Notions of Identity, Society, and Rhetoric in a Speech Code of Science Among Scientists and Engineers Working in Nanotechnology

This ethnography of communication was concerned with discovering a speech code in the discourse about values in science used by scientists and engineers working in nanoscale science and engineering. It was supported and guided by the theoretical framework of speech codes theory. Materials analyzed included 4 years of fieldwork at a U.S. research university and nanotechnology center and 20 in-depth interviews conducted with scientists and engineers working in nanotechnology. Data sets were constructed and analyzed to identify a distinctive speech code about science and social and ethical implications of nanotechnology that contains beliefs among its users about identity, society, and rhetoric.