (2011) Words—A User’s Guide. Harlow: LongmanCutts, M (1995) Oxford Guide to Plain English. Oxford University Press.European Commission How to Write Clearly. http://ec.europa.eu/translation.Greene, A E. (2013) Writing Science in Plain English. University of Chicago Press.Strunk, W and E. B. White (1918) The Elements of Style. Longman.Swan, M (1993) Practical English Usage. Oxford University Press.Turk, C and J Kirkman (1989) Effective Writing. London: E. & F.N. Spon