The Scientist and the Construction of Scientific Knowledge: Aspects of Evidentiality in Negotiating Knowledge Claims in Scientific Research Articles

Contrary to traditional beliefs of scientific writing as a simple presentation of cold hard facts, recent research by sociologists of science and linguists have shown that scientific writing takes place within specific social contexts and is determined by the social systems which shape the scientists themselves and their perceptions of the world. Looking at the scientific research article (SRA) as a genuine representation of the ideology of science, the present paper argues that through the research article, the scientist-writer makes public the results of a scientific investigation to fellow scientists, who can either accept or reject the validity of this new information. Since new research findings are potentially face threatening to other researchers, the scientist-writer presents them through knowledge claims, which are carefully worded for the purpose of mitigating such face threatening acts. Using discussion sections of SRAs, the present paper examines how in the SRA, knowledge claims are negotiated by examining the semantic/pragmatic concept of evidentiality (especially categories of certainty or doubt) in the presentation of these knowledge claims. The study finds evidence of four main markers of evidentiality personal forms, reporting verbs, modification of certainty, and apology markers. Since evidentiality is an interpersonal function of language, its presence in the SRA indicates that far from being a mere presentation of cold hard facts, scientific writing is highly interactive, and it is this interaction that makes it a highly persuasive genre. Review of Southern African Studies Volume 3 No. 2 December 1999, pp. 103-12

Sex discourses and gender constructions in Southern Sotho: a case study of police interviews of rape/sexual assault victims

Gender studies in the judicial system has been a topic of much interest in recent legal and linguistic research, focusing on a wide range of issues such as power, ideology, disadvantage and domination in the legal system (e.g. Estrich, 1993; Matoesian, 1993; Lees, 1997; Ehrlich, 2001). The majority of studies of gender and the law (be they legal or linguistic) have however, focused on western societies and western cultures (e.g. Europe, North America, Australia), with very sketchy reports on research done in Africa. Based very broadly within critical discourse analysis, the present paper examines `sex discourses' — text and talk about sex — in Southern Sotho. I focus on how through such discourses, gender relations and identities are forged within social systems. I illustrate this by examining the culturally learned linguistic code of politeness for women — hlonipha in Southern Sotho. I first discuss hlonipha as a `commonsensical' cultural phenomenon, and consider how it functions in negotiating power relations in society (e.g. adults-children, men-women, etc.). Secondly, I use transcripts of recorded police interviews of rape victims, to explore the discursive functions of hlonipha in reporting rape (or sexual assault). I use the evidence from such data to suggest that the cultural differences between Basotho women and men `talk' on sexually related topics, potentially contribute to the engendered legal system. In short, the unequal access to the sex discourses illustrated by the hlonipha constraints on women's discourse during police interviews functions as a discursive strategy for constructing and maintaining dominant patriarchal hegemony in the socio-legal system. I also indicate how an understanding of such gender inequality could lead to some positive changes. (S/ern Af Linguistics and Applied Language Stud: 2002 20(3): 177-189