Writing Constructs
Writing
constructs are perceptions about writing that many people see as
invertible and definite "rules" to writing rather than as changing and
mailable according to the situation at hand. One example of a construct
related to writing is the old adage that you must start an introduction
with an 'attention grabber'. Certainly, some attention grabbers might be
necessary given specific situations, but I can think of many situations
where starting with an 'attention grabber' is not a great idea. For
example, a few years back a close friend to my family passed away, and
his family requested that I write the obituary. When I went about
writing the obituary, I didn't think up a catchy 'attention grabbing'
intro. I read through many obituaries and replicated the pattern of that
particular genre. Likewise, when I recently bought a new piece of
furniture that required assembly, I wasn't disappointed that the opening
paragraph to my instructions didn't have an 'attention grabber'.
There are many other constructs related to writing. I remember being told that a paragraph should have five to seven sentences, and I also remember constructing thesis statements with three parts. Whether it is related to perceived rules or taught ways to write, what we might think of as rules are actually constructs. Defining rules more accurately as constructs allows us to see that language usage and acceptable writing conventions are created rather than inevitable. Many writing constructs are culturally influenced but remain hard to notice because cultural analysis is difficult unless one steps away from the home culture for a significant period of time.
In standard American English, you are often taught to be concise and precise in delivering your point. This is reminiscent of the three part five paragraph essay that so many of you are familiar with. In many other parts of the world, there are other writing conventions that dictate what is or is not appropriate for different writing situations. Your task here is to research some different approaches to writing that are NOT typical of standard American English. Certainly, if you traverse the Net, you should find some sources that showcase how writing happens in different cultures.
In a brief report (1-2 pages), you should identify at least two writing constructs that are different from conventional American English constructs. These constructs must come from a different writing culture than Standard American English. Certainly, other places around the world will practice different styles.Your report should explore how the culture shapes the practice of writing and underscore the relationship between culture and writing practice. You should cite at least two sources in your brief report. Be careful of making sweeping generalizations in your piece. Though there is evidence that Americans prefer a direct and straightforward approach for communication, there are many circumstances where American writers are neither direct nor straightforward. Beyond simply summarizing these outside sources, you should incorporate some of your own analysis into this posting.
As a starting point, you might want to view this series of videos presented by Oregon State University:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=quI0vq9VF-c\
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=koViA1gqiUs
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g0wbDcfltIU
You can use these videos as a starting point, but you must use other sources for this assignment. You have freedom regarding which culture or country you want to investigate. If your background is multicultural, you can use personal experiences, but you must still have at least two outside sources for this assignment.
There are many other constructs related to writing. I remember being told that a paragraph should have five to seven sentences, and I also remember constructing thesis statements with three parts. Whether it is related to perceived rules or taught ways to write, what we might think of as rules are actually constructs. Defining rules more accurately as constructs allows us to see that language usage and acceptable writing conventions are created rather than inevitable. Many writing constructs are culturally influenced but remain hard to notice because cultural analysis is difficult unless one steps away from the home culture for a significant period of time.
In standard American English, you are often taught to be concise and precise in delivering your point. This is reminiscent of the three part five paragraph essay that so many of you are familiar with. In many other parts of the world, there are other writing conventions that dictate what is or is not appropriate for different writing situations. Your task here is to research some different approaches to writing that are NOT typical of standard American English. Certainly, if you traverse the Net, you should find some sources that showcase how writing happens in different cultures.
In a brief report (1-2 pages), you should identify at least two writing constructs that are different from conventional American English constructs. These constructs must come from a different writing culture than Standard American English. Certainly, other places around the world will practice different styles.Your report should explore how the culture shapes the practice of writing and underscore the relationship between culture and writing practice. You should cite at least two sources in your brief report. Be careful of making sweeping generalizations in your piece. Though there is evidence that Americans prefer a direct and straightforward approach for communication, there are many circumstances where American writers are neither direct nor straightforward. Beyond simply summarizing these outside sources, you should incorporate some of your own analysis into this posting.
As a starting point, you might want to view this series of videos presented by Oregon State University:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=quI0vq9VF-c\
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=koViA1gqiUs
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g0wbDcfltIU
You can use these videos as a starting point, but you must use other sources for this assignment. You have freedom regarding which culture or country you want to investigate. If your background is multicultural, you can use personal experiences, but you must still have at least two outside sources for this assignment.
Ashley Cook
ReplyDeleteTwo writing constructs that I found were sentence length and defending an opinion. First, in America, people like to write in short, choppy sentences. Different ideas they may have will be separated by different sentences. In the UK, people write in long sentences full of information. They tend to compile different thoughts into one sentence. This construct can tie in culturally. Even as I write this now, I can see I am breaking up thoughts into sentences (The Centre for Applied Linguistics). I believe it’s because the way we speak. In America, we mostly just talk, not always thinking before talking, especially in informal situations. Different ideas are usually separated. However, in the UK, they tend to speak in a flowing pattern. There words and thoughts flow together and create an elegant tone. If you say a longer sentence that flows together, you can tell that it sounds smoother and more appealing than shorter, choppier sentences. Instead of saying “There is a cat. It is black. It just ran across the street,” saying it like “The black cat just walked across the street,” seems to roll off the tongue more easily. The different ways we speak definitely affect our sentence structure (The Centre for Applied Linguistics).
The second construct I found was defending an opinion. In America, we are told to read something and form an opinion on it (Lee). For example, reading an article about the death penalty and then writing an argument whether you are for or against it. However, in other countries especially places where there are strict government influences, they don’t do this (Lee). For example, instead of arguing whether the death penalty is right or not, they would just summarize facts about the death penalty. Their purpose for writing the paper would not be to persuade or argue the reader whether it is right or wrong. Cultural influence on this style of writing would be government influences (Lee). In places such as China or even parts of Africa where the government is so controlling, citizen cannot have an opinion. Many places have laws against having opinions that do not line up with the government’s opinion. China’s Communist Party has a strong influence over its people. We, in America, don’t have these controlling governments so we can openly argue and opinions we may have.
Works Cited
The Centre for Applied Linguistics. "Writing Style." Warkwick. University of Warwick, 19 July
2011. Web. 11 Feb. 2014. .
Lee, John. "Overcoming Cultural Differences In Writing Center Tutorials." Richmond.edu. N.p.,
n.d. Web. 12 Feb. 2014. .
Whitney Barnes
ReplyDeleteI prefer to label them as hindrances to the creative process. Writing constructs cause us to become unable to adapt to various situations based upon the limitations that have been cast upon us previously. For example, I am going to continue this paragraph for another 3-4 sentences because, from my earliest stages of writing I was told a well-rounded paragraph should be 5-7 sentences. Five displays to the teacher that you strive for mediocrity and seven illustrates to the teacher that you have clearly analyzed each portion of the prompt. As I scan over my writing I noticed that I fell into the traps of these writing constructs once again by placing my thesis within the first three sentences of my introductory paragraph. These restrictions have personally made me timid to try something new in my writing in fear of receiving a lower grade or, being misunderstood by my professor. International students have continued to migrate to America in order to enrich themselves in knowledge for the pursuit of one day being successful in their chosen field. However, when they arrive they are more than often taken back by the ‘to the point’ mindset that American’s hold not only within their writing but also, in simple day-to-day circumstances. I believe it is now appropriate for me to move on to the next paragraph according to the American writing blueprint I have been taught to follow.
My mother emigrating from the Bahamas allows me to be able to review these writing constructs from two cultural points of view. On one hand I able to relate to the direct approach we take as Americans and on the other hand I able to identify with the circular method often seen in Bahamian writing. I was not reading a piece of Bahamian literature when I detected this form of organization. One evening I was video chatting my cousin who lives in the Bahamas and became frustrated in the way she was beating around the bush when telling me a story. She played ring around the rosie multiple times until I finally reached the peak of my irritation and yelled ‘WHAT IS THE POINT!’ That is when it dawned on me I knew the point. She told the story in sequences and, when she approached the close of the story I was able to fill in the missing pieces for myself. In future video calls I listened with my ‘Bahamian ear’ instead of my ‘American ear’ I realized this lessened my chances of becoming annoyed with her. Before writing this blog post I interviewed my cousins in the Bahamas to see if this circular technique carried over to their formal styles of writing. I was not surprised when they informed me that the way they spoke is the way they wrote. Through evaluating my personal experiences in the Bahamas I have been able to correlate their writing style to their greetings. In the Bahamas it is custom to enter a room and say good morning, good afternoon, good day, or good night. If you fail to do this you are immediately typecast as rude or lacking home training. In a matter of 10-15 seconds you could completely destroy your entire family’s reputation by not addressing everyone in the room. From that brief explanation on greetings it may be hard to see the point I am trying to develop. In essence I am saying in the Bahamas time is no calculated as rigidly as it is in America. Bahamians take time to make social connections that have meaning to them. Here in America I have often times asked someone how he or she was doing and was left baffled when they did not reciprocate the question. However, I did not typecast them as rude or lacking home training I just assumed that they had simply forgotten or were busy with more important tasks.
Whitney Barnes (Part 2)
DeleteWhen reading the Nassau Guardian, a prominent newspaper in the Bahamas, I realized the grave attention to detail that was exemplified in each article. From murders to updates on the Christian Council’s recent activities each article was thorough in nature. In contrast to American writing we tend to make statements with little room left for explanation. This trend of leaving points unfinished can be accredited to the idea of leaving the reader wanting more, leave them guessing, or giving them the opportunity to create alternate endings. When discussing this phenomenon with my cousins they were unable to grasp the concept of leaving the reader lost. They were taught to explain, explain, and then explain some more so that the reader is left satisfied. In other words there is no room for mistranslation or personal interpretation.
When writing I prefer to take both of my cultures and intermix them. It allows me to reach a larger demographic and increases my chances of the reader being intrigued to read my composition. Being able to fit the mold of a variety of different writing constructs is important when conveying a message. For example, this tactic would be useful when trying to persuade or argue a point because; one would be able to relate to various groups of people. I believe I am nearing the point where I am supposed to restate my thesis and summarize my two main points. This blog post in itself has gone against the writing construct that one needs three main points in order to make an effective argument. As writers begin to reshape and remold these limitations writing constructs can take the place of parameters or suggestions rather than restrictions. This would allow writers across the board to revisit areas of creativity that have been suppressed by ‘rules’ for so long.
Sources:
"Business." The Official Nassau Guardian. Ed. Candia Dames. The Nassau Guardian, 12 Feb. 2014. Web. 12 Feb. 2014.
Bain, Anae Y., and Summer J. Bain. "Writing Constructs." Online interview. 10 Feb. 2014.
Throughout my life I was always taught to write in a specific sentence structure, this structure required me to write in a word order form of subject-verb-object. For example, my sentences would be written as “I play football”. However this is not the way other cultures have learned to write. For instance, Asian communities such as Japan’s writing are formed in a more different way. Rather than writing in the word order of subject-verb-object they are required to write in the form of subject-object-verb. For example, instead of writing “I play football” which is the standard American way of writing; Japanese writers would form their sentence as “ I football play”. This construct of writing might be able to explain the communication problems that international students from Asian countries face when being faced with American literature. Having to deal with a new form of sentence structure and the time based essays all might be reason to believe why some international students struggle to succeed with their studies in America. Although, this is just one construct of Asian writing another construct comes from the “allowed” information that some Asian countries have to abide by. Being an American student I was never in a situation where I was told that I couldn’t write about a specific topics such as politics. In fact, I believe my ACT writing section was based off the top of Barrack Obama. However, Such people or more specifically writers don’t have the authority to do so. For example, government controlling what can and can’t be said in writing is another construct that Asian writers may face. Recently published on October in 2013 by a Japanese press company was the reconfiguring of information produced through the Chinese press. According to Japan daily press china has gathered over 250,000 journalists that work for media organizations across the country, and in order for them to be re accredited for press accreditation they have to attend this seminar so to speak. The seminar is not so mu8ch teaching new information as it is mainly warning journalists what they can and cant write about the government in china. This government-controlling construct can also be a determinant for issues involving foreign students coming from Asia because they are not use to being allowed to write about opinionated political topics. This posses as a problem mainly because that is primarily what American standard writing is focused on.
ReplyDeleteCitations:
• Sato, Erik. N.p.. Web. 13 Feb 2014. .
• Aquino, Faith. N.p.. Web. 13 Feb 2014. .
• Lee, John. "Overcoming Cultural Differences In Writing Center Tutorials." Richmond.edu. N.p., n.d. Web. 12 Feb. 2014. .
Jamario Mathis
ReplyDeleteVary the lengths of the sentences, there should be a better flow with some short and some longer ones. Do not use contractions in a formal paper. Proper formatting is vital to being a successful writer. Document all sources, even if not quoting from the source. The three paragraphs in the body of the essay should elaborate on your three main points stated in the introduction. Write to gain the attention of the reader as soon as possible.
These are some of the constructs I remember from my early, and some recent, writing. Until this unit in Comp 1, I considered these universally correct rules and guidelines for all writing. I find it very interesting to think about different cultures and their perceived correct ways of writing. One construct of American writing, and speaking, is our need to be quick and to the point, drawn out details are mostly considered unnecessary. I have been taught to edit and revise and scale down excess wording in my writing with words such as “redundant”, “repetitive”, “getting off topic”. In the process I was learning to write more streamlined and felt I was then doing it “right”. Other cultures consider such fast writing as rude and harsh. Columbian culture is one that values people and relationships and gives time to both. This is reflected in their writing as they fully develop their ideas on paper.
American freedom of speech has lead to writing that wants to be heard. We value our own opinion to the point of teaching students the correct way to present it. Outlining our influential papers and speeches down to points and subpoints is crucial, and a skill that is honed beginning in the earliest of years in middle school. Making sure to state the purpose of the writing and include our points to be made is considered the right way to express our opinion. This writing construct is not necessarily important in other cultures. For example, many Asian cultures do not value individual opinion as highly as Americans. Interestingly, the concept of collectivistic cultures has been introduced in two of my courses, opening my mind to other ways of thinking. For these cultures, individual assertiveness is discouraged, both in speech and writing.
Through the video presentations of the international students in American universities trying to learn to write to please their American professors, I learned that writing well is dependent on many factors. It is not just the rules of writing like sentence structure, grammar, and formatting that make a work good. Having my writing graded and critiqued has always been difficult for me. Now I am considering that maybe all these rules that I can not seem to follow might not be hard and fast, but more of a suggestion. Maybe I will venture out a little in my next writing.
(Wait, was this supposed to be double-spaced?)
"Colombia - Language, Culture, Customs and Etiquette." The Translation Agency For A Complete Professional Translation Service. N.p., n.d. Web. 12 Feb. 2014.
Butler, Jeff. "Understanding Communication Apprehension." Between One and Many: The Art and Science of Public Speaking. New York: McGraw-Hill, 2011. 41.
Stapleton, Paul. "ELT Journal." Critical Thinking in Japanese L2 Writing: Rethinking Tired Constructs. N.p., n.d. Web. 12 Feb. 2014.
Earlier in my life in Senegal, West Africa, I was taught that writing a paper did not have to be any certain length or paragraphs. The teachers just wanted us to write a good paper that answered all the requirements. The required things in the paper were things like answering the questions the prompt asked. Most cultures are different with the way they write. When I moved to the United States, my teacher wanted me to write papers with five paragraphs including five to six sentences in those paragraphs. They asked for usually three different topics and each paragraph was a different topic including the introduction and the conclusion. In the U.S many teachers teach kids that when it comes to writing a paper you are never supposed to use first person. Many countries are agaisnt that and use first person in their writing.
ReplyDeleteThe first construct I read was about was about an instructor who worked with ESL students at a writing lab. Students from China have told me how citation is not necessary because it is actually an honor to directly reference another’s words; others have mentioned that listing evidence without analysis provides stronger support for a claim than breaking down one example. Recognizing disparities like these can assist tutors (and teachers) in identifying where writing might go wrong (Blakemore,2014). I do not agree with the students from china because I believe you should always quote someone else's work. It is basically plagiarism if you do not quote someone else's work. I see why it is so hard to write in a different culture because having to change your writing style make things very difficult, especially if you are foreign. I can relate to this because when I first came to the United States and started writing it was almost impossible to not make mistakes.
The second writing construct is about how a writer believes effective writers should consider not only the United States writing culture but countries such as France, China, and Japan because some of their writing is very affective.
High-context cultures such as Japan, China, and France provide little details in their writing. A high-context culture is based on fewer, deeper relations with people; there are many unspoken social rules and understandings within the culture. People in these cultures expect readers to have enough knowledge about the communication before they begin reading. In areas such as instructions, for example, it is assumed that readers have enough background knowledge or experience that there is no need to explain different tools used or walk the reader through any steps. People in low-context cultures such as the United States, Great Britain, and Germany assume readers know very little before they begin reading. Low-context cultures have a greater number of surface-level relations; rules are more explicitly defined so others know how to behave. People in low-context cultures expect detailed writing that explains the entire process. Writers should consider the cultural audience of their writing so that readers are not insulted by an excess or lack of information (Anderson, 2011). I agree with this article because why only use one culture when you can use three or four and only make your writing better. The more cultures and ideas about how to write, the better it is. I personally still use part of the writing culture i was exposed to when i was in senegal.
Works Cited
Anderson, P.. N.p.. Web. 13 Feb 2014. .
Blakemore, Amy. "Talking About Writing: An Approach to Cross Cultural Differences." The writing center. N.p.. Web. 13 Feb 2014.
Ever since we first start writing as children, rules and writing guidelines are slowly implemented on us. Growing up I never really gave much thought into writing constructs other than my own, though I have never been very restrictive on how and what I write. Learning how other cultures write shows me that writing itself is open ended. There is truly no “right” or “wrong” way to write, rather there are guidelines for what a culture deems correct. In my research I learned very different writing constructs from North America in both China and Japan. I found it extremely interesting that in China, teachers do not put emphasis on citing work that a student used in their paper. In America I feel like there are so many guidelines and strict rules that you have to follow in order to avoid plagiarism. I believe that American society places so much importance on citation because we see published writing or other people’s thoughts put into writing as the authors owned work. Which I do agree that it is their work to own, but I also understand why Chinese students do not have to cite their works. When a Chinese student references work from another author, it is considered a gesture of honor. This makes sense to me because Chinese culture and history is packed with honor, so by a student using another authors work, they are honoring the author. Another differing construct that Chinese students practice is that mentioning evidence in a paper, without any analysis of the evidence, can actually be stronger than if evidence was provided with an analysis. By doing this, it seems to make a stronger statement. Almost as if the evidence that is provided by the student is so indisputable, that no explanation is needed. This Chinese teaching is much different from American constructs. Anytime I would make a statement about something and provided little to no analysis, I would receive some type of feedback saying “what does this mean” or “explain further.”
ReplyDeleteThe other different writing construct that differed from American traditional teaching came from Japan. In America, we are taught to be very deliberate in our writing. Our entire writing piece must revolve around the main point, and straying from the main point is seen as excess writing not valid in the paper. This means that our introduction, main body paragraphs, and conclusion all must be closely related. This is what I have always been taught and honestly it is one of the few things about the American school system and way of teaching that I have not questioned, so reading that in Japan does not follow those same constructs we do in those terms came as a surprise to me. In Japan, students often fill their papers by writing things that surround the main topic and do not necessarily address it. In Japan, it is taught that the main point is clearly stated in the conclusion, which I found interesting because in America it seems that students must address the main point of their writing in the first paragraph. This way of writing in Japan interested me a lot. It seems that writing in America, especially in school, has to be very straight forward, but this way of writing in Japan allows for a lot more abstract ideas to come into play in your writing. Each of these cultural writing constructs serves a particular purpose, and in my opinion, no one person can truly determine which way of writing is right or wrong. But by researching and seeing how writing differs in so many ways depending on where you are, you can see that writing isn’t as strict as you may have been taught to view it.
Works Cited
• Blakemore, A. (2014). Talking about writing: An approach to cross cultural differences. Retrieved from http://www.fandm.edu/writingcenter
• Advanced composition for non-native speakers of english. (2014). Retrieved from http://www.eslbee.com/advanced_composition.htm
Daniel Healy
ReplyDeleteAmerican English contains many constructs that both inhibit and help a writer write what they intend on to paper. Just like American English, other regions and countries have their own writing constructs that accompany their writing. Two such places include the United Kingdom and China.
In the United Kingdom, writing constructs do not very far from American English writing constructs. In the UK they have the “introduction and terms of reference” for the beginning of the paper. From there the writer continues to the “executive summary” which contains the evidence, outcomes, and recommendations ("Related Materials”). For the summary, it is stated that that it should be a maximum of one to two pages in length. Next, the background or history or situation is presented in the paper. Following, are “implications/issues/opportunities/threats, with source-reference facts and figures evidence” ("Related Materials”). Then a solution is presented, and after recommendations and actions are presented. Finally, the appendices is written and the writing has come to a completion. I believe the following is for business communication for UK people. But still, a guideline is given that the audience to whom this applies is most likely expected to use to accomplish their paper. But these rules are strict and do not allow the paper or report to show the personality of its writer.
In China, they have a writing system of characters that is made up of stokes and radicals. This writing system is very precise and exact to the strokes and radicals written. In the characters the strokes taken have to be done in a certain manner and timing. Such rules are that horizontal strokes have to be taken before vertical strokes, top to bottom, and left to right the strokes have to be done. Then there are the radicals of each character. The radicals are the character’s components and can be seen as the Chinese alphabet (Rouviere). The difference that I see in this writing style and its rules compared to America’s and its rules is that it depends on its them fully so that the correct message is transcribed and legible. American constructs are there to follow but are able to be broken and that opens up new techniques and creative aspects. Chinese characters have to follow their rules because without them the characters would not make sense, defying one of the rules could lead to the character not reading as it should and giving it a different message. One thing I think should be noted this that China’s culture would be characterized as an implicit-rule culture. This means that rules are implied for behavior and are implicitly known to all member of the culture. To me, just like their culture China’s writing too has implied mechanics to it. For some of the characters, as a whole they mean something with as a question, but it you break it up, the part of the character that means it is a question is actually another word independently. So the rules of how the characters work together is implied to those who know how to read it properly.
There are constructs that affect every culture, country, and region differently across the world. They are both inhibit and help the writer write a paper. In some places these constructs are there as a base line for learning to write effectively and will eventually be needed to be broken down so the writer can progress to their true potential. But in other places, these constructs make sense of what is written and when broken down the meaning is lost and could be easily misinterpreted by the reader.
Works Cited
"Related Materials." Writing Letters Tips and Cover Letters Tips How to Write Effective Business Communications. N.p., n.d. Web. 13 Feb. 2014. .
Rouviere, Niel. "Chinese Basics - Writing and Constructing Characters." Chinese Basics - Writing and Constructing Characters. N.p., n.d. Web. 13 Feb. 2014. .
Growing up I was given rules as to how I should write. Start off with a bang in the introduction including the three points you want to make, use each body paragraph to go into more detail on each point, and then repeat it all at the end. If a paragraph was less than 5 sentences it was too short. If one was too long I would be told it was too wordy. My whole writing career has been based off of these rules that were forced upon me. In all honesty, I didn't think that there would be such a difference in writing constructs from around the world. Last semester I took a course called "Diversity for Educators," and in that course we discussed working with ESL students, so that is the approach I took into finding out information about different writing constructs from varying cultures and countries.
ReplyDeleteAfter researching different writing constructs from China, I found one that stuck out to me. It was that normally they do not site their writings, it is actually considered an honor if you use other's words in your own paper. I find that to be very interesting because growing up in America you are taught to cite everything, otherwise the consequences of plagiarism come into effect.
In both the video, and the article I found it is said that in many different countries around the world it isn't right to argue or criticize in your writing. In many cultures it can be considered rude, and can sometimes be illegal if you are critiquing the government. But as young kids in America we are always taught to argue our beliefs in our writing, we are even given argumentative essays to write on standardized tests.
I have found that many times the writing constructs I have been taught over the years have held me back from being a better writer. In some aspects they have helped me, but have also hindered me more. I found it interesting that in all parts of the world writers come across constructs that they have to follow, and how differently they vary from country to country. But I don't think that writing constructs are the end all be all for writing, I think that an essay could be good if it has a four sentence paragraph or doesn't start off with a bang. Writing doesn't have to be in a specific format, and I think that is the best part about it.
Citations:
Blakemore, Amy. "Talking About Writing: An Approach to Cross Cultural Differences." Franklin & Marshall College. N.p., 2013. Web. 13 Feb. 2014.
Lee, John. "Overcoming Cultural Differences In Writing Center Tutorials." Final. N.p., n.d. Web. 13 Feb. 2014.
I have been taught many different constructs, or rules, throughout my literary education. One construct that I can always remember being emphasized during middle school and high school was that you always had to cite the author of the information that you used throughout your papers. If you didn’t cite who the author was it was considered plagiarism and it would automatically get you a zero on the paper and in trouble with the school. However, in China, it is considered an honor to directly use another author’s work even if it was not cited. According to Amy Blakemore, who was a tutor in the Writing Center of Franklin and Marshall College, she would work with many international students. She would have conversations with many international students. She recalls one conversation with one of student who was from China. The students stated “citation is not necessary because it is actually an honor to directly reference another’s words.” From my point of view, I believe that it is extremely strange that they are taught not to cite the author’s work that is already out there. It seems like they can just copy someone’s work word for word and be able to get away with plagiarizing the work that they copied. Maybe it’s just something that I am used to just citing the information that I use for my works. It may just be the cultural difference that I am not used to and should not be so judgmental on the whole approach.
ReplyDeleteAnother construct that was emphasized was that you had to get straight to the point during the essay and that you should not fluffy up the essay with useless information. My teachers always taught me that you had to have a beginning sentence, a thesis sentence, supporting details, and a concluding sentence. But, in Japan and Mexico, they are taught differently. In Japan, they dance around the topic before stating what their actual point of the essay. The main point of their essay is in the conclusion paragraph. In Mexico, they will introduce the topic briefly and then will write about one side of the issue. The writer will then change his direction and discuss the other side of the issue.. Just like in Japan, the main points of the essay are in the concluding paragraph. This is extremely different then America because we state all of our main points in the introduction and restate them in the concluding paragraph.
As you can see in this report, other countries have different constructs for their writings. This report shows just a few of them but there are many more different ones that are out there. This report shows how in America we have to cite our work by citing the authors and how we get straight to the point in the opening paragraph instead of dancing around the point and coming back to it in the concluding paragraph.
Works cited
Blakemore, Amy. "Talking About Writing: An Approach to Cross Cultural Differences." Franklin & Marshall College. N.p., 2013. Web. 13 Feb. 2014.
"Introduction to Academic Writing in English." ESLBEE.COM. N.p., n.d. Web. 13 Feb. 2014.
The French and Chinese have similar writing constructs or styles that vary from Standard American English in the organization of an essay.
ReplyDeleteWhen I was in elementary school I was taught that an essay should have five paragraphs, sometimes four if you have two strong body paragraphs. I was also taught that your opinion and the points you plan to make should be stated in the introduction paragraph. Then in middle school my heuristics for writing an essay were slightly altered when I was told that instead of stating your position you had to have a thesis with a ‘so what?’ element to it. My teacher also taught us that the introduction should start with a general statement and end with a specific one, the thesis. At some point during my education career I was told to assume that the reader is clueless, therefore your writing should be concise and unambiguous.
One way in which the French essay writing style is different from Standard English writing style is in the location of the thesis statement. Where the thesis statement is placed in the introduction paragraph in American writing, it is placed in the conclusion in French writing style. The overall structures of the introduction and conclusion paragraphs of an essay are different in the French culture. In French writing the introduction typically presents questions that point the reader towards a series of more questions that will be answered in the essay. At the end of the essay another question is presented along with the thesis and a specific recap of argument. A reason that the French put the thesis in the conclusion is they prefer suspense. They also assume that the reader is not clueless, and if you assume this by laying everything out for the reader, you are offending them.
The Chinese writing style is similar to that of the French in that the structure of the essay follows the same pattern, the thesis statement is found in the conclusion paragraph of an essay. Unlike the French who place the thesis at the end for the purpose of suspense, the Chinese believe it is the reader’s duty to understand the greater meaning within the essay. The reader is meant to read the essay all the way through and step back to see the writing as a whole. Whereas American writing style breaks down and analyzes pieces of the whole to better understand the beginning argument. This style of writing in China could go back to the cultural tradition of harmony.
Where Americans prefer a straightforward and clear direction for writing, the Chinese and French styles make assumptions about the audience that Americans are told not to make. This influences their writing style in a way that guides and challenges the reader to think as opposed to giving the reader all of the information up front.
Bibliography
Mattisson, Jane, and Högskolan Kristianstad. "‘Chinese Essay Writing: A Special Challenge for Universities in the West.’ A Discussion of Chinese Students’ Essay Writing Traditions and Western Praxis." N.p., n.d. Web. 12 Feb. 2014. .
Steinway, Charlotte. "Getting It 'write:' Essay Styles Vary by Country, Creating Difficulties for International Students." Tufts Daily. N.p., 20 Oct. 2008. Web. 12 Feb. 2014. .