Steven Pinker reveals his thoughts on grammar in academia in the article, "Grammar Puss." Throughout the article, Pinker gives examples of how grammar is misused in the midst of all the unexplained rules we try to follow in SWE. On page 12 of Pinker's article, he makes two comments that stand out, seeing that he is writing an article about grammar, "Many prescriptive rules are just plain dumb and should be deleted from the usage handbooks" and "As for slang, I'm all for it! I don't know how I ever did without [to flame] (protest self-righteously), [to dis] (express disrespect for), and [to blow off] (dismiss an obligation), and there are thousands of now-unexceptionable English words like [clever], [fun], [sham], [banter], [mob], and [stingy] that began life as slang."
Not only do I agree with Pinker, but I am glad to see an article from academia that criticizes those who are stuck in the rules of grammar. I believe in order to stay current with grammar, we must be able to evolve with the language around us.
Tuesday, September 16, 2008
Thursday, September 11, 2008
Interview with Dr. Grasso
When I asked Dr. Grasso if "literal meaning has fallen into disfavor in academia" as stated in Mulroy's text, he replied that it has not. He stated that, "there is a trend among some professors to fear that this 'new generation of learners' are too visual to confront the text. So to reach them, the ideology is to focus much less on the word and try to engage them in media instead." But, literal meaning is still taught and he believes that most professors do promote the literal meaning of a text. Grasso believes that even though aspects can be added to a text, such as biography, culture, etc., the words will always remain the main focus. The word is the most authentic part of a work, the heart. Authors decide on each and every word for a reason. With this in mind, Grasso said that "the importance of literal meaning is empowerment," meaning that once you have the literal meaning of a text, you don't have to assume, you can back up your thoughts.
Taking the focus more towards grammar instruction, Grasso said that "Grammar instruction is not declining in academia." He made the remark pertaining to grammar and literature that "I still don't think it's in decline, just that there is a trend--and trends go away."
Taking the focus more towards grammar instruction, Grasso said that "Grammar instruction is not declining in academia." He made the remark pertaining to grammar and literature that "I still don't think it's in decline, just that there is a trend--and trends go away."
Monday, September 8, 2008
If My Boss Only Knew
Sorry, but I'm going to write this post under what is labeled as the "Sarcastic, pretentious, agressive writer" under category 2.5 in Larry Beason's article, "Ethos and Error: How Business People React to Errors" (by the way, did I use the quotation marks correctly in this sentence? Because I know that quotation mark usage is a huge concern and I would not want to ruin my ethos with any of my few readers).
Beason's article gives insight into how competetive the business world is in his "attempts to define major variables associated with negative reactions to errors appearing in business writing" (34). Even though this article proceeds to state the obvious to any writer and the effect of error, (wait, was that supposed to be affect?) many important observations are made to influence those who plan or are already involved in professional writing. The corporate world can be demanding, and for those who have not experienced this type of work environment, this article can seem harsh. But, with Beason's many categories of how errors affect (was this one supposed to be effect?) the reader, one can learn how their own errors are perceived. Beason comes to the conclusion that error avoidance should have a presence in classes, but not overpower the class (60). Even though I am not an advocate of the fast-paced, time is money, pressure situations, students should receive a dose of reality and undrstand how their writing is perceived by those with a watchful eye in the corporate world. It is the responsibility of teachers to help their students succeed, and helping them understand what is going to be expected of them after college is no exception.
So, forgive all my little side thoughts of (is this the right word?). This is just my way of being the sarcastic 2.5 writer, proving the point that it is difficult to write if you are constantly thinking of what you are doing is grammatically correct.
Beason's article gives insight into how competetive the business world is in his "attempts to define major variables associated with negative reactions to errors appearing in business writing" (34). Even though this article proceeds to state the obvious to any writer and the effect of error, (wait, was that supposed to be affect?) many important observations are made to influence those who plan or are already involved in professional writing. The corporate world can be demanding, and for those who have not experienced this type of work environment, this article can seem harsh. But, with Beason's many categories of how errors affect (was this one supposed to be effect?) the reader, one can learn how their own errors are perceived. Beason comes to the conclusion that error avoidance should have a presence in classes, but not overpower the class (60). Even though I am not an advocate of the fast-paced, time is money, pressure situations, students should receive a dose of reality and undrstand how their writing is perceived by those with a watchful eye in the corporate world. It is the responsibility of teachers to help their students succeed, and helping them understand what is going to be expected of them after college is no exception.
So, forgive all my little side thoughts of (is this the right word?). This is just my way of being the sarcastic 2.5 writer, proving the point that it is difficult to write if you are constantly thinking of what you are doing is grammatically correct.
Thursday, September 4, 2008
Snoots Anonymous
David Foster Wallace’s article, “Tense Present” takes a look at Bryan A. Garner’s A Dictionary of Modern American Usage (ADMAU). Although Wallace pokes fun at Garner, realizing how much of a word-nerd this guy is, he admits that the ADMAU is good work. Through all his digressions, rants, and raves, Wallace comes to a clear point that he makes with one of his own students. Standard Written English will always prevail. SWE is what is accepted in the professional world, and if you want to succeed in the world, use SWE.
Wallace applauds Garner on his use of rhetoric throughout the ADMAU, pointing out that the use of SWE equals authority. He uses the word authority often in the article. This made me realize how much people take grammar into consideration when it comes to being an authority figure. I do believe that grammar and usage should be used properly for the occasion, but I also believe that we should move along with the trends, using grammar, usage, slang, whatever you want to call it, as a rhetorical tool. Wallace presents this in "Tense Present;" and if anything, he displays a balance between SWE and slang that proves to us all how much of a rhetorical asset this can be.
Wallace applauds Garner on his use of rhetoric throughout the ADMAU, pointing out that the use of SWE equals authority. He uses the word authority often in the article. This made me realize how much people take grammar into consideration when it comes to being an authority figure. I do believe that grammar and usage should be used properly for the occasion, but I also believe that we should move along with the trends, using grammar, usage, slang, whatever you want to call it, as a rhetorical tool. Wallace presents this in "Tense Present;" and if anything, he displays a balance between SWE and slang that proves to us all how much of a rhetorical asset this can be.
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