These are the basic features of the scientific style, though different researches may outline some other ones or just additional to the ones named.

2.2 Lexical Features of Scientific Prose

So, as mentioned before, scientific style is one of functional styles which is supposed to provide information in a distinct, logically organized and unbiased way which, in its turn, requires a certain organization of language material that will promote consecutive and systematic presentation of various scientific issues.

We should bear in mind that scientific style belongs to bookish ones as it is generally realized in writing. Though the rapid development of science in the modern society necessitates contacts and communication of different kinds, including speaking as well (at conferences, symposia, etc). It obviously increases the significance of speaking variety of the style. Therefore we can’t say that scientific texts are purely written ones, scientific style presents nowadays a combination of both writing and speaking varieties of the language.

On the basis of extralinguistic features, mentioned above, some linguistic characteristics of scientific texts can be outlined. Thus, the texts of the scientific style have the following basic linguistic features which can be divided into three groups – lexical, grammatical and compositional (some researches name morphological, syntactical, lexical and compositional):

LEXICAL FEATURES

- scientific terminology in a great number (discourse, co-text, interpretation; electric field, charge, magnetism, etc.);

- the use of exclusively scientific phraseology and set terminological expressions (as matters stand; in all respects; it is assumed; zero tolerance; to take part);

- extensive use of bookish words (not every-day ones), e. g. presume, infer, preconception, cognitive;

- use of words in their primary dictionary meaning, restricted use of connotative contextual meanings, interjections, expressive phraseology, phrasal verbs, colloquial vocabulary.;

- abundance of proper names;

- use of shortenings of different kinds and abbreviations (shortenings, contractions, initialisms, and acronyms);

- the use of diagrams, schemes, graphs, maps, systems of mathematical, chemical and physical symbols;

- the use of internationalisms;

- abundance of neologisms

- involvement of citations, foot-notes, endnotes and references to original, primary sources, bibliography;

Foot-notes provide details about the source of an in-text citation and are placed at the bottom of the page where the citation appears. Scientific and technical texts may have endnotes as well. They provide details about the source of an in-text citation and are placed at the end of the article or paper, on a separate sheet of paper. At the end of the article or paper, on a separate sheet of paper there is a bibliography which is a complete list of reference books, articles and other source materials cited in your work, in alphabetical order by author.

- The use of various logical connectors / linkers (таким чином, по-перше; as a result, obviously, firstly, etc.);

- extensive use of double conjunctions like as... as, either... or, both... and, etc.

Generally it must be said that scientific-technical writing must be clear, composed of carefully chosen words, not abstract and general language. Prose cluttered with language that is overly abstract, ornate, or vague becomes unreadable, either too dense or too vague to be understandable.

Lecture 3. Terminology