Articles
Persuasive speech-acts in scientific texts and their lexicographic representation: The example of the collocation Bild zeichnen
Communication in science can be described as persuasive as far as it is characterized by the need to convince the community of recipients of the scientific value of one’s own results. Lexicography of academic language has to take this into consideration. But how can one describe the linguistic realisation of persuasive speech acts lexicographically in scientific communication? As this cannot be captured on the level of single words, but is rather expressed in the form of more complex structures, the concepts of multi-word units, such as collocations, provide a useful approach. The paper pursues the question as to whether collocation is a suitable means for describing the presentation of the linguistic realisation of persuasive speech acts in science communication. The collocation Bild zeichnen that is used across disciplines serves as a basis for our analysis. We show how qualifying adjectives attributed to the noun Bild can establish reference to acquiring knowledge and thereby furnish the speech act with a persuasive character. Based on the results, we illustrate how an extended concept of collocation can be applied to integrate the linguistic realisation of persuasive aspects of scientific communication in a lexicographic presentation.