Book contents
- How Writing Works
- How Writing Works
- Copyright page
- Dedication
- Contents
- Figures and Tables
- Acknowledgements
- Introduction
- 1 Thinking about Writing and Language
- 2 A History of Writing
- 3 Writing Guidance
- 4 Expert Writers
- 5 Creativity and Writing
- 6 Novice Writers and Education
- 7 The Process of Writing
- Bibliography
- Index
3 - Writing Guidance
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 12 December 2017
- How Writing Works
- How Writing Works
- Copyright page
- Dedication
- Contents
- Figures and Tables
- Acknowledgements
- Introduction
- 1 Thinking about Writing and Language
- 2 A History of Writing
- 3 Writing Guidance
- 4 Expert Writers
- 5 Creativity and Writing
- 6 Novice Writers and Education
- 7 The Process of Writing
- Bibliography
- Index
Summary
The development of the English language, from its early forms (including Germanic runic inscriptions) towards the beginnings of standardisation of the language as a result of the interactions between professional and other trades-people, reached an important point in the eighteenth century. New attempts were made to prescribe ‘correct’ forms of English, for example, for the benefit of people from other countries who wanted to learn English. These attempts resulted in the first very popular books that took a prescriptive approach to the grammar and other elements of the English language, such as the books by Walker, Louth, and Mulcaster.
The growth of English has included an increase in the number and range of books and other texts intended as guides to the use of the English language. These texts vary in their priorities, from those that aim to maintain and document the conventions of the language, to those that seek to prescribe, to others whose main purpose is to entertain. These texts provide another source for analysis about how writing works or how it should work, as they reveal authors’, and in some ways societies’, perceptions of language. Hence this chapter is focused on a selection of writing guidance from the twentieth century to the present. I am interested not only in the types of such guides and their specific guidance but also some of the assumptions or fundamental rationales that underpin them.
The texts selected for analysis in this chapter (including digital sources) were a mixture of ones that I was already familiar with (as a result of research over many years) and texts new to me that I located as a result of a range of searches, and through recommendations from colleagues and friends. The final selection of texts for analysis for this chapter was 23 well-regarded, influential, relatively recently published texts. The selection process took account of aspects such as authors’ background and knowledge; the type of text, including general to more specific language orientation; the apparent approach of the author to language and writing; evidence of impact such as high sales, high citations, and multiple editions; but also my intent to survey a wide variety of guides.
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- How Writing WorksFrom the Invention of the Alphabet to the Rise of Social Media, pp. 89 - 121Publisher: Cambridge University PressPrint publication year: 2017