Popular science articles about outer space: An experience of integral description of a speech genre (based on the material of the Soviet press of the 20th century and publications in the Runet of the 21st century)

The article deals with the analysis of the genre of a popular science article about outer space in the Soviet press of the 20th century and publications in the Runet of the 21st century (AS1 and AS2). Since AS1 and AS2 essentially belong to different cultures, the author uses an integral speech genre technique, which involves the use of a large amount of related information: general cultural, natural science, scientific and technical, ideological and even philosophical. AS1 and AS2 are analyzed according to a model that includes the following parameters: the place of AS1 and AS2 in the speech-genre space of the two periods, their similarities with other types and genres of popular science literature and differences from them, ideas in Soviet and modern society about space and about the relationship of man with space in the paradigms of “usefulness ~ uselessness”, “work (career, well-being) ~ duty/service ~ achievements (records, possibilities and impossibilities) ~ selflessness”; “hero ~ ordinary person (tourist)”. The language of AS1 and AS2 is analyzed in connection with ideology (primarily in AS1), mythology, determining personifications and metaphors (especially anthropomorphic ones, metaphors of childhood, etc.). Much attention is paid to the means of expression (AS1 is characterized by ordered and elevated expression, AS2 is a rather eclectic combination of the “language of facts” and unbridled expression); irony (irony, including black, is much more often found in AS2); precedent texts (only AS1 is distinguished by the richness and diversity of precedent texts). Besides, the author compiles a frequency dictionary of AS1 and AS2 (terms, evaluative words/word forms, non-standard vocabulary, etc.). The author also focuses on specific language categories such as verb tense, especially the future, real and unreal modality.