What is style, why do we write things down, and in what ways does technology determine style?
What is style? Style is a combination of the many choices we make as we write that are usually invisible to the reader-- or should be. Most readers notice only style issues when the most common ones are violated. I agree with so many things Williams says, and I especially like the statement that if you think about all of the style principles "as you draft, you may never draft anything at all" (9).
I also agree that some rules can be broken, but I contend that some are more important than others.
A thought I had about "clarity": I remember times when students looked at me puzzled, not sure why I didn't understand exactly what they meant with the words they used in their writings. Often, the student would begin to explain, "Well, what I meant by that was ....." And the explanation was so clear and well said, I would encourage them to "just write that down." They would be concerned that it seemed too easy at that point.
Why do we write things down? I write things down most of the time because I have to. I have a message that has to be communicated to someone else. E-mail is the most-used means of the communication. I used to take time to journal, but that was just for me, not for anyone else's eyes, and I was often hesitant to write down too much; what if someone read it? So, I don't always write things down for others to read. Sometimes writing is my way to clear my head and figure out what I think about something.
In what ways does technology determine style? We are more casual with standard versus non-standard language when we use forms of delivery that are not hard copy. In the business world, I think e-mail has begun to formalize a little more, but texting is over-the-top different. My 14-yr-old daughter even "speaks" texting. I discourage it vehmently! :) We move more and more toward more casual language. We went from formal papers and letters to more casual language with e-mails, and even more casual language with texting. I also see texting making its way into e-mails, and I've heard into student papers; however, I'm not grading any right now.
Technology does determine style--style usage and style standards. I've even said in IM Messages that "spelling doesn't count in IM." It can be more "instant" if we're not concerned with spelling. So maybe technology drives us to live in a world of double-standard style conventions. What is incorrect in a more formal piece of communication will be okay in something more casual. I wish, though, that we could define (or maybe at least maintain) the lines of formal and informal; however, this will become more and more difficult (impossible?) as we "rethink the differences between speech and writing while at the same time redefining the boundaries between public and private communication" (Baron 14).
Rhonda,
ReplyDeleteI've had that same"clarity" experience with my students many times. Understanding that we do not have their shared experiences and they must determine how much they can assume on the part of the reader is a difficult lesson.
I also empathize with your desire to have clearer boundaries between formal and informal writing. I think technology has blurred these lines, especially with the introduction of social networking. I do believe texting, Facebook, Twitter, etc. are great methods of communication, but I think our students have trouble remembering that their audience in the social networking world is different than in the classroom.
Hey Rhonda, good thoughts. I think you're totally right that "What is incorrect in a more formal piece of communication will be okay in something more casual." Deb said something similar in her blog post. The conventions and uses of a technology have a large part in influencing what we say and how we say it.
ReplyDeleteLike you I agree that some rules can be broken. I might even go a step further and say they should be broken. Do you think style has a lot to do with that, actually? Knowing the rules, and in knowing them, knowing when you can break them? I ask because the more I think about it, the more I think style is about finding your niche, your voice, the thing that makes you different from everyone else -- part of which entails breaking the rules. Not all the time, of course, but as suits the occasion -- or the technology. :-)
Rhonda,
ReplyDeleteI almost laughed when you wrote, "Often, the student would begin to explain, "Well, what I meant by that was ....." And the explanation was so clear and well said, I would encourage them to "just write that down." They would be concerned that it seemed too easy at that point."
Why is that people think that confusing is good? Who taught them that they must write as in a fashion that is complicated and dense to be literate. That confused me.