Showing papers in "Journal of Technical Writing and Communication in 2000"
TL;DR: The authors describes the linguistic and semantic features of technocratic discourse using a Systemic Functional Linguistics (SFL) framework and goes further to assert that the function of public policy in public policy is to advocate and promulgate a highly contentious political and economic agenda under the guise of scientific objectivity and political impartiality.
Abstract: This article describes the linguistic and semantic features of technocratic discourse using a Systemic Functional Linguistics (SFL) framework. The article goes further to assert that the function of technocratic discourse in public policy is to advocate and promulgate a highly contentious political and economic agenda under the guise of scientific objectivity and political impartiality. We provide strong evidence to support the linguistic description, and the claims of political advocacy, by analyzing a 900-word document about globalization produced by the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT).
69 citations
TL;DR: In this article, the development of communicative practices at a national production company that relied on texts to mediate its organizational activities across geographically dispersed locations is examined, and a genre perspective is used to understand the often complicated origins of genre conventions in professional discourse.
Abstract: Although studies of actual communication practices in the workplace are now commonplace, few historical studies in this area have been completed. Such historical studies are necessary to help researchers understand the often complicated origins of genre conventions in professional discourse. Historical research that draws on contemporary genre theory helps address this void. A genre perspective is particularly valuable for helping researchers trace a given type of document's emergence and evolution. This perspective also provides a way of accounting for the connections between communicative practices and the other activities that occupy the attention of workplace organizations. To illustrate what this perspective brings to historical research in professional communication, I examine the development of communicative practices at a national production company that relied on texts to mediate its organizational activities across geographically dispersed locations.
35 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors present an introduction and annotated bibliography of articles from technical writing and communication journals over the past quarter century, arranged in categories of professional, academic, and systematic approaches.
Abstract: Ethics as a topic in technical communication has grown in interest in the past quarter century as the field itself has matured. We now understand technical communication as involved in communicating not only technical information but also values, ethics, and tacit assumptions represented in goals. It also is involved in accommodating the values and ethics of its many audiences. This understanding is linked to an awareness of the social nature of all discourse and the root interconnectedness of rhetoric and ethics. This article presents an introduction and annotated bibliography of articles from technical writing and communication journals over this period, arranged in categories of professional, academic, and systematic approaches. Ethics is broadly conceived to include not only particular theories but also systems of values and principles.
29 citations
TL;DR: The aim of this article is to delineate some of these major typographic variables and to comment on their effects upon the layouts of structured abstracts.
Abstract: Structured abstracts contain more information, are of higher quality, and are easier to search and read than are traditional abstracts. However, there is a bewildering variety of ways in which structured abstracts can be printed and little is known about how the typography of structured abstracts can affect their clarity. The aim of this article is to delineate some of these major typographic variables and to comment on their effects upon the layouts of structured abstracts.
21 citations
TL;DR: Emphasis on page design, as an aid to visual accessibility, did not receive attention in modern technical writing until the 1970s, but accounting documents and instructional texts utilized format and document design strategies as early as the twelfth century to enhance the organization of quantitative data and linear bookkeeping entries.
Abstract: Emphasis on page design, as an aid to visual accessibility, did not receive attention in modern technical writing until the 1970s. However, accounting documents and instructional texts utilized format and document design strategies as early as the twelfth century to enhance the organization of quantitative data and linear bookkeeping entries. Format in text was used to reflect the arrangement used in oral accounting practices and to produce uniform documents. Thus, format was integral to the rise of pragmatic literacy of the commercial reader. During the Renaissance, these early format strategies received impetus from Ramist method. The result was design strategies that attempted to capture the rigid principles of organization fundamental to commercial accounting. These early accounting documents also illustrate the plain style that would become the focus of the later decades of the seventeenth century. Clarity in language paralleled clarity in page design for the sole purpose of eliminating ambiguity on ...
20 citations
TL;DR: This paper found that the speaker who used Standard English was viewed as more credible (i.e., more competent and having a strong character) and sociable than the Ebonics speaker.
Abstract: Within a theoretical context of speech accommodation theory, this study follows Lambert et al.’s (1960) “matched-guise” technique. Seventy-two African-American students at a mid-south university listened to and evaluated a tape-recorded excerpt of a speech given by Jesse Jackson at the 1996 Democratic National Convention. The first version of the speech was translated into Ebonics. After students listened to the first four-minute speech in Ebonics, students then proceeded to answer a questionnaire concerning the ethos/source credibility and perceived sociability of the speaker. Next, students listened to the same audiotaped speech (given by the same speaker), except the text of the speech was translated (and subsequently delivered) in Standard English. The students then rated this second speaker on those same ethos/source credibility and sociability scales. The speaker who used Standard English was viewed as more credible (i.e., more competent and having a strong character) and sociable than the Ebonics speaker. Both of these scores were significant at the p .05 level. Future research replicating these results is urged across other African-American samples.
14 citations
TL;DR: This article conducted a survey of thirty-one colleges of veterinary medicine in the United States and Canada to identify common writing, speaking, and reading tasks performed by veterinarians in their daily work.
Abstract: This article reports the results of a survey of thirty-one colleges of veterinary medicine in the United States and Canada to identify common writing, speaking, and reading tasks performed by veter...
10 citations
TL;DR: The foundation for Rome's imperial bureaucracy was laid during the first century B.C. as mentioned in this paper, when functional and administrative writing played an increasingly dominant role in the Late Republic, and this cultural and political transformation can be traced in the career of Marcus Tullius Tiro, Cicero's confidant and amanuensis.
Abstract: The foundation for Rome's imperial bureaucracy was laid during the first century B.C., when functional and administrative writing played an increasingly dominant role in the Late Republic. During the First and Second Triumvirates, Roman society, once primarily oral, relied more and more on documentation to get its official business done. By the reign of Augustus, the orator had ceded power to the secretary, usually a slave trained as a scribe or librarian. This cultural and political transformation can be traced in the career of Marcus Tullius Tiro (94 B.C. to 4 A.D.), Cicero's confidant and amanuensis. A freedman credited with the invention of Latin shorthand (the notae Tironianae), Tiro transcribed and edited Cicero's speeches, composed, collected, and eventually published his voluminous correspondence, and organized and managed his archives and library. As his former master's fortune sank with the dying Republic, Tiro's began to rise. After Cicero's assassination, he became the orator's literary execut...
8 citations
TL;DR: The syntactic aspect of semiotic theory, especially its aesthetic principle, is very influential in document design theories and practices as mentioned in this paper, and it is time for us to re-conceive the "aesthetic principle" by de-emphasizing it and to adopt the reconciliation approach to design effective documents targeted at various rhetorical situations.
Abstract: The syntactic aspect of semiotic theory, especially its “aesthetic principle,” is very influential in document design theories and practices. It has its roots in Burke's and Lessing's gender-related theories of images. Thus, it is laden with ideologies: it embodies our patriarchal attitudes and our iconophobia. Employing the semiotic theory in document design, we are making choices to reinforce the gender-related ideology in Burke's and Lessing's theories. It is time for us to re-conceive the “aesthetic principle” by de-emphasizing it and to adopt the reconciliation approach to design effective documents targeted at various rhetorical situations.
8 citations
TL;DR: This article aims to expound the importance of a knowledge of linguistics and the theories of human language to a technical author.
Abstract: This article aims to expound the importance of a knowledge of linguistics and the theories of human language to a technical author. Linguistics is often seen as a specialised branch of language for language experts. When technical authors communicate, they do need the tools of linguistics to handle the rhetorical grammar and patterns of technical prose. The linguistic features and semanics involved in technical writing also become relevant, as is visual and graphic representation.
7 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors explore the concept of service learning as rhetorical action in the field of technical communication in general, and the question of whether service learning is appropriate in beginning level technical writing courses.
Abstract: Teachers at all levels of college instruction use service learning, a popular pedagogical tool since the mid-eighties, to teach students both social consciousness and pragmatic, real-world writing skills. This article explores the concept of service learning as rhetorical action in the field of technical communication in general, and the question of whether service learning is appropriate in beginning level technical writing courses. Using my experience through two years of service learning instruction in community college classes, I respond to the charge that students in lower-division courses may lack the maturity to successfully enact service learning assignments. I also analyze the appropriateness of the community college as a catalyst for community-based writing projects.
TL;DR: In this article, the authors return to the notion of invention as general preparation of the communicator, and apply it to technical communication, including etymological extension, limits of agreement with the thesis, finding the complex in the simple, expanding the circumference, translation or alembication, four master tropes, and the pentad.
Abstract: This article supplements existing rhetorical scholarship by returning to the notion of invention as general preparation of the communicator. Although much scholarship about invention in technical communication exists, it consists mainly of heuristics, checklists, ethical considerations, and audience awareness. Part of invention is using basic strategies to prepare the communicator to assess any communication situation and its context and to generate the appropriate discourse. Rhetorician Kenneth Burke's theories of dialectic and rhetoric are a twentieth-century version of this; this article explains important Burkean strategies such as etymological extension, limits of agreement with the thesis, finding the complex in the simple, expanding the circumference, translation or alembication, the four master tropes, and the pentad, and it shows how to apply these in technical communication. The article closes with a classroom assignment that uses Burkean invention strategies.
TL;DR: In the early Roman Republic, the function of rhetoric was stripped from legislative arenas and confined mainly to legal courts and ceremonial competitions, and the principles of rhetoric were also applied to writing about technical subjects, such as engineering and architecture as mentioned in this paper.
Abstract: Augustus is often described as the emperor who transformed Rome from a city of brick to a city of marble. When he returned victorious to Rome in BCE 29, Augustus embarked on a project to rebuild Rome with the splendor its new imperial status demanded. Despite the tranquility and prosperity enjoyed by most Romans during the Early Empire, many also felt a sense of loss. Much had changed in their social order at the end of the Republic. The nobility and the lower classes began to share more interests and Roman society took on a more egalitarian and commercial nature. Under Emperor Augustus, the function of rhetoric was stripped from legislative arenas and confined mainly to legal courts and ceremonial competitions. In the spirit of renewed patriotism and pragmatism, principles of rhetoric were also applied to writing about technical subjects, such as engineering and architecture. Both Vitruvius and Cicero used his writing to persuade Roman citizens to reclaim their heritage: of building arts in Vitruvius' ca...
TL;DR: A longitudinal study was conducted to identify trends in entry-level technology, interpersonal, and basic communication competencies and skills using entrylevel classified newspaper advertisements from ten standard US metropolitan statistical areas as discussed by the authors.
Abstract: This longitudinal study was conducted to identify trends in entry-level technology, interpersonal, and basic communication competencies and skills using entry-level classified newspaper advertisements from ten standard US metropolitan statistical areas Two competencies and one skill were selected from the Workplace Know-How's identified by the 1991 US Department of Labor Secretary's Commission on Achieving Necessary Skills (SCANS) Specifically, ads including interpersonal competencies increased for the fourth consecutive year; ads including basic communication skills increased for the second consecutive year Ads including technology competencies decreased slightly; however, the overall trend for technology remains strong Therefore, the workplace continues seeking the competencies and skills advocated by the SCANS authors
TL;DR: In a free-market system, investors must have access to information they can understand and use autonomously to have full and equal access to the investment market as discussed by the authors, and the success of plain English will depend on the writer and business using it.
Abstract: The Internet is revolutionizing the investment world. There are clear benefits to these changes, including lower costs and faster access to the market for investors. There also are consequences to these changes when investors take risks without having access to clear, accurate, and full disclosures. In a free-market system, investors must have access to information they can understand and use autonomously to have full and equal access to the investment market. The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) recently passed a rule requiring businesses to use plain English to try and rid disclosures of their traditionally complex and ambiguous language. However, SEC's rule only addresses the front and back sides of prospectus disclosures. Consequently, the success of plain English will depend on the writer and business using it. Public corporations committed to using plain English will empower investors with the information they need to participate in the market freely and safely. In return, businesses will create a more effective and efficient free-market system by maximizing utility, benefiting producers, consumers, and the market as a whole.
TL;DR: In this paper, a sales document redesign that indicates a subtle shift in ideology for a women's clothing company is explored, which indicates a move to a more feminist outlook for the company and uses the concept of ethos to describe how the document design represents a slowly changing ethos for the corporation.
Abstract: Studying corporate documents provides clues to the larger philosophy of the organization. This article explores a sales document redesign that indicates a subtle shift in ideology for a women's clothing company. The corporation uses direct sales to market clothes to a variety of women. In one season, the documents change from relatively outdated designs to more updated, professional layouts. However, the content of the documents changes very little. The author contends that the document redesign indicates a move to a more feminist outlook for the company and uses the concept of ethos to describe how the document design represents a slowly changing ethos for the corporation. A specific content shift towards feminism is, however, less apparent.
TL;DR: The potential importance of brain study for composition instruction for pedagogical practice is discussed in this paper, where the authors briefly describe functional imaging techniques and review the findings of recent brain-mapping studies investigating the neurocognitive systems involved in language function.
Abstract: Advocates of brain-based learning have argued that instructional methods, to be successful, must be based on an understanding of how the brain processes information. In the past most descriptions of neurocognitive function were largely speculative, relying on theoretical constructions of how we believed the brain to work. Recent advances in functional imaging -Positron Emission Tomography and Magnetic Resonance Imaging- have, however, opened the brain to empirical study. This article will consider the potential importance of brain study for composition instruction, briefly describe functional imaging techniques, and review the findings of recent brain-mapping studies investigating the neurocognitive systems involved in language function. In short, understanding how language systems are organized in the brain represents the first step in our attempts to create brain-compatible instructional methods in the composition classroom. Following a review of the recent literature, the article will consider the possible implications of this information for pedagogical practice.
TL;DR: The basis for effective scitech communications is formed by focusing on the needs of the audience, structuring the substantive and language content accordingly, and concentrating on accuracy, clarity and brevity.
Abstract: The basis for effective communications in sciences and techniques is formed by: focusing on the needs of the audience; structuring the substantive and language content accordingly; concentrating on accuracy, clarity and brevity; meeting logical requirements; and presenting in a communicative style and layout, including the use of visuals. In many communications in sciences and techniques, the Appendix is the right place for detail not of immediate interest to most readers; this option is grossly under-utilized.
TL;DR: In this article, the authors examine some of the theoretical and pedagogical tensions created by the codification of the writing process movement's focus on individual writers' composing processes, and call us to a valuable redirection of our theory and practice: it is time to connect our understandings of individual writing processes to the larger social and political contexts that inform, constrain and shape writers and their texts.
Abstract: Thomas Kent’s introduction identifies the book’s audience as composition teachers, and its polyvocal, critical approach to theorizing writing instruction will certainly appeal most to that audience. Through the lens of what they call “post-process theory”—and its myriad definitions and approaches—the authors in this collection examine some of the theoretical and pedagogical tensions created by the codification of “the” writing process movement’s focus on individual writers’ composing processes. In fact, these two themes appear so often as to nearly become litanies. Despite the repetition, most of the authors call us to a valuable redirection of our theory and practice: It is time to connect our understandings of individual writing processes to the larger social and political contexts that inform, constrain, and shape writers and their texts—and are shaped by them. Kent informally organizes the essays into four sections. The first four essays discuss the nature and history of post-process theory; the next three essays explore the impact of post-process theory on specific kinds of writing; the next three look at its pedagogical implications; and the last three essays suggest its use for institutional and critical reform. These “sections” are not identified as such anywhere other than in Kent’s introduction, probably because the delineations they propose don’t hold entirely—almost all of the essays for instance, touch on pedagogical reform. Nonetheless, I organize my own comments according to