Rewriting science: the popularization of terminology in TED talks

According to Sager, “the lexicon of special languages is their most obvious distinguishing characteristic” (1980: 230), which prescinds from the frequency issue much more related to syntax. A large number of specialized lexical items is used exclusively in specialized fields for the sake of precision (Serianni 2003). Starting from this assumption, the study aims to investigate the role of specialized lexis in popularized scientific discourse. In particular, terminology belonging to the scientific field will be analysed in TED talks. TED is a no-profit organization aimed at spreading specialized knowledge. It started out as a conference bringing together scientists and expert people from all around the world talking about issues belonging to Technology, Entertainment and Design. Today, TED covers almost all topics, especially thanks to the talks delivered by speakers expert in very different fields. TED talks could be classified as a popularization genre (D’Avanzo 2015), which not only implies reformulation, but in particular also a recontextualization of scientific knowledge and discourse that is originally produced in specialized contexts to which the lay public has limited access (Calsamiglia / van Dijk 2004). The mass media contribute in the production of common knowledge and opinions about science as media managers and journalists ultimately decide what and how to publish (or not to publish) about science, scientists and scientific knowledge (Bell and Garrett, 1998). Thus, in the study, attention will be devoted to the strategies employed to reformulate scientific concepts through the recontextualization of scientific lexis. More specifically, the final aim will be to focus on the actual ‘viewpoint’ of the speaker concerning scientific concepts through the employment of popularized specialized terminology.