Quotation provides a link between the work in which it is used, and the work from which it was taken. The research described in this article extends work done by Kilgour and Feder (1992) on the frequency of direct quotations, looking at the use of incomplete sentence quotations (IX&). Specifically, this research attempts to determine if (a) there are any patterns of usage in the parts of speech that are quoted in ISQs; (b) there are any patterns of usage in how the ISQs are incorporated into text; (c) there are any systematic differences in ISQ usage between four disciplinary areas; and (d) there are any systematic differences in ISQ usage between scholarly books and journals. Results showed no major differences in the numbers of ISQs in the different areas in books, but the journals formed two distinct groups, with the Arts and Humanities journals having many more ISQs than those in Social Science and Science and Technology.
Nevertheless, the distribution of ISQs into the parts of speech was remarkably constant, with NPs and VPs making up about three quarters of the ISQs. Very few ISQs were marked with explicit cue words.
The Use of Direct Quotations Why do authors directly quote the words of others? Quotation usage may be influenced by many things, such as the purpose of a work, the usual style in its genre, and the author's individual style. However, several reasons for using direct quotation can be suggested. (This is not intended to be an exhaustive list.) For example, it can be seen as an appeal to authority. By quoting another author's words, the quoting author is shifting the responsibility for the phrasing, as well as the concept, expressed by that author, although the responsibility for choosing to do so remains with the quoting author. There are two sides to this shift of responsibility. It can be used to provide authoritative support for the quoting author's work, or it can be used to distance the quoting author from the quoted words, perhaps preparatory to criticizing them. A second reason for quoting is to take advantage of another's way of expressing something. This could be because of an especially felicitous