0 INTRODUCTION

4. RHETORIC AND THE WORLD OF SCIENCE IN THE EModE PERIOD
bringing with it the appearance of large numbers of manuscripts written in English as well
as the translation of classic scientific texts into the vernacular (Taavitsainen 2006: 689,
2001a; Eamon 1994: 94). Since Latin was the language of science for such a long period,
the style of the scientific works written in Latin was still a model for vernacular writings
(Taavitsainen 2002: 205) (see also Section 4.5.2.1 below).
In the EModE period, the conception of Latin changed. In close relation to the
new changes that took place in science (see Section 4.2 above), Baconians were against
the use of Latin in scientific texts because it was associated to antiquity and traditional
science (Jones 1953: 310). Therefore, the use of the vernacular was favoured as it was
regarded as a plain and simple medium of communication. However, there were two
considerations that prevented the total abandonment of Latin. The first was the
conception that Latin was more stable than the vernacular. The second was that scientists
at that time were concerned with finding an international medium of communication, and
Latin had already served this purpose. Thus, Latin continued to be used as a lingua franca
in science until the late 17 th century, and was used even after that period (Taavitsainen
2002: 205).
Early on, literacy in Latin was the only way to achieve knowledge, since it was
the language used in higher education. But Puritans believed in the possibility of the
vernacular carrying out this function. Thus, the main function of Latin vanished as there
was no point in spending time in such a time-consuming activity as learning a foreign
language for a purpose that could be fulfilled by the vernacular. Therefore, the use of the
108