I also suppose that Dale is right, "voice" as abstracted text signifies
for the listener more than for the speaker the authority of the speaker;
I suppose this is less true when authority is signalled intonationally,
since speakers can strategically use intonation, even when the
lexicogrammar of disciplinary authority is not available to them,
as a resource to position themselves as authorities.
- Judy
At 03:47 PM 7/31/96 EDT, you wrote:
>regarding 'science talk': I can relate to the same sort of phenomenon in
>humanities courses, and I'm intrigued. If it is so cross disciplinary, then
>it's not just the vocabulary and rationalism of science? I'd be inclined to
>hypothesize, also, that there is more going on in the hearer's interpretation
>of "so and so knows a bunch so I'd better shut up" than there is in any
>complementary sense of expertise on the part of the speaker. My question, for
>now, is this: is there some consistent linguistic or behavioral pattern that
>we are identifying as talking in "that way"? Or, does "the voice" vary with
>the discipline?
>dale
>
>
>
....................
Judy Diamondstone diamonju who-is-at rci.rutgers.edu
Graduate School of Education Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey
10 Seminary Place New Brunswick, NJ 08903
Eternity is in love with the productions of time. - W. Blake