Wynne, thanks for posting this essay. I'm wondering what your response to it is. I read it entirely and here is my response: IT VARIES from person to person. Some people can "think on their feet" and are fast to respond critically in oral conversations. Other people aren't so fast or capable of formulating an argument orally in the midst of a two-way or three-way conversation. It's possible that frequent critical writing prepares a person for being able to respond to others and to construct arguments quickly while in the midst of an impromptu conversation. And THEN, there are SCRIPTS, or formulas that people can rely on when they speak: these scripts may not be obvious to people who aren't conversant with specialized forms of thinking, so they may look more original to some listeners than to others.
I have been interested in connections between speech, thought, and writing for my entire career, and I often experiment with assignments that combine speech and writing in my freshman writing classes. I know that there are important connections, that they differ from individual to individual, that they are influenced by past practices, cultures, and native, inborn talents and abilities.
Thanks for posting this essay on your blog. --Barbara
Wynne, thanks for posting this essay. I'm wondering what your response to it is. I read it entirely and here is my response: IT VARIES from person to person. Some people can "think on their feet" and are fast to respond critically in oral conversations. Other people aren't so fast or capable of formulating an argument orally in the midst of a two-way or three-way conversation. It's possible that frequent critical writing prepares a person for being able to respond to others and to construct arguments quickly while in the midst of an impromptu conversation. And THEN, there are SCRIPTS, or formulas that people can rely on when they speak: these scripts may not be obvious to people who aren't conversant with specialized forms of thinking, so they may look more original to some listeners than to others.
ReplyDeleteI have been interested in connections between speech, thought, and writing for my entire career, and I often experiment with assignments that combine speech and writing in my freshman writing classes. I know that there are important connections, that they differ from individual to individual, that they are influenced by past practices, cultures, and native, inborn talents and abilities.
Thanks for posting this essay on your blog. --Barbara