0 INTRODUCTION

6. FINDINGS
of nominalizations in texts for learned than popular audiences, the former being lexically
richer.
In short, we have seen that differences exist in the use and origin of
nominalizations across the categories of medical writing. Although other factors may have
been at work, it is very likely that the expectations a particular author had of his audience
may play an important role in accounting for such differences.
6.4. Summary
This chapter has demonstrated that there is a rise in the use of nominalizations in the
scientific writing of the EModE period. However, the increase does not affect all the
nominalizations in the same way. Thus, there is an explosion of Romance nominalizations,
whereas the rise of –ing nominals is more moderate. Furthermore, there is variation in the
frequencies of nominalizations if we take into account their structure: whereas verbal –ing
formations increase especially in phrases having only post-head dependents, nominal –ing
formations decrease with all types of phrase. The gap left by the decrease of nominal –ing
formations is filled by Romance nominalizations, which are preferred with both pre- and
post-head dependents.
The kinds of dependents nominalizations take are also well differentiated. Verbal
–ing formations appear mostly with NPs as post-head dependents, less frequently with
predicatives or other “verbal” complements. However, nominal –ing and Romance
nominalizations are usually preceded by determiners, adjectives and possessives and their
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