Assignment 1

1. Define the term "style" in the context of (academic) writing.

Style is an aspect of writing that is adapted in accordance to the subject matter, the purpose of the writing and the specific academic field it falls under.

In, for example, natural sciences the preferred style is highly formal, accurate and strictly adherent to established conventions and terminology, because the pursuit is generally that of truth and (scientific) facts. It is important that the content be presented in such a way as to make it compatible and easily integrated with the existing body of scientific knowledge. Idiosyncrasies in writing are therefore avoided in favor of explicit, accurate and transparent language.

In other areas of the style spectrum one can find the appropriate register for writing in more “free” disciplines. When the approaches are more speculative, subjective and discussion-orientated the style can shift accordingly, leaving a variably larger amount of stylistic choices to the writer's discretion. When one pursues discussion and the contribution of new interpretations and ideas, rather than absolute truths, it is also important to make one's propositions tentative through the language employed, to emphasize that the subject is indeed open for further discussion.

2. Find a piece of formal writing and a piece of informal writing, compare the two and list a few distinguishing features indicating to you which is which. Include an excerpt of each text in your blog.

FORMAL WRITING

For monetary theory was still languishing in the Ricardian mold. Whereas general "micro" theory was founded in analysis of individual action, and constructed market phenomena from these building blocks of individual choice, monetary theory was still "holistic," dealing in aggregates far removed from real choice. Hence, the total separation of the micro and macro spheres. While all other economic phenomena were explained as emerging from individual action, the supply of money was taken as a given external to the market, and supply was thought to impinge mechanistically on an abstraction called "the price level." Gone was the analysis of individual choice that illuminated the "micro" area. The two spheres were analyzed totally separately, and on very different foundations. This book performed the mighty feat of integrating monetary with micro theory, of building monetary theory upon the individualistic foundations of general economic analysis.

Murray N. Rothbard, Foreword to The Theory of Money and Credit

The language in this piece of writing is formal. It is free from non-standardisms and colloquial expressions. It is fairly rich in terminology pertaining to economic thought and it possesses the clarity and coherence that are necessary for this type of analytical and explanatory recounting of historical developments. It obviously also consists of proper grammatical constructions throughout.

INFORMAL WRITING

hey everyone

ok so in April the other band.. that i got together to do the eraser and other stuff u know .. Mauro, Flea, Me, Joey and Nigel is going back out to do some shows in the US.. ending with playing with Coachella. we had too much fun to just leave it there...

it has been decided that we call ourselves Atoms For Peace. hope you like the name.. it seemed bleedin' obvious.

Thom, dead air space / radiohead.com

Highly informal. Non-standard capitalization and use of punctuation. Informal word choices (“got together”, “stuff”, the intensifier “bleedin' “), spelling (“u know”, “bleedin' ”). Ungrammatical sentences that reflect informal spoken language.

3. Write two very short texts (5-10 sentences) on the same topic, using formal language in one piece and informal language in the other. Pick a simple topic - the focus is on the language.

INFORMAL

It seems everyone likes The Beatles, but I don't think they were THAT good. Sure, I like some of their stuff. When they went all hippie they made some more “out there” music that was really groundbreaking. Like, Sgt. Pepper was the first concept album. But I don't really like the early stuff, and it doesn't get any better just because they're famous or important or whatever. I know it's different for older people who grew up with them, but if you ask me they're a bit overrated, really.

FORMAL

Coinciding with certain cultural developments such as the hippie movement, a string of albums were crafted at the Abbey Road Studios on which the quartet displayed a new-found penchant for experimentation and an artistic vision more ambitious in scope than ever before. The Beatles played a pivotal role in establishing the idea of the concept album and they undeniably influenced the burgeoning progressive rock scene. In the assessment of the merits of their entire recorded output one should however try not to be blinded by their fame or their status as a cultural icon.