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Quantitative Evidence on the Uses of the First Person Pronoun (I and We) in Journal Paper Abstracts

논문 초록상 사용되는 일인칭 대명사(I, We)의 수량적 활용도

  • Received : 2015.02.24
  • Accepted : 2015.03.16
  • Published : 2015.03.30

Abstract

The objective of this research was to quantitatively examine the uses of first person pronouns in academic journal paper abstracts. An approximate total of 144,400 abstracts that comprising of four disciplines (chemistry, computer sciences, social sciences, and medicine) from nine countries (China, Germany, India, Japan, South Korea, France, Spain, United Kingdom, and U.S.) were quantitatively examined. By exploring the use of first person pronoun in abstracts, this paper examined the current practices among academics in the world. The results indicate the norms of each author's country and the norms of each discipline. Furthermore, the frequency-count result of this study contradicted viewpoints of academics who disapprove the use of personal person expressions in abstracts. An implication of this study is that there is a need for academics to acknowledge the uses of first person pronoun in the real world before forming personal opinions regarding the first person pronoun.

본 논문의 목적은 논문초록의 일인칭 대명사 사용 실태에 대한 수량적 고찰이다. 총 9개국 (중국, 독일, 인도, 일본, 한국, 프랑스, 스페인, 영국, 미국)의 네 가지 분야 (화학, 컴퓨터 과학, 사회 과학, 의학)에서 약 144,400개의 논문을 출력하여 수량적 사용빈도수를 분석하고 검토하였다. 이러한 연구를 통해 세계적으로 학계의 저자들이 보여주는 일인칭 대명사의 수량적 활용도를 보고하였다. 더 나아가 이러한 결과는 논문초록에서 일인칭 대명사 사용을 기피하는 저자들의 입장과는 달리 일반적으로 흔하게 사용되는 실태를 보여주고 있다. 이 연구의 의미는 일인칭 대명사에 대한 사용을 수량적 사용도로 측정하여 고찰하였다는 점이다. 또한 이를 근거로 학자들이 초록을 작성할 때 일인칭 대명사 사용에 대한 의견을 개진하기 앞서 사용 실태를 우선적으로 인정해야 할 필요성을 제시해준다는 것이다.

Keywords

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