Craig, I definitely agree that removing interjections from student writing
will solve no problems. It's merely one small piece. Composition instruction
is NOT my specialty (it is, in fact, the area in which I feel most lacking
as an educator), but I focus a great deal on creating agreement (or at least
a compelling point) in student writing. For that reason, interjections are
almost always ineffectual because they seem to skip ahead to a "we all
agree" position.
I like what you have to say about the tendency to edit out human experience,
and I agree that it is far too tempting to take a concept like "cut the
interjections" to an extreme. I used to be guilty of this, and I found that,
more than once, I was stifling some fantastic narrative writers whose ethos
really sprang from their life experiences. So, I suppose my approach is
focused strictly on "don't take a shortcut -- actually get me to wherever it
is you're taking me." If a writer can integrate interjections in an
effective manner that actually contributes to their purpose, then that is
certainly a viable usage.
I wish we had more time in the secondary classroom to write for a variety of
audiences. I feel cramped in that regard.
John
On Tue, Sep 20, 2011 at 11:36 AM, Hancock, Craig G <[log in to unmask]>wrote:
> John,****
>
> In a rough kind of sense, I agree with you, but one pattern we can find
> in the work of successful writers is a generous metadiscourse, comments
> within the text about the text as a text. In that sense, “I agree” is more
> useful than “gee” or “wow.” A good writer is often manifestly present
> within a text, though perhaps in a way different from the way that happens
> in speech. “They Say/I Say” offers academic “templates” for it. ****
>
> If we tell students that a formal text is bereft of human perspective,
> we are swinging the pendulum too far the other way. It reminds me of the
> days when we couldn’t write “I,” but had to write “one,” as in “One gets up
> around six in the morning and likes to read the paper over one’s Cheerios.”
> There is a huge disjunct between the formal stance and the uniqueness of
> the detail. One result is that we edit out experience and produce
> disembodied thoughts. ****
>
> I also wonder to what extent we should preemptively establish what
> makes an effective text. Do our students have anything to add to that
> conversation? Do they ever get a chance to write to each other or do we
> simply assume it’s all written for a teacher?****
>
> I like the idea that we don’t want to sound self-important. (But what
> could be more self-important than much overly formal writing? Our students
> are often encouraged to present themselves as experts when they are anything
> but.) We also don’t want to assume agreement without having done the work
> of creating it. I’m not convinced that editing out interjections will get us
> there. ****
>
> ** **
>
> Craig****
>
> *From:* Assembly for the Teaching of English Grammar [mailto:
> [log in to unmask]] *On Behalf Of *John Dews-Alexander
> *Sent:* Tuesday, September 20, 2011 9:48 AM
> *To:* [log in to unmask]
> *Subject:* Re: Interjections****
>
> ** **
>
> Absolutely, Carol. This is an issue of formality or linguistic register.
> Interjections carry more weight when with friends; I think it is Deborah
> Tannen who says that interjections have a primarily social function,
> expressing more of a shared, group feeling/affirmation. When used in
> isolation, especially in formal writing, it comes off as assumptive and
> self-centered. Why assume that the reader will be able to partake in the
> emotive force of the interjection? More importantly, why assume that the
> reader agrees with you? Without that agreement, interjections are useless in
> my opinion; other forms are necessary to make a point accessible to all
> readers.
>
> John****
>
> On Mon, Sep 19, 2011 at 8:12 PM, Carol Morrison <[log in to unmask]>
> wrote:****
>
> Somewhat related to but not quite in the same vein of Scott's "Bad English"
> thread, is the questionable use of interjections in academic writing. Is it
> safe to tell students that interjections are typically not found in academic
> or formal writing? I have a student who had a continuous string of
> interjections in his response paper he wrote to one of the essays in the
> text on marriage. "Yikes!" "Not this guy!" "Wow!" were some of the
> responses he would write following a summary of what the author stated. He
> also began many of his sentences with "Yes, I agree that..." or "No
> thanks,..." How can I explain that this is not an appropriate style for a
> college essay? On the informal to formal scale I explained in class, this is
> what I would consider too informal. Do you agree?****
>
> ****
>
> Thanks.****
>
> ****
>
> Carol****
>
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