The paper aims to study some linguistic features of para-scientific language, by analysing seven brief texts, published online, which are linked to veganism and try to explain the benefits of this way of life to their readers. First of all, peculiar traits of the scientific language are discussed, in order to underline the differences between this particular kind of language, which is based on a full application of the scientific method, and the para-scientific one. The textual corpus shows quite clearly that the authors make specific and regular choices which deal with the lexical, syntactic, semantic, stylistic and rhetorical levels of the language. These choices, moreover, seem to be quite similar to those usually present in the language of deception and in fake texts in general, as both kinds of texts share a common target, i.e. avoiding the traits that are commonly expected in scientific language.
Il presente articolo si prefigge di studiare alcuni tratti caratteristici del linguaggio della parascienza, analizzando sette brevi testi, pubblicati online, legati al veganesimo, i cui autori cercano di illustrare al pubblico in rete i benefici di tale regime alimentare. Si discutono anzi tutto alcuni tratti tipici del linguaggio scientifico e del relativo metodo, sottolineandone le differenze rispetto a quello della parascienza. Il corpus testuale della pubblicistica vegana qui analizzato mostra con una certa chiarezza che gli autori in esame compiono con regolarità determinate scelte linguistiche, a livello lessicale, sintattico, semantico, stilistico e retorico. Tali scelte sembrano molto vicine a quelle normalmente presenti nei testi cosiddetti fake, evidentemente in quanto entrambi condividono lo stesso obiettivo: allontanarsi il più possibile dal linguaggio scientifico e da ciò che esso comporta.
Riflessioni sul linguaggio della divulgazione parascientifica: Il caso della pubblicistica vegana
Scarpanti, Edoardo
2023-01-01
Abstract
The paper aims to study some linguistic features of para-scientific language, by analysing seven brief texts, published online, which are linked to veganism and try to explain the benefits of this way of life to their readers. First of all, peculiar traits of the scientific language are discussed, in order to underline the differences between this particular kind of language, which is based on a full application of the scientific method, and the para-scientific one. The textual corpus shows quite clearly that the authors make specific and regular choices which deal with the lexical, syntactic, semantic, stylistic and rhetorical levels of the language. These choices, moreover, seem to be quite similar to those usually present in the language of deception and in fake texts in general, as both kinds of texts share a common target, i.e. avoiding the traits that are commonly expected in scientific language.I documenti in IRIS sono protetti da copyright e tutti i diritti sono riservati, salvo diversa indicazione.