标题: 被动语态在科技论文中的应用
The Use of Passive Voice in Research Articles
作者: 柳薇芬
Wei-Feng Liu
郭志华
Chih-Hua Kuo
英语教学研究所
关键字: 被动语态;科技论文;passive voice;research articles
公开日期: 2005
摘要: 中文摘要

被动语态在教学的过程中通常着重于主动与被动句型的互换。此外,在大多数的英文写作指引中,被动语态更因为它复杂的结构,不建议学生采用。事实上,被动语态具有允许无生命的科技内容成为句子主词的特性,而被广泛的使用在科技论文中。普遍认为,这样的句子可以让科技论文读来更加客观,进而增加实验的可信度。但是我们认为被动语态的功能应不仅止于此,也想探讨被动语态在言谈(discourse)层面的功能。因此,在此篇论文中,我们采用功能语法的观点来探讨有哪些因素会影响被动语态在科技论文中的应用以及被动语态的言谈功能。我们的研究问题包括:
第一、 被动语态的使用在科技与人文领域的论文中是否有所不同?若有不同,如何从言谈功能的观点来解释呢?而它的功能在此两种不同的领域之中又各为何?若在这两种领域中没有明显的差异,那么是否可归纳出一原则来说明被动语态的使用时机?
第二、 中国学生在选择使用主动或被动语态时,是否会因为不清楚动词中及物与不及物特性而造成误用?
第三、 如何从功能语法的观点来教导研究生能在论文中更有效的使用被动语态?
依据以上的研究问题,本篇论文采用了下列的分析与实验:
第一、 我们分析四十八篇人文及科技领域期刊中实验部份(Methods section)被动语态及主事者的使用频率与功能。此外,我们也比较了这两种领域中被动语态的使用时机。
第二、 因为在试验性研究(pilot study)中,我们发现了学生似乎会因为不了解动词及物或不及物的属性而造成语态的误用。因此,在此篇论文中,我们设计了一关于及物与不及物动词和语态选择的测验。藉此测验,希望厘清动词及物和不及物特性与主动或是被动语态误用的关系。
根据我们所做的分析与实验,得到下列的结果:
第一、 比起人文领域的论文,被动语态在科技论文中更加地频繁使用。除此之外,主事者(by-agent)在这两个领域的功能也有所不同。而从言谈的观点,被动语态的使用通常受到论文中讯息及主题体系(information and theme systems)的影响。
第二、 中国学生对某些动词的及物或不及物的特性可能造成语态的误用。此外,中国学生也可能因为不清楚动词与主词的关系,而选用了错误的语态。
第三、 我们从言谈功能的观点,设计了一个适合教导研究生在论文中使用被动语态的教案,也提供了一些关于教被动语态的建议。
ABSTRACT

Passive voice is considered as a weak structure rhetorically. Many style manuals claim that active sentences are forceful and interesting while passive voice may complicate sentences and impair readability. However, such a perspective on passive voice restricts its functions to the sentence context and neglects its role in discourse.
Therefore, in this study, we propose a functional approach to the use and choice of voice, focusing on the communicative functions and discourse contexts of voice use. We, firstly, analyze and compare the use of passive voice and its by-agents in the Methods Section of 48 research articles in materials science and applied linguistics. Secondly, in a pilot study, we found that students have problems with voice choice in considering the transitivity of verbs. An experiment relating voice use to transitivity of verbs is conducted. The purpose of the experiment aims to find out if transitive/intransitive nature of verbs is the key element contributing to Chinese learners’ misuse in voice use. Finally, a lesson plan based on our analysis results is provided. We propose how to teach voice, with particular focus on voice use at the discourse level, in relation to information and theme systems.
Results show that passive voice is used more often in hard science (58.98%) than in social science (31.07%). In both fields, a majority of passive sentences (73.15% and 86.36%, respectively) do not use by-agents while those with by-agents can be further divided into animate/inanimate groups according to their functions in text. Besides, at the discourse level, we also found that information and theme systems are determining factors in voice choice. As for the experiment, results show that Chinese students may be confused about verbs with both transitive and intransitive natures. Students’ unclear ideas about the relationship between verb and subject also contribute to the misuse in voice use. Then, a lesson plan is provided to show how to teach graduate students voice choice in research articles. Finally, pedagogical implications are discussed and some suggestions for future research are also made.
URI: http://140.113.39.130/cdrfb3/record/nctu/#GT009245522
http://hdl.handle.net/11536/77414
显示于类别:Thesis


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