In this article, I focus on two competing technical communication discourses used to represent the biometric technology Ghana adopted in 2012 and subsequent elections to demonstrate how communication about technology could potentially marginalize local, nondominant knowledge systems whereas it privileges global, dominant knowledge systems.…

This article analyzes a proposal submitted to a funding unit in Michigan Technological University by a PhD Forestry student. A rhetorical-cultural approach of the text provides evidence to argue that scientific writing is rooted in a cultural practice that valorizes certain kinds of thought, practices, rituals, and symbols; that a scientist's work…

Cross-cultural blunders caused by inappropriate use of language are a common problem in international professional communication. They cause misunderstanding, lead to business failures, and tend to be offensive at times. Such blunders may occur in business ads, slogans, products names, and instructions. Understanding their causes and finding…

Points out that formalization of cognitive grammar is difficult to achieve within the present formulation of the grammar. Introduces a modification that will allow modeling the process of similarity. Suggests using analogical modeling. Indicates some consequences of the proposition for the practice of communication. (PA)

States that, although the passive voice may be overused in legal prose, legal writing guidebooks undervalue its uses. Introduces the passive voice and gives some possible reasons for its use. Outlines the many situations when the passive is more appropriate than the active voice. (PA)

Focuses on technical sub-languages to reveal sociological functions of language that transcend mere transfer of substantive information. Finds one sociological feature, the shibboleth, acting widely throughout technical fields. (PA)

Notes that prescriptions for scientific writing about jargon and the passive voice do not take into account that language varies with rhetorical setting. Argues that prescriptions to avoid them are not well adapted to their functions. (SR)

Argues that exploring the written work of William Stillman of Rhode Island could help balance the appraisal of 19th-century American technical communication. Reviews the writing and graphics in his "Miscellaneous Compositions" (1851) and patents from 1836 and 1839. Concludes that Stillman had an unusual ability to mimic the biological…

Explores some of the stylistic complexities of definitions and requirements in a Canadian provincial act. Generates and justifies 15 recommendations for creating a plainer legal language in acts. (SR)

States that recently a new operational perspective on language has emerged, and as a result, a specific, analogical solution within such an approach is being developed. Describes that position briefly and sketches how such a perspective can lead to a theoretical justification of selected elements of established technical writing practice. (PA)

Finds debate and confusion about the use of passive voice in texts in general, and in computer manuals in particular. Aims to provide clarity by presenting the "alternation principle" for the use of the passive voice in computer manuals, in which active voice is used for user actions and passive voice for automatic computer actions. (PA)

Argues the infinitive phrase has not been taken seriously in writing because writers have been too concerned with Bishop Robert Lowth's proscription against the split infinitive. Notes that examination of three types of technical prose (instructions, annual reports, and "junk mail") reveals that more than one sentence in four contains an…

Examines self-help medical literature in 19th-century Canada. Shows that while authors repeatedly called for "plain" language in contrast to mysterious terminology employed by medical practitioners, comparison of their style with that of medical textbook authors reveals few real differences. Concludes that the posture adopted by Canadian…

Tests the assumption that technical writers and editors assume readers are generally helped when nominalizations and the weak verbs that accompany them are replaced with the verb form of the nominalization. Indicates that denominalized text is most effective in helping native speakers focus on more important information, but for nonnative…

Claims that two social values in science--falsifiability of scientific theories and cooperation among scientists--determine use of passives in scientific communication. Concludes that educators must help science students understand how the social values in science are embodied in scientific passives and help them gain insights into how scientists…