Topic Proposal
For this
project, I’d like to explore the concept of grammar and the importance of it when
writing academically. Focusing on its ability to be distracting. Sort of like,
if the placement of a comma can’t be wrong, how does its placement affect the
article itself and the reader of the article? Does the reader take the article
less seriously if the grammar seems to be a little off, choosing to focus more on
these minute details instead of the content of the writer’s argument, or does
it not affect him?
Hey Jack,
ReplyDeleteThis is a good way to start thinking about a significant issue in writing studies. Grammar is a highly contested topic, frankly, because so much is at stake. We are judged constantly by the way we speak and write, and our ability to use what has been deemed as "correct" standard English. When we cannot produce that type of language, everything is called into question: our socioeconomic class, our background, our educations.
I think the specific issue you've zoomed in on (punctuation and its rhetorical effect on prose) is a good place to explore some of these larger issues, but you'll want to keep in mind that part of what this project asks for us that you identify a construct- so what belief or "rule" about punctuation is prevalent in our culture that we might challenge? If you're dealing with punctuation specifically, you'll wan tto look at some specific highly standardized rules of grammar as constructs, and then try to show what we can gain by thinking of punctuation outside those bounds?
But you certainly don't have to be limited to punctuation when you're thinking about grammar. It's also very much about "standard english" - which is a very political issue. Who gets left out when a culture promotes ONE conception of a language? Who most easily acquires standard english and how do they benefit from it? A lot of interesting issues to explore. Here's a bibliography on grammar and issues of standard english:
http://www.rebeccamoorehoward.com/bibliographies/language-standards
Also, you left out the search terms. You'll need to think about ways to search this topic for the research day tomorrow.