Lecture 16  Stylistic Features of EST
1. How do you define EST?
EST is a general term including all written forms and spoken forms which concerns about science and technology. EST includes in its category many fields of discourse: the English of mathematics, the English of physics, the English of chemistry, the English of biology, etc.
Common features and single variety：    two sub-varieties:
        a. the English of specialized science and technology ( ESST)
        b. the English of common science and technology ( ECST)
EST is a variety of English dealing with the theories and applications of science
Categories of EST
scientific works, academic papers, experimental reports
description and explanation of natural phenomenon
information and literal documents on ST
ST instructions for operative means
the interpretations on ST movies and videos
language used in ST conferences, negotiations
1  Grammatical Features
1.1 More use of longer and statement-type sentences
The sample texts show that compared with the varieties we have discussed, EST sentences appear a bit longer. In Sample 1, there are in all 7 sentences; the shortest one consists of 8 words, the longest 35, the average being 23.6 words per sentence. In Sample 2, the longest has 40 words, the shortest 9, the average being 23.8 words. Sample 3 is from a textbook, the longer paragraphs of which have an average of 21, 7 words per sente
nce. The statistics show that the sentence length in EST are longer than the sentence length in everyday conversation (8 words), or advertising (12.4 words), or some urgent kind of news reporting (20 words). The average words per sentence in EST are about the same as in public speech (which has an average of 24 words); but in EST, the sentence length does not vary as sharply as in public speech in which one sentence can have 74 words, and another may have only 4 words. This is because a mild variation in sentence length reflects the author's unemotional state of mind and his/her objective way of narrating.
As is the nature of most technical writing (making statements about things and processes, ere), sentences in the samples are mostly of the statement type.
There are often universal kinds of statements in EST texts, such as:
Metals expand when heated and contract when cooled.
The molecule of water has three atoms.
Statements of this kind are believed to be true universally , at all times and in all places. Th
e laws of science (as Action and reaction are equal and opposite. Like charges repel each other. Unlike charges attract.), formulae equations (eg v'=v - v, F=ma), definitions (as The gram is the mass of one cc ) etc are among sentences of universal statement.
Most of the statements are of the simple S P (O) (C) (A) structure, or A S P (C) (A) structure which presents not very much structural difficulty in understanding.
Other types of sentences are possible. In Sample 3, there is one sentence in the form of a command:reaction in the shaft
Let v, represent the downward velocity of this gas relative to the rocket.
A working example is customarily introduced by the following formula using command-type sentences:
Consider a high pressure chamber.
Imagine a charge of gas to be compressed inside that chamber.
Let p 1 be the initial pressure.
Such sentences are common in experimental descriptions:
Take a beaker of water and heat it over a burner. Record its temperature every minute. The temperature rises steadily until it reaches l 00 ℃ , but after that it remains constant. Now mark the side of the beaker to indicate the water level. Leave the beaker to boil for several minutes and again record the level. Notice that some of the water has disappeared. The water is changing into water vapor.
Occasionally questions may occur to draw the reader's attention to what is to follow, though we do not have any in the samples. Naturally exclamations or vocatives do not occur in this variety of English, which is supposed to be free from emotional coloring.
1.2 Preference for impersonal sentence patterns
Most highly distinctive is the frequent use of impersonal sentences, as it is important to stress the fact that experimental results will be the same as long as the experiments are re
plicated exactly, no matter who performs them. This is shown 1) in the use of sentences introduced by an anticipatory It ; as in
It is obvious that these currents will generate heat in the core.
It will be seen that energy cannot be destroyed; it only changes its form.
and 2) in the use of passive structure (with predicator in the passive voice or with passive infinitive) in narrating. Passive structures put the 'patient', or 'Goal' of the action in subject position, the Agent appearing in the optional 'by+Agent' phrase, thus allowing the 'personal' aspect of the action to be removed, and the description of the experiment to appear more objective. In Sample 1 there are 7 sentences; 4 of them contain passive structure. Out of the 12 sentences in Sample 2, 8 sentences have passive structure.

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