语义序列与学科文化探索

Semantic sequences and disciplinary cultures: An explanatory study

本文采用语义序列路径探讨学科话语中高频复现短语型式与学科文化的联系。参照Becher等人提出的学科分类,本文选取了语言学、管理学、物理学和计算机科学分别代表纯理型软学科、应用型软学科、纯理型硬学科和应用型硬学科,以中国学者学术话语为语料,聚焦学术话语中的两个高频报道型式V that和it be V-ed that,构建了相应的语义序列分析框架。语料分析显示,四类学科共享部分语义序列,软硬学科、纯理与应用型学科的语义序列既呈现出规律性的特征,也有错综的表征,显示了学科性质和文化的复杂性。本研究揭示了短语学视角下的语义序列分析对探究学科文化的可行性和有效性,为学术话语、学科属性等研究提供了新的研究范式或视角。此外,语义序列分析对学术写作教学颇有助益,可帮助学科从业人员更好地了解学科文化特征,进而规范和优化学术英语表达。

This paper explores the association between recurrent phraseological patterns and disciplinary cultures from the perspective of semantic sequence. Based on Becher and his colleagues, taxonomy of academic territory, the study selected Linguistics, Management, Physics and Computer Science to represent soft pure, soft applied, hard pure and hard applied disciplines respectively. Research articles written by Chinese scholars specialized in the four disciplines were used as data. The analyses focus on two highly frequent reporting patterns, i.e. V that and it be V-ed that, in academic discourse, based on which an analytic framework for analyzing them was proposed. The analyses show that most of the semantic sequences identified can be found in the four disciplines, indicating that different disciplines across knowledge share common features. At the same time, it is observed that the frequency of each semantic sequence varies according to disciplines, which suggests the complexity of disciplinary cultures. Overall, the study has demonstrated the feasibility and usefulness of semantic sequences in investigating disciplinary cultures offering an alternative approach to exploring academic discourse and disciplinarity. Furthermore, the study has significant pedagogical applications in the teaching of academic writing, particularly by familiarizing students with disciplinary cultures and helping improve their academic writing skills in English.