ABSTRACT
This chapter describes a sublanguage used by space analysts for reporting and evaluation of space events — past, present, and future. The texts under investigation are observations, analyses, and predictions of space events in the form of temporally sequenced messages. The significant features of the space sublanguage are attributable to its dual function as a vehicle for conveying both factual reports about space events and evaluative commentary about the events. These functions are reflected in the two basic levels of discourse represented in the messages: an event reporting level and a meta level of commentary on the events. The lexical items and semantic structure for the two levels are quite distinct. The syntactic structure is also generally dissimilar, although there are some constructions that occur on both levels. Given these facts, does the space event language constitute a single sublanguage or two? This chapter examines the evidence on both sides of the issue and evaluates the current definition of a sublanguage in light of these data.
