At 11:51 AM 8/17/02 -0400, you wrote: >>>> Paul - Your question gets to the heart of the matter - have I written or spoken the message? Obviously I wrote it - and not just because the words are typed. Before I sent it, I extensively edited what I had written (as I have edited this message) - impossible in spoken conversation. But the message clearly goes beyond writing, and I think that the difference is more than just the fact that I know that some one will be reading/listening to what I have to say. The difference is in the feeling behind the composition; it's as if I have an audience in front of me and I'm speaking to you - but I have the luxury of editing my comments before I utter them! Geoff CenturyHi Geoff, CenturyWhat an interesting e-mail you have written (spoken?). I think that if I were to go for a PhD in composition (Rhetoric?), this would interest me as a possible subject for my dissertation: the middle ground of e-mail, chat rooms, etc., between conversation and formal writing. I wonder if anyone has done (is doing) this. CenturyPaul E. Doniger ----- Original Message ----- From: <Geoff Layton To: [log in to unmask]>[log in to unmask] Sent: Friday, August 17, 2001 10:46 AM Subject: The Visible Voice Bob Yates recently posted a response to a thread, and I sent him a note recalling our wonderful ATEG meeting. My quandry in beginning my note to him was to describe my feelings upon seeing his note - "Great to see your e-mail!" didn't seem to convey how his note brought back the fun we had at the meeting and how important he was to its success. I solved the problem with "It's nice to see your voice again." And after writing that, I thought I'd see if anyone else on the list - particularly Pam Dykstra - has had similar thoughts about e-mail messages. They seem to be a delightful mix of both formal writing and casual conversation. On this list, for example, we aren't writing formal papers in our e-mail messages, yet there is disciplined thought behind the messages; we aren't truly engaged in conversation, yet there is almost immediate audience response. Has anyone written anything formally about the power of e-mail to evoke a "visible voice" - in other words, the voice of an e-mail author can be a powerful mix of both oral and written presentation? Geoff Layton To join or leave this LISTSERV list, please visit the list's web interface at: http://listserv.muohio.edu/archives/ateg.html and select "Join or leave the list" Visit ATEG's web site at http://ateg.org/ To join or leave this LISTSERV list, please visit the list's web interface at: http://listserv.muohio.edu/archives/ateg.html and select "Join or leave the list" Visit ATEG's web site at http://ateg.org/