Abstract
Recent research has shown that an important characteristic of English science writing is the use of inanimate subjects with agentive verbs (IS-AV constructions), as in this paper suggests or this theory argues. This article explores the use of such IS-AV constructions from a cross-linguistic perspective, investigating, by means of two small-scale corpus studies, whether they are used differently in English and Dutch academic prose and how they are translated in English-Dutch translations in this genre. The results are relevant for Dutch writers of English academic texts and translators working with these languages, and raise a number of broader theoretical issues with respect to contrastive differences between English and Dutch, the possibility of English influence on Dutch academic prose, and the desirability of IS-AV constructions in this genre.
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