The eighteenth century is an important period both in the history
of science and in the history of languages. Interest in science,
and especially in the useful sciences, exploded and a new, modern
approach to scientific discovery and the accumulation of knowledge
emerged. It was during this century, too, that ideas on language
and language practice began to change. Latin had been more or less
the only written language used for scientific purposes, but
gradually the vernaculars became established as fully acceptable
alternatives for scientific writing. The period is of interest,
moreover, from a genre-historical point of view. Encyclopedias,
dictionaries and also correspondence played a key role in the
spread of scientific ideas. At the time, writing on scientific
matters was not as distinct from fiction, poetry or religious texts
as it is today, a fact which also gave a creative liberty to
individual writers. In this volume, seventeen authors explore, from
a variety of angles, the construction of a scientific language and
discourse. The chapters are thematically organized into four
sections, each contributing to our understanding of this dynamic
period in the history of science: their themes are the forming of
scientific communities, the emergence of new languages of science,
the spread of scientific ideas, and the development of scientific
writing. A particular focus is placed on the Swedish botanist Carl
Linnaeus (1707-1778). From the point of view of the natural
sciences, Linnaeus is renowned for his principles for defining
genera and species of organisms and his creation of a uniform
system for naming them. From the standpoint of this volume,
however, he is also of interest as an example of a European
scientist of the eighteenth century. This volume is unique both in
its broad linguistic approach - including studies on
textlinguistics, stylistics, sociolinguistics, lexicon and
nomenclature - and in its combination of language studies,
philosophy of language, history and sociology of science. The book
covers writing in different European languages: Swedish, German,
French, English, Latin, Portuguese, and Russian. With its focus on
the history of scientific language and discourse during a dynamic
period in Europe, the book promises to contribute to new insights
both for readers interested in language history and those with an
interest in the history of ideas and thought.
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