中美英语科技论文中作者自我身份对比研究

On Authorial Identity in English Scientific Papers Written by the Chinese and the American Scholars

通过自建两个对比语料库,利用文本检索工具AntConc 3.2.1,对第一人称复数进行了频率统计和身份构建分析,旨在提升国内学者英语写作规范。结果发现中美学者在第一人称的出现频率上存在显著性差异,中国学者总体上身份构建要弱于美国同行,"摘要"部分甚至没有一处显性身份构建的人称代词;虽然两者均构建了四种不同身份,但中国学者在语篇中的介入度比英语本族语者低,较多使用人称代词构建实验过程描述者和语篇组织者身份,即使在构建原创观点提出者与观点持有者身份时,为了避免与读者观点发生冲突,常使用模糊的或间接性的婉转表达法;认为中国学者应不断更新认识,了解最新国际写作动态,敢于在文中展现自我,积极构建自我身份。

The comparison of authorial identity in scientific research articles written by the Chinese and the American aims at helping improve the former’s paper-writing ability. We built two corpora(one by the American scholars and the other by their Chinese counterparts) retrieved from one of the international journals, Cement and Concrete Research. The first-person plural pronouns(FPP) were counted in each of the corpora by means of AntConc 3.2.1 and then analyzed functionally. There are significant differences in the use of FPPs in the two corpora. The Chinese scientists underuse them in all sections, especially in the Abstract. From the perspective of authorial identity, they are more likely to perform the functions of organizing texts and explaining procedures. The functions of stating results and elaborating arguments are realized by the addition of some hedges and indirect expressions to make faces of readers less threatening and their commitment to a position less risky. It indicates that they are less likely to announce their authorial presence than their counterparts and they intrude into the texts less often than the latter does. These findings suggest that the Chinese scientists should keep pace with the international academic conventions, and regulate their scientific writing by presenting their authorial identities properly so that their articles can be more readable and acceptable by the international journals.