Voice Distribution in English Abstracts of Chinese and English Scientific Papers
Zhixin Liu · Journal of Jiangsu Polytechnic University · 2009
We randomly sampled 50 English abstracts in leading international and Chinese scientific papers respectively and analyzed the voice distribution in the abstracts.The results show significant differences,with Chinese authors' tending to use much more passive voice than the authors in English-speaking countries.Active voices in English scientific papers,however,are more frequently employed than that of Chinese scientific papers.The following reasons contribute to Chinese authors' overpassivization: one is that some Chinese authors are lacking in the knowledge of Documentation-Abstracts for Publications and Documentation(ISO)214-1976(E) and The Engineering Index(EI).The other is that some authors hold traditional views on the use of passive voice.To better communicate and transmit scientific achievements in China,it is essential to keep track of international academic development,obey international rules in English abstract writing and integrate voice study with English abstract writing.