You Can't Write That: 8 Myths About Correct English

Cover
Half-title page
Title page
Copyright page
Dedication
Contents
List of Figures
List of Tables
Acknowledgments
Introduction: When Writing Means Correct Writing
	i.1 The Writing We Actually Do
	i.2 Language Regulation Mode
	i.3 What Should We Do Instead?
	i.4 Why Language Exploration Mode?
	i.5 But Shouldn’t We Still Prioritize Correct Writing?
	i.6 Chapter Outline
	Conclusion: Writing continuum, language exploration
Chapter One Myth 1 You Can’t Write That: Or, Only One Kind of Writing Is Correct
	1.1 Pick a Century
	1.2 Context for the Myth
		1.2.1 Spelling Becomes Uniform and Moral
		1.2.2 Correct English Becomes Patriotic
		1.2.3 Usage Wardens Tell Grown People How to Use English
	1.3 The Myth Emerges
	1.4 Consequences of the Myth
		1.4.1 We Limit Correct Writing (and Correct Writer)
		1.4.2 English Spelling Is a Mess that Matters
		1.4.3 English Variation Is a National Threat
		1.4.4 Usage Preferences of a Few Are Usage Preferences for All
		1.4.5 Narrow Standards Are High Standards
		1.4.6 Formality and Informality Are Enemies
		1.4.7 We Tolerate Confusing References to Grammar
		1.4.8 We Miss Opportunities for Learning and Connecting
	1.5 Closer to the Truth
		1.5.1 Standardized Spelling Depends on Memorization and Practice
		1.5.2 Grammar Is What Is Possible and Meaningful in a Language
		1.5.3 Terrible People Can Be Good Writers, Terrible Writers Can Be Good People
		1.5.4 Diverse Usage Is Similar
		1.5.5 Diverse Usage Is Correct
			1.5.5.1 Correct Writing Hearts Noun Phrases … Incorrect Writing Totally Doesn’t
		1.5.6 Linguistic Equality and Social Inequality Are for Real
		1.5.7 Writing Is on a Continuum of Shared Purposes and Distinct Patterns
Chapter Two Myth 2 You Can’t Write That in School: Or, Schools Must Regulate Writing
	2.1 Pick a Century
	2.2 Context for the Myth
		2.2.1 English Shifts to Schools, and Schools Shift to English
		2.2.2 Language Policies Privilege English and English Literature
	2.3 The Myth Emerges
	2.4 Consequences of the Myth
		2.4.1 We Limit Writing in School
		2.4.2 English Regulation Becomes “Manifestly Desirable”
		2.4.3 Writing in School Means Hunting for Errors rather than Exploring Patterns
		2.4.4 Correct Writing Is a Bond while Other Language Is a Threat
		2.4.5 Language Difference Comes at a Double Cost
		2.4.6 We Have Limited Options amid Mass Migration
		2.4.7 We Miss Opportunities for Language Knowledge
	2.5 Closer to the Truth
		2.5.1 Language Diversity and Language Knowledge Are Human Rights
		2.5.2 Language Diversity Persists but Isn’t Studied in Schools
		2.5.3 School Writing Is on a Narrow Continuum
			2.5.3.1 Poorly Rated 1887 Harvard Essay
			2.5.3.2 Passing 1887 Harvard Entrance Essay
Chapter Three Myth 3 You Can’t Write That and Be Smart: Or, Writing indicates natural intelligence
	3.1 Context for the Myth
		3.1.1 Correct Writing Becomes a Tool for Ranking and Selecting
		3.1.2 Intelligence becomes innate and testable
		3.1.3 Writing Becomes Part of Ranking Intelligence
		3.1.4 Intelligence Becomes a Tool for Ranking and Selecting
		3.1.5 Intelligence Tests Appeal to Scared Racists
	3.2 The Myth Emerges
	3.3 Consequences of the Myth
		3.3.1 We Narrow Intelligence
		3.3.2 Only Some People Are Intelligent
		3.3.3 Writing and Ability Are 2-D
		3.3.4 Efficiency and Ideal Sameness Became Values
		3.3.5 Trust Shifts from Teachers to Tests
		3.3.6 Learning Culture Shifts to Exam Culture
		3.3.7 We Trust Tests Without Understanding Tests
		3.3.8 Extrapolation Seems Fine
		3.3.9 Uniform Tests Tell a 2-D Story about Writing
	3.4 Closer to the Truth
		3.4.1 Uniform Tests Are not Fair
		3.4.2 Writing Is 3-D
		3.4.3 Hillegas Scale Examples Are on a Narrow Writing Continuum
			3.4.3.1 Mid-value 1912 Hillegas Scale Sample
			3.4.3.2 High-value 1912 Hillegas Scale Sample
Chapter Four Myth 4 You Can’t Write That on the Test: Or, Tests Must Regulate Writing
	4.1 Context for the Myth
		4.1.1 Exams Begin to Regulate Writing and Students
		4.1.2 Higher Education Expands
		4.1.3 College and Secondary English Writing Exams Begin
		4.1.4 College Exams Emphasize Timed Writing, Literature, and Correct Writing
		4.1.5 Standardized Exams Begin
	4.2 The Myth Emerges
	4.3 Consequences of the Myth
		4.3.1 We Scale up Limited Definitions of Writing and Intelligence
		4.3.2 Every Exam Is an English Exam
		4.3.3 Exams Emphasize Exam Writing
		4.3.4 Exams and Courses Emphasize English Literature
		4.3.5 Exams Imply Writing Tasks Don’t Matter
		4.3.6 Exam Culture Overshadows Learning Culture
		4.3.7 Efficiency and Ideal Sameness Prevail
		4.3.8 Exams Become the Only Obvious Option
		4.3.9 Extrapolation Seems Fine
	4.4 Closer to the Truth
		4.4.1 Standardized Test Scores Measure Socioeconomic Status and Test Preparation
		4.4.2 Problems Are Well-documented, but Efficiency Rules
		4.4.3 Tests Must Be Tested
		4.4.4 Tests Only Test What Is on the Tests
		4.4.5 Writing Exam Tasks Are on a Continuum
Chapter Five Myth 5 Chances Are, You Can’t Write: Or, Most Students Can’t Write
	5.1 Pick a Century
	5.2 Context for the Myth
		5.2.1 Early Exam Graders Say Most Students Can’t Write
		5.2.2 Early Exam Graders Sometimes Clarified What Students Were Doing Wrong
		5.2.3 Mass Media Coverage Says Most Students Cannot Write
		5.2.4 Contemporary Exam Tasks and Criteria Can Be Confusing
	5.3 The Myth Emerges
	5.4 Consequences of the Myth
		5.4.1 We Limit Media Messages about Writing
		5.4.2 Test Results Define Writing Failure
		5.4.3 We Accept Vague Criteria
		5.4.4 We Don’t Question Whether Tests Are the Problem
		5.4.5 Writing Means Control versus Practice
		5.4.6 Limited Standards Are Excellent Standards, and Failure Is Individual
		5.4.7 We Expect Cycles of Test Results and Alarm
	5.5 Closer to the Truth
		5.5.1 Half of Harvard’s Students Didn’t Fail
		5.5.2 Errors Are Not Increasing
		5.5.3 Tasks Change
		5.5.4 Criteria Change
		5.5.5 Limited Does not Mean Excellent, and Standardized Does not Mean Complex
		5.5.6 Standardized Exam Writing Is on a Continuum
			5.5.6.1 Exemplary A-levels Diary Entry
			5.5.6.2 Exemplary IELTS Graph Summary
		5.5.7 Most Students Write
Chapter Six Myth 6 You Can’t Write if You Didn’t Write Well in High School: Or, Writing Should Be Mastered in Secondary School
	6.1 Pick a Century
	6.2 Context for the Myth
		6.2.1 Early university educators and tests define secondary writing ability
		6.2.2 Secondary Writing Tasks Tend to Be Brief, Persuasive, and Rigidly Organized
			6.2.2.1 Secondary Writing Is Brief
			6.2.2.2 Secondary Writing Includes Few Genres
			6.2.2.3 Secondary Writing Follows Template Organization
		6.2.3 Exams Impact Secondary Teaching Conditions
		6.2.4 Secondary and Postsecondary Writing Are Different
	6.3 The Myth Emerges
	6.4 Consequences of the Myth
		6.4.1 We Limit Writing Development
		6.4.2 We Get (More) Confusing References to Grammar
		6.4.3 Students Don’t Have Explicit Support for Writing Transitions
		6.4.4 We Misunderstand College Writing Courses
		6.4.5 We Miss Opportunities for Writing Support
	6.5 Closer to the Truth
		6.5.1 Spelling Memorization Is Different from Writing Development
		6.5.2 Writing Development Is a Spiral, not a Line
		6.5.3 College Courses Demand new Writing
		6.5.4 We Need to Build Metacognitive Bridges
		6.5.5 Language Patterns Provide Bridges
			6.5.5.1 Secondary Writing Expresses Certainty, while Postsecondary Writing Balances Caution and Certainty
			6.5.5.2 Secondary Writing Uses a Few Cohesive Strategies, while Postsecondary Writing Includes Diverse Cohesion
			6.5.5.3 Secondary Writing Uses Verbs, Nouns, Pronouns, and Adverbs, while Postsecondary Favors Noun Phrases
		6.5.6 Secondary and Postsecondary Writing Are on a Continuum
			6.5.6.1 Secondary Writing Example
			6.5.6.2 Postsecondary Writing Example
Chapter Seven Myth 7 You Can’t Get a Job if You Didn’t Write Well in College: Or, College Writing Ensures Professional Success
	7.1 Context for the Myth
		7.1.1 College Writing and Employment Were Purposefully Linked
		7.1.2 College and Workplace Writing Are “Worlds Apart”
		7.1.3 College and Workplace Writing Have Different Expectations
		7.1.4 College and Workplace Writing Have Different Genres
		7.1.5 Learning Is Linked to Some Writing Tasks
	7.2 The Myth Emerges
	7.3 Consequences of the Myth
		7.3.1 We Limit Bridges between Writing Worlds
		7.3.2 Workplace Writing Is a Sink or Swim Scenario
		7.3.3 College Curricula and Tests Are Limited
		7.3.4 Students Struggle to Transition between Worlds
		7.3.5 Students Who Do not Attend College Are at a Disadvantage
		7.3.6 We Believe College Is “Worth it at any Cost”
	7.4 Closer to the Truth
		7.4.1 Postsecondary Writing Is not Workplace Writing
		7.4.2 Workplace Writing and Speaking Matter
		7.4.3 Writing Is Context-specific
		7.4.4 Higher Education Can Change
		7.4.5 We Can Build Metacognitive Bridges
		7.4.6 Workplace and College Writing Are on a Writing Continuum
			7.4.6.1 Workplace Email Example
			7.4.6.2 Postsecondary Writing Example
Chapter Eight Myth 8 You Can’t Write That Because Internet: Or, New Technology Threatens Writing
	8.1 Context for the myth
		8.1.1 New Technology Comes with Old Concerns
		8.1.2 Correct writing Is Kept Separate from Informal Writing
	8.2 The Myth Emerges
	8.3 Consequences of the Myth
		8.3.1 We Keep Limiting Writing
		8.3.2 We Make Enemies of Informal and Correct Writing
		8.3.3 We Believe Only Correct Writing Is Controlled Writing
		8.3.4 We View Language Change and Diversity as Bad, rather than Inevitable and Positive
		8.3.5 We Tolerate (even more) Confusing References to Grammar
		8.3.6 We Limit our Responses to Artificial Intelligence
		8.3.7 We Limit Audiences and Learning
	8.4 Closer to the Truth
		8.4.1 Writing Is a Scapegoat (or, It’s Complicated)
		8.4.2 More Claims Are Proffered than Proven
		8.4.3 If it Surprises You, You Notice it More
		8.4.4 Correct Writing Is Expected to Be Formal and Is Disliked for Being Formal
		8.4.5 Informal Is not the Same as Careless
		8.4.6 The Ends of the Writing Continuum Are Fundamentally Similar
		8.4.7 The Ends of the Writing Continuum Use Similar Features, Differently
		8.4.8 Informal Digital Writing and Formal Academic Writing Are on a Continuum
			8.4.8.1 Social Media Writing: Examples 1 and 2
			8.4.8.2 Online News Articles: Examples 3 and 4
			8.4.8.3 Marketing Emails: Examples 5 and 6
			8.4.8.4 Academic Research Article: Example 7
Chapter Nine Conclusion: Writing Continuum, Language Exploration: Acknowledging the Myth Glasses
	9.1 Looking Through the Myth Glasses
		9.1.1 Myths Are What We Are up Against
		9.1.2 But We’ve Seen Alternatives
		9.1.3 We Don’t Have to Regulate First, and Explore Second
		9.1.4 All Grammatically Possible and Meaningful Writing Is Correct
	9.2 Taking Off the Myth Glasses
		9.2.1 We Can Use a Continuum Metaphor for Writing
		9.2.2 We Can Shift to Language Exploration Mode
	9.3 Concluding
Afterword
Notes
References
Index