Linguistic Personality of the Author of Popular Science Articlesin Terms of Argumentation

Abstract

The article examines the linguistic personality of the author of popular science articles through analysis of his use of argumentative means. Three articles of the journalist R. Fishman were selected as material. The distribution of argumentative schemes (types of arguments) is considered in comparison with the average distribution in journalistic texts; some specific features of argumentative structures (ways of organizing argumentation in the text) are shown. It was found that the author often prefers to use logical and pseudological arguments, as well as arguments demonstrating ways of obtaining knowledge, and less often - to references to an authoritative opinion. The complicated argumentative structures used by R. Fishman demonstrate the multifaceted nature of the scientific phenomena referred to in the texts; conflict, or attacking (containing counterarguments) schemes used by the author perform two functions: attracting attention and demonstrating the complexity and ambiguity of scientific phenomena. On the whole, the argumentation observed in the texts of R. Fishman indicates that the author tries to comprehend scientific knowledge for its appropriate transfer to a non-specialist reader, and does not use simpler strategies to popularize scientific knowledge.