Multifunctional Roles of the First Person Singular in Academic Texts

Abstract

The use of the first person in academic texts in many languages as well as in many fields of science1 has a long tradition. The following randomly selected excerpts from the works of distinguished scholars illustrate this point. In the cases of Examples 1 and 3, an English translation from the original follows: (1) PRINCIPIO advertendum nobis2 est, globosum esse mundum, sive quòd ipsa forma perfectissima sit omnium, nulla indigens compagine, tota integra: sive quod ipsa capacissima sit figurarum, quæ compræhensurum omnia, & conservaturum maxime decet: siveetiam quòd absolutissimæ quæque mundi partes, Solem dico, Lunam & Stellas, tali forma conspiciantur: sive quòd hac universa appetant terminari, quòd in aquæ guttis cæterisque liquidis corporibus apparet, dum per se terminari cupiunt. Quo minus talem formam cælestibus corporibus attributam quisquam dubitaverit. [First of all, we must note that the universe is spherical. The reason is either that, of all forms, the sphere is the most perfect, needing no joint and being a complete whole, which can be neither increased nor diminished; or that it is the most capacious of figures, best suited to enclose and retain all things; or even that all the separate parts of the universe, I mean the sun, moon, planets and stars, are seen to be of this shape; or that wholes strive to be circumjscribed by this boundary, as is apparent in drops of water and other fluid bodies when they seek to be self-contained. Hence no one will question the attribution of this form to the divine bodies.] (Copernicus 1543: 16;translation from Latin by Rosen 1992 [1978]) (2) Nor do I see, how I can easily be mistaken In this matter. I know evidently that distance Is not perceived of itself. […] I know also that the sensation arising from the turn of the eyes Is of Itself Immediately perceived […] (Berkeley 1910(1784]: 17) (3) Wir wollen dlese Vermutung (deren Inhalt In folgenden ‘Prinzlp der Relativität’ genannt werden wlrdt) zur Voraussetzung erheben und auβerdem die mlt lhm schelnhar unvertragllche Voraussetzung einfüren, daβ sich das Licht lm leeren Raume bestimmten, vom Bewegungszustande des emlttlerenden Körpers unabhä;ngigen Geschwlndlgkelt V fortpflanze. (…) Wir haben zu berücksichtigen, daβ alle unsere Urtelle, In welchen die Zelt elne Rolle splelt, immer Urtelle über gleichzeitige Ereignisse sind. Wenn ich z. B. sage: ‘Jener Zug kommt hler um 7 Uhr an’, so heiβt dies etwa: ‘Das Zelgen des kleinen Zelgers meiner Uhr auf 7 und das Ankommen des Zuges sind glelchzeitige Ereignisse.’ (…) Zum Schlusse bemerke ich, daβ mir belm Arbeiten an dem hier behandelten Probleme mein Freund und Kollege M. Besso treu zur Selte stand und daβ ich demselben manche wertvolle. Anregung verdanke. [We will raise this conjecture (the purport of which will hereafter be called the ‘Principle of Relativity’) to the status of a postulate, and also Introduce another postulate, which Is only apparently Irreconcilable with the former, namely, that light is always propagated In empty space with a definite velocity c which Is Independent of the state of motion of emitting body. (…) We have to take Into account that all our judgments In which time plays a portare always judgments of simultaneous events. If, for Instance, I say, ‘That train arrives here at 7 o’clock,’ I mean something like this: ‘The pointing of the small hand of my watch to 7 and the arrival of the train are simultaneous events.’ (…) In conclusion I wish to say that In working at the problem here dealt with I have had the loyal assistance of my friend and colleague M. Besso, and that I am indebted to him for several valuable suggestions.) (Einstein 1905: 891–3, 921; translation from German by Perret and Jeffery 1923) (4) There seems to be a fascination with Irony ‘ one that I obviouslyshare — whether It be regarded as a rhetorical trope or as a way of seeing the world. My own particular interest was triggered by the fact that Irony appears to have become a problematic mode of expression at the end of twentieth century. (Hutcheon 1995: 1) KeywordsLanguage PolicyMinority LanguageScientific LanguageAcademic WritingAppraisal TheoryThese keywords were added by machine and not by the authors. This process is experimental and the keywords may be updated as the learning algorithm improves.