Abstract
AbstractThe article deals with formal and functional aspects of reported speech in printed natural history texts from the late Middle Ages to the early modern period from a pragmatic point of view. The topos of authority played a crucial role in medieval and early modern non-fictional literature and served to legitimize the knowledge offered by the author. Originally, direct or indirect citation proved knowledge of the authorities, a means by which the author claimed the truth for his statements. In the course of time, direct and indirect speech in scientific texts became more and more a formal and functional tool for positioning one’s own way of thinking in opposition to other opinions.
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