Language, Vocabulary and the Overall

¶ … language, vocabulary and the overall organization of a text or an article is adapted to the audience that the writer is addressing. Scientific texts will certainly be entirely different from texts addressing the overall public. The four texts analyzed here below clearly point this out.

"At Conference, Hope for Success Is Further Attenuated" from Science (18 November 1994)

First of all, we should not that the tone of the article is casual and explanatory. Indeed, the idea is to present in the least possible technical and medical terms what the experiments have brought about and how this will influence AIDS research. Even if this type of explanatory work usually requires a certain amount of technicality, the author manages to avoid such language and remain on straightforward coordinates.

For example, he is describing the genetic process that has led to the creation of the vaccine. Instead of losing himself and the readers in technical terms, he simply states that the vaccine "had been engineered with three key deletions in SlY's genetic material, including two entire genes."

Most of the article is itself a narration of facts that are related to the discovery of the vaccine, including how it was created in the laboratory, how it was tested on the monkeys and how the vaccine could be successfully implemented on people. Further more, the end of the article contains one of those sensation news we often see in the papers: a man infected with HIV has survived since 1983 by having already received the vaccine.

The lack of technical language, the casual and often narrative style and the presence, at times, of stories meant to sweep the reader off his feet, strengthen my opinion that this article is addressing the public rather than a small, scientific group interested in AIDS research. There is one note to be made: it is the intellectual public, people who would normally be interested in finding more about AIDS research than they hear on the news or read in a newspaper.

2. "HIV / AIDS Why take chances? Protect yourself"

The article presented here informs about a series of AIDS and HIV related issues, such as how one can get infected, what are the normal means of preventing HIV infection and what the HIV actually is. Further more, in its first part, the article gives helpful information about where and why one should get a test for the HIV.

The style used here is, first of all, very direct, especially in the first page. Indeed, if we have a look at the second column, referring to "why should you get tested," almost all the verbs seem to take an imperative form: "begin," "learn," "get help" or "receive help." The second page of the article does not move far from this line. Advice, at times imperative advice, is the key method used by the writer of this article to address his reader.

On the other hand, the article is clearly also an informatory piece. Very straightforward and with clear terms, it aims to inform people on what the HIV is, how one can get AIDS and what methods one can use to reduce the risk of contracting the virus.

In this sense, because of its advisory and informatory nature, in my opinion, the article refers to almost everybody. Indeed, AIDS is nowadays a global concern and it reaches the entire public. No one can actually feel secure from the illness. However, we may also notice that the article is pretty basic, giving out primary information, which may induce us to believe that it is rather directed towards teenagers or people with lesser knowledge on AIDS.

3. "Identification of Herpesvirus-Like DNA Sequences in AIDS-Associated Kaposi's Sarcoma" from Science (16 December 1994

The first observation that needs to be made here is that the language used is very technical: many terms from chemistry, biology and anatomy. This is quite clear from the very beginning, when the author mentions among the agents suspect of causing Kaposi's sarcoma things like "cytomegalovirus, hepatitis B virus or human herpes virus 6."

Further more, the tone used throughout the paper is extremely precise and scientific, as it describes chemical reactions used to identify certain DNA sequences and mechanisms such as polymerase chain reaction (PCR). The author uses several figures throughout the article to make his point clear and these include some of the sequences obtained. The figures are extensively commented in sideline textboxes (see Figures 1 and 2).

Additionally, the author does not hold back from presenting some of the statistical data and implications of his tests and experiment. This include statistical tests and results.

Everything presented here above lead us to believe that this paper is a highly scientific paper that is addressing scientists working in this area. A high knowledge of the facts discussed is necessary in order to understand what the paper is about and what it is actually referring to. The audience is formed of a very small group of informed, well documented persons, who work with these matters on a daily basis. The article has a clear research goal and wants to share with the scientific community the discovery of the analysis.

4. "Laboratory Safety for Handling of Blood and Body Fluids"

The article here presents several recommendations and rules related to handling blood and to behavior in the laboratory. The tone and phrases used are clearly pointed this out, as we shall se here below.