Introduction to Specialised Text Analysis 3200-L3-2WATS

A specialized text is a form of representation of a terminological lexicon in an appropriate syntagmatic series built according to the rules of proper syntax. A specialized text, being a product of a specialized language, understood as an autonomous conventionalized semiotic system with a primary instrumental function ascribed to it, is an essential element in the process of professional (professional) communication, the task of which is to convey specialized knowledge. The fixed elements of a specialized text include: a) semantic dominants forming the semantic space of the text; b) structural modules; c) chains of connectors. In comparison with a non-specialist text, a specialized text is characterized by a more rigid organization of syntagmatic series (the presence in its composition of signs of the beginning and end of the syntagmatic series) and a clearer division of the text into component units - structural modules that perform the function of organizing a specialized text, whose characteristic feature is the repetitiveness of their structure, reproducibility in terms of formal organization within a given type of texts. The wholeness of a specialized text is determined by the corresponding chain of connectors, in the nature of which there are grammatical and lexical linguistic means. From the point of view of semantic structure, a specialized text is a one-dimensional unit, i.e. it does not contain subtextual meanings and polysemantic units. Within a specialized text, general vocabulary is a semantically subordinated lexical category, while systemic meanings are realized by terminological units. A text formulated in specialized language is the result of a focused analysis of the object of professional activity and a form of consolidation and transmission of specific professional information.

The analysis of a specialized text is a structured set of scientific activities, the object of which is a specialized text. The text can be studied in terms of: a) the language in which it is formulated; b) the information it contains; c) the linguistic and extra-linguistic conventions that determine its semantic structure and linguistic form. In the case of text language-oriented analysis, the text under study is treated as a collection of units of a certain level of the linguistic system. In the case of a text-oriented analysis, a text can be treated as a description of a certain extralinguistic situation (semantic analysis) or as a record of a certain line of reasoning (logical analysis). In the case of author- and recipient-oriented analysis, the text under study is treated as some single or complex communicative event, largely subject to the conventions of the cultural or professional group to which the author and recipient of the text belong.

Different types of text analysis use different methods and different conceptual apparatus, drawn from linguistics, cognitive psychology, sociology, cultural studies, mathematical logic, and mathematical statistics. The results of the analysis of specialized texts are applied in such fields of practical activity as foreign language teaching for professional purposes, translation and automatic processing of specialized texts. Specialized texts from various areas of specialized language will be discussed and analyzed in this course.

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