Debating evolutions in science, technology and society: Ethical and ideological perspectives. An introduction

Autori

  • James Archibald McGill University, Montreal
  • Paola Catenaccio Università degli Studi di Milano
  • Giuliana Garzone Libera Università IULM di Lingue e Comunicazione

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.1285/i22390359v34p5

Abstract

This article introduces the theme of the Special Issue on “Debating evolutions in science, technology and society: Ethical and ideological perspectives.” Its starts from the idea that new advances in science and in technology, new evolutions in society, politics and culture bring with them the need to update linguistic resources at different levels in order to be able to talk about them and accommodate new concepts. Thus they inevitably result in an impact on language and discourse that goes well beyond vocabulary and terminology. They change patterns of thinking, reasoning and conceptualizing, leading to new representations and new discourses. In particular, representation of evolutions in texts addressed to the general public involves the transfer of domain-specific knowledge to various non-specialist audiences and its recontextualization and transformation to be made accessible to the non-specialist. That is why it can never be neutral, even when the writer has the best intentions in terms of accuracy and honesty. The focus of this introductory article is in particular on the notion of discursive frame, frames being cognitive perceptual structures that either subconsciously or strategically influence participants on how to “hear or how to say” something. It shows that framing, selecting and perspectivising are inevitable in knowledge dissemination and transmission, and argues that since they are so effective, discourse frames are a powerful ideological instrument, capable of influencing the public perception of the most crucial issues in society.

Biografie autore

James Archibald, McGill University, Montreal

James Archibald holds a doctorate from the University of Lille; he currently teaches translation at McGill University. His recent publications include “Pour l’engagement sociétal du traducteur”, 131 (2016); “Translating Politically Sensitive Texts in Multilingual Contexts” (Cambridge Scholars Publishing, 2016), “Managing Translation Quality in Multilingual Settings”, Circuit 133 ( 2017), and the Tagalog translation of the Montreal Charter of Rights and Responsibilities (2017). He directed the French edition of issues 87 (2016), 88 (2017) and 89 (2017) of International Higher Education, a journal published jointly by Boston College and the Agence Universitaire de la Francophonie. In 2017-18, he was a visiting professor at the Lebanese American University and the Université libanaise’s Centre de langues et de traduction, where he gave the graduate seminar in translation studies. A Chevalier in the Ordre des Palmes académiques, Mr. Archibald is a member of the Conseil supérieur de la langue française, the International Standards Organization’s committee on translation and terminology and theOffice des professions du Québec.

Paola Catenaccio, Università degli Studi di Milano

Paola Catenaccio is Full Professor of English Linguistics and Translation at Università degli Studi di Milano. Her research interests lie primarily in the field of discourse analysis, which she applies to a variety of domains (legal discourse, business communication, professional discourse, ELF communication, the discourse of science and of scientific popularisation) in combination with other methodological perspectives (most notably corpus linguistics), adopting a multi-methods approach to linguistic research, She has authored numerous articles which have appeared in international journals and edited collections. She has also coedited several volumes on various aspects and domain-specific discourse and authored two volumes on the interface between corporate communication and the media (Corporate Press Releases. An Overview, 2008) and on emerging paradigms in business discourse (Understanding CSR Discourse: Insights from Linguistics and Discourse Analysis, 2012). She is co-editor of Genre Change in the Contemporary World (2012, with G. Garzone and C. Degano) and of a special issue of the journal Languages/Cultures/Mediation devoted to “Professional Practice across Domains: Linguistic and Discursive Perspectives” (with G. Garzone and S. Sarangi). She is co-editor-in-chief (with G. Garzone) of the journal Languages Cultures Mediation.

Giuliana Garzone, Libera Università IULM di Lingue e Comunicazione

Giuliana Elena Garzone is Full Professor of English, Linguistics and Translation at IULM University, Milan, where she co-ordinates the Master’s Progamme in Specialised Translation and Conference Interpreting. She formerly taught at Milan State University where she directed the PhD Programme in Linguistic, Literary and Intercultural Studies. Her research interests are mainly in English for Specific Purposes, and in particular corporate, legal and scientific communication. She has co-ordinated several research projects and is the author or (co-)editor of more than twenty books, and has published over a hundred and thirty book chapters and journal articles. She is co-editor-in-chief (with P. Catenaccio) of the journal Languages Cultures Mediation. Her most recent publications include the book Professional Communication on Web 2.0 and Beyond (2019), and the articles “New biomedical practices and discourses: Focus on surrogacy (2019), in Text&Talk, “Sharing Knowledge on LinkedIn Groups: Focus on Legal Practitioners” (2018) in Altre Modernità/Other Modernities, and “The interpreter mediated police interview as argumentative discourse in context: A case-study” (2017), published in the volume Argumentation across Communities of Practice that she edited with C. Ilie (John Benjamins). In 2018 she received the Francis W. Weeks Award of Merit for excellence in business communication research from the US-based Association for Business Communication, and in 2019 she received an honorary degree (Doctor ès Lettres) from Mc Gill University (Montréal).

Riferimenti bibliografici

Bartel L. 2010, Discursive frame, in Mills A.J., Durepos G. and Wiebe E. (eds.), Encyclopedia of case study research. Vol 1, Sage, Thousand Oak, CA/London, pp. 310-312.

Edelman M.J. 1993, Contestable categories and public opinion, in “Political Communication” 10 [3], pp. 231-242.

Entman R. 1993, Framing: Toward clarification of a fractured paradigm, in “Journal of Communication” 43 [4], pp. 51-58.

Goffman E. 1974, Frame analysis. An essay on the organization of experience, Northeastern University Press, Boston.

Silverstein M. and Urban G. 1996, The natural history of discourse, in Silverstein M. and Urban G. (eds), Natural Histories of Discourse, Chicago University Press, Chicago, pp. 1-17.

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Pubblicato

15-06-2020

Fascicolo

Volume 34 (2020) - Special Issue

Sezione

STUDI - Articles

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