A corpus-based study of closure and sublanguage in the nursing textbooks and journals
Various studies have described a highly specialised language as a subset or subsystem of the general language (Harris, 1968: 152), a jargon (Bross, Shapiro, & Anderson, 1972: 1303) or a sublanguage (Sager, 1986: 2; DeVille, 2001 : 5 and McEnery & Wilson, 1996: 166). One form of language that often been considered as a sublanguage is the clinical language of the health care domain. Different studies have defined a sublanguage on the basis of features such as specialised subject matter, specific community, the speaker communicative purpose and domain-specific lexis and syntax. McEnery & Wilson (1996: 166), on the other hand, suggest that a sublanguage should be defined based on having a high degree of closure at various levels of description. This study replicates and expands on McEnery & Wilson 's investigation. The prime aim is to measure the degree of closure of the nursing textbooks and journals in order, first, to determine whether these two restricted forms of clinical language can be rightly categorised as a sublanguage; second, to understand better the linguistic features of the language of the nursing domain; and finally, to better understand the nature of sub language. The nursing textbook and journal
Muhammad, Mazura Mastura
A corpus-based study of closure and sublanguage in the nursing textbooks and journals. Various studies have described a highly specialised language as a subset or subsystem of the general language (Harris, 1968: 152), a jargon (Bross, Shapiro, & Anderson, 1972: 1303) or a sublanguage (Sager, 1986: 2; DeVille, 2001 : 5 and McEnery & Wilson, 1996: 166). One form of language that often been considered as a sublanguage is the clinical language of the health care domain. Different studies have defined a sublanguage on the basis of features such as specialised subject matter, specific community, the speaker communicative purpose and domain-specific lexis and syntax. McEnery & Wilson (1996: 166), on the other hand, suggest that a sublanguage should be defined based on having a high degree of closure at various levels of description. This study replicates and expands on McEnery & Wilson 's investigation. The prime aim is to measure the degree of closure of the nursing textbooks and journals in order, first, to determine whether these two restricted forms of clinical language can be rightly categorised as a sublanguage; second, to understand better the linguistic features of the language of the nursing domain; and finally, to better understand the nature of sub language. The nursing textbook and journal
corpus_based study closure nursing textbooks journal various study describe highly specialised language subset general language harris and wilson form language often_consider clinical language health_care domain different study define basis feature specialise subject_matter specific community speaker communicative purpose domain_specific lexis syntax wilson hand suggest define base high_degree closure various_level description study replicate expand wilson investigation prime aim measure degree closure nursing textbooks journal order first determine_whether restrict form clinical language rightly categorise second well linguistic_feature language nursing domain finally good nature sub language nurse textbook journal