Values of Academic Discourse: Responsibility and Truth. Case Studies: Sub-genres of Academic Discourse in the Humanities

Abstract

This paper aims to problematize the scientific discourse in the field of humanities in the context of the fundamental changes that have taken place in the life, roles, and the socioeconomic and cultural impact of universities. The premise that drives the present research is the stringent need for conceptual and applied innovation to have an ethical dimension, to be supported by values such as responsibility and truth. The aim of this study is two-fold. First, it investigates two subgenres of scientific discourse, seen prototypically - (literary) text analysis and the linguistic corpus, to unravel how values are involved at any stage of scientific research, from the design of the approach to the interpretation and communication of research findings. Second, it bridges a gap in the specialized literature where there is little debate regarding the specific ways of putting these values into practice (i.e., into discourse). The paper demonstrates that the two subgenres under investigation, although much and obviously different, calibrate their tools and procedural scenarios by reference to the values of responsibility and respect.