The Importance of WritingHistory and Rules

Part Two

The rules governing writing have been adapted over centuries of being literate people. Believe it or not, the rules are actually in place to make writing easier, not to confuse you or to make the writing process more difficult.

As you have seen in the pictures of different types of ancient script, the rules were far and few between, making comprehension difficult. The readers of those texts even had problems—hence, the evolution of grammar, standardized spelling, syntax, etc.

Why Rules?Think for minute about your writing experiences in

and out of school. What is it that you find “easy” about writing (and not holding the pencil but getting the words out in the correct format)? What do you find “difficult”?

For some reason, many students put more items in the “difficult” slot than in the “easy” slot, and one of the prime reasons that they list as to why writing is difficult is because of the RULES.

So, why does the English language have so many rules that seem arbitrary and so hard to remember?

And WHY are they necessary?

A Writer’s ResponsibilityWriting is needed in every walk of life and

occupation. Even if you never plan to write another essay when you finish this class, you need to know how to write well in order to communicate effectively with people in your personal and professional lives.

Auto mechanics need to be able to write notes as to what needs to be fixed on cars; service/repair people need to be able to write work orders, etc. Nurses write reports on patients. Office workers prepare reports and write interoffice memos.

As a writer, your number one responsibility when writing for others is to make sure that what you write is easily understood, that includes correct spelling, syntax (which is the order of words in a sentence), grammar, and clarity.

If any of these things are lacking, then the message can be misconstrued or merely not understood by the reader.

Rules help us shape and form our writing in expected modes that allow our work to be understood.

Read this:Theyreisaneeedforerulzbkawsiffenweedontha

vethempersonscanritehoeverthemwanttwonitkanbeeverrikonfusinandwerntallwayzsureovjuswhatritersrtringtoosayntheetingsthattheymitebeatemptingtokomunikatetothurawdeeencevhenweedontpayatt’n2darulzdendareedersmiteknotnowwhatweretryintoocomunikatetwoemantheykudthinckdaritermeensomphinothurthanwhutwuzintendedanwhonowseveningawarmiteokkur

Yeah, that’s why we need rules!Look back at the pictures of early writing;

can you see sentence breaks? Paragraph breaks?

But I can hear you ask, “Why so many rules and why do they seem so arbitrary?”

SpellingFirst, let me alleviate some of your mistaken concepts

about spellers: The ability to spell well is a talent with which people are born. Some of us have always excelled in spelling, and some have always struggled.

That does not mean, however, that people who were not born with the “gift” of spelling well can’t learn how to spell competently; it just means that some need to compensate and try harder.

It is also a case of “use it or lose it.” People who work with words on a consistent basis are usually better spellers than those who only occasionally read and/or write.

Add to that different learning styles. We learn differently: I am a sight reader: that means I look at the word and memorize how it looks. When word is misspelled, it “doesn’t look right.”

Other people are phonetically inclined. They need to sound out a word to understand how it is pronounced and spelled.

If you are not aware of your learning style, I advise you do some research to find out what helps you learn best.

It is also important to learn how to spell words correctly so that repeated errors do not show up or spelling a word incorrectly doesn’t become a habit.

For this class, NETSPEAK will NOT be allowed! In your posts and assignments, do not lapse into “h r u,” “oic,” substituting “u” for “you” or other types of abbreviations. These are anathema to English teachers and we react negatively to them.

Spell-check is an invaluable tool, but it is not a panacea; it will not differentiate between words uses out of context but spelled correctly, i.e. their/there, were/where, or weather/whether.

On to the problems of spelling. The English language is mixture of words from many languages including but not limited to Anglo-Saxon, German, French, Spanish, Latin, and Greek .

The spoken language can change rapidly; for instance, think of words incorporated into English in the last few years—technological words or words adapted from other languages.

The written language changes much more slowly, that is why we cannot always phonetically pronounce a word.

Following the loose rule of “sounding out” a word, how would this word be pronounced?

ghoti

Most people say “go-tee,” but following rules of English spelling, this word can be pronounced as “fish.”

Gh=the “f” sound in enough and tough. o=the “i” sound in “women.”ti=the “sh” sound in educationTry this out on your family and friends if they

are easily amazed; it’s a good parlor trick.

The pronunciation of words such as “knight,” “knife,” and others whose pronunciation bear little or no resemblance to how they are spelled are holdovers from ancient times.

“Knight” is an Anglo-Saxon word that was once pronounced more like “kuh-nig-it.”

“Knife” is also Anglo-Saxon and was pronounced “kuh-nee-fuh.”

“Wife” was “wee-fuh” and meant any woman, just not a female spouse.

These, and other words such as “phone” (from Greek), reflect changes in the spoken word but not the written.

Standardized spelling was a long time in coming. A theory about William Shakespeare claimed he never existed because in his original folios, he spelled his last name in several different ways. Today, we think—well, geez, people should know how to spell their names, but without standardized rules, anything goes.

When Noah Webster compiled the first American dictionary, he changed the spelling of some words: “grey” became “gray,” and the “ou” in words such as “labour” were changed to “o”—”labor.” However, many words retained their original (or close to original) standardized spelling.

Standardized spelling is important because we cannot always understand a misspelled word by context. One word that my students consistently misspell is “definitely.” Spell-check “corrects” it for them as “defiantly,” which gives the sentence in which it is used an entirely different meaning.

ParagraphsParagraph indentations signal certain things

to the reader, including a change of topic. Paragraph breaks also accommodate the eye.

When I am reading a page long paragraph, I lose my way about halfway down the page—it is like wading upstream in rapidly flowing water.

PunctuationOne thing noticeably lacking in ancient texts

is punctuation. While the reasons for punctuation are fairly obvious, there are reasons beyond giving the reader indications as to pauses, or whether a sentence is a question or an exclamation.

The comma is often one of the most dreaded types of punctuation in writing (I will cover aspects of commas and other punctuation later); some people do not understand the importance of the lowly comma, but it is VERY important.

How important? Enough that religious sects base their beliefs on the placement of a comma.

In Christian scripture, there is a verse reading (sans commas): “Truly I say to you today you will be with Me in Paradise.”

This verse was originally written in Greek, which did not utilize the comma.

The placement of the comma by later translators changes the meaning of the sentence.

If the comma is placed as such: “Truly I say to you, today you will be with Me in Paradise,” what is the speaker saying?

If the comma is in a different place, “Truly I say to you today, you will be with Me in Paradise,” how does it affect the meaning of the sentence?

A well known modern sect of Christianity bases its belief in the afterlife based on the second sentence. Traditional Christianity bases beliefs on the first sentence.

Commas have not only changed religious ideology for some, but have cost at least one company millions in dollars.

A headline reads: “Misplaced comma could cost Rogers millions” because “A grammatical blunder may force Rogers Communications Inc. to pay an extra $2.13 million to use utility poles in the Maritimes after the placement of a comma in a contract permitted the deal’s cancellation.”

Full story: http://www.fftimes.com/index.php/9/2006-08-08/26511

I would not want the security of my millions to rest on a comma!

So yes, writing words that do not sound as they are spelled is frustrating, but correct spelling is essential. Placing punctuation properly is likewise just as essential.

In this class, we won’t have spelling tests, but I will cover the essentials of punctuation.

And so . . .Before writing, knowledge was handed down

orally, but the problem with oral transmission is that when the last person who has the knowledge dies, it is lost forever. This has happened numerous times.

The priestly caste of the Celts were the Druids; although the Druids used runes, they never committed their knowledge to writing. One reason was that they wanted students to sharpen their minds; the other reason is that they didn’t want their knowledge to fall into the hands of the wrong people.

Here in the Americas, think of the indigenous preliterate people who did not know how to write; their history, their myths, and the details of their everyday lives are gone forever.

In contrast, how to read Mayan writing remained a mystery for hundreds of years. When it was finally translated, we found that what we thought about Mayan society was wrong. Modern scholars misinterpreted the iconography (statuary, paintings) of the Mayans, but their writing set us straight.

Writing is the basis for continuing civilization. We are able to access writing of the past and are able to understand the lives of those people/civilizations because of what they wrote. There are scripts we haven’t yet been able to decipher—linear A from Crete is one—but someday, the codes may be broken.

Each society is built on the backs of the societies preceding it; without writing, we would have to rediscover things that our ancestors knew. Indeed, in some cases, we have rediscovered things not recorded.

For centuries, only the rich and the nobility were taught how to read and write; for centuries, women were denied an education. Writing was even considered magical. Today, reading/writing is a skill that many of us take for granted, yet we often do not hone that skill. In addition, there are many illiterate and semi-literate people in the U.S.

I can give you the tools that you need to become a better writer, but it is up to you to utilize them. Understand that when I critique your papers, it is to help you learn. Last, there are ten ways that will surely make you a better writer:

1. Write.2. Write.3. Write.4. Write.5. Write.6. Write.7. Write.8. Write.9. Write.10. Write some more.