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Articles>Language>Grammar

3 found.

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1.
#29089

The Indefinite "We" (Het "Wij"-Gevoel/Le "Nous" Indéfini)--Sender and Receiver References in Top-Down Communication: A Text Type-Based Approach   (peer-reviewed)   (members only)

In studies of political communication the use of personal pronouns is often put forward as one of the strategies for influencing sender-receiver relations (e.g., De Fina [1], Haverkate [2], Zupnik [3]). As Rogers and Swales [4] among others have demonstrated, similar techniques can be detected in corporate communication. In this article, the use of French and Dutch personal and possessive pronouns in the first person plural is examined in internal communication documents. The focus is on the link between text types and the use of inclusive, exclusive, or ambiguous we. First the research material is described; then a concise overview of the literary sources is given; finally the results of the research are discussed. It will be demonstrated that managers can exploit personal pronouns strategically and that the use of we is a parameter for identifying text function.

Dieltjens, Sylvain and Priscilla Heynderickx. Journal of Technical Writing and Communication (2003). Articles>Language>Grammar

2.
#26173

Punctuation by Languages

Not too long ago, I was managing a translation project in Access (English to Greek) when I discovered that the translator hadn't used question marks similar to those used in the English source. Instead of question marks, he was using semicolons. I was sure that this was a mistake and that the computer was acting strange again. But it wasn't a mistake. In the Greek language, the question mark is like a semicolon, and the semicolon is instead a raised period. I've started to check on other projects as well, and I've learned quite a few interesting things about punctuation and their separators.

Bratu, Felicia. WTB Language Group (2005). Articles>Language>Localization>Grammar

3.
#26615

Tech Writers, Grammar, and the Prescriptive Attitude  (link broken)

Many tech writers do not see grammar as a set of conventions to help them write clearly. Instead, to judge by the wording of the questions and responses, they see grammar as a set of unchanging rules that can provide definitive answers in every situation.

Byfield, Bruce. TECHWR-L. Articles>Language>Grammar>Technical Writing

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