Academic article: Trends in model changes

Abstract

The article aims to determine the changes in the model of the speech genre of the Russian academic article in the field of humanities over the past 120 years. Methodologically, the analysis is focused mainly on identifying cognitive (logical-structural), pragmalinguistic (identifying the leading speech strategies) and formal (the form, article sections, text volume) characteristics of articles. The research suggests that during the analyzed time period, divided into four parts (1900–1930, 1930–1960, 1960–1990, 1990–2020), this speech genre has acquired the features of a hypergenre due to the fact that the following mandatory elements were included into the model: an Abstract, Information about the author, and Keywords. According to the analysis, one can see a specific trajectory in the formation of a model of a Russian academic article genre, the strengthening of national ways of information presentation and addressing in contrast to the enhancement of formal indicators. The obtained data is confirmed by the analysis of the frequency of speech strategies implementation (analytical, characterizing, modeling, methodological, classifying, reviewing, problem stating, descriptive, informing) and the analysis of the peripheral speech genres included into the article – affiliation (gratitude, appreciation), evaluation (criticism, approval, reproach), reflexive (justification, reference to authority), and prognostic (forecast, recommendation, suggestion) ones. Fluctuation in their frequency reflects internal trends related to historical causes and changes in scientific paradigms. Thus, the results of the research on the academic article speech genre in the field of humanities indicate that the unification of the Russian and Western European (Scopus) models of this speech genre is not inevitable.