Rick, you might talk to Amanda Goldrick-Jones, Director of the Centre for Academic Writing at U of Winnipeg. CAW works in several of the ways you describe in yoir query.
Cheers, Neil
>>> [log in to unmask] 01/14/02 11:36 AM >>>
Thank you all for your helpfulness. This is fun, too.
Yes, I love that grammar and glamour have the same origin--I think of the
connection as "spelling. And the various Latin spins are consistent with
the Greek _logos_ (which signifies logic or grammar or other such
structures, as in Burke's _GRAMMER of Motives_).
My immediate need obviously needs to be contextualized (a rhetorician
should have known that). This is not a significant problem conceptually
and one that can be solved in my teaching along the lines of Cathy
suggests. Taking "grammar" in its modern linguistic sense (i.e., as
syntax), what I need is a term to use when I am talking about writing to
other faculty members, who make no distinction between grammar and usage
(and even include punctuation and mechanics as "grammar"). So I was
looking for a standard term, one that would be clear to most people in our
field, for all this surface stuff. If no such term exists, that is
probably a sign of something significant.
My immediate context, I am reminded to stipulate by Theresa (because out of
context most anything is ambiguous), is that the chair of a Senate
Committee looking at reforming writing instruction at SFU. The are
considering writing-intensive courses in the disciplines; specialized
courses in the English Department called, "Writing in the Sciences,"
Writing in the Humanities, etc.; short non-credit "Grammar for Writers"
courses; a redesigned Writing Centre staffed by TAs, and so forth. So I am
looking for Canadian programs or parts of programs that the Senate
committee might want to look at as models.
At SFU, Linguistics and its Language Centre do ESL. We don't have the
expertise in English, so we deal with ESL as it comes up, but do not focus
on it.
Sorry I wasn't more specific in the first place.
Rick
Rick
At 08:51 AM 1/14/2002, you wrote:
>The word "grammar" itself has a lovely etymology and convoluted history.
>
> >From the OED: "ad. OF. gramaire (F. grammaire), an irregular
> semipopular adoption (for the form of which cf. OF. mire repr. L.
> medicum, artimaire repr. L. artem magicam or mathematicam) of L.
> grammatica, ad. Gr. (scil. art), fem. of adj., of or pertaining to
> letters or literature, f. letters, literature, pl. of letter, written
> mark, f. root of to write. Cf. Pr. gramaira (prob. from Fr.). Old Fr.
> had also a learned adoption of the L. word, gramatique, parallel with Sp.
> gramática, Pg., It. grammatica, G. grammatik, Welsh gramadeg.
>
>"In the Middle Ages, grammatica and its Rom. forms chiefly meant the
>knowledge or study of Latin, and were hence often used as synonymous with
>learning in general, the knowledge peculiar to the learned class. As this
>was popularly supposed to include magic and astrology, the OF. gramaire
>was sometimes used as a name for these occult sciences. In these
>applications it still survives in certain corrupt forms, F. grimoire, Eng.
>GLAMOUR.
>
>"Glamour: Originally Sc., introduced into the literary language by Scott.
>A corrupt form of
>GRAMMAR; for the sense cf. GRAMARYE (and F. grimoire), and for the form
>GLOMERY.] 1. Magic, enchantment, spell; esp. in the phrase to cast the
>glamour over one (see quot. 1721). 2. a. A magical or fictitious beauty
>attaching to any person or object; a delusive or alluring charm.
>
>So we have letters, literature, inscription, magic, and glamour all packed
>into this gorgeous word. I'd use it, Rick.
>
>Whatever grammar is, it's based on that which can (theoretically) be
>systematized and is (more or less) rule bound. It's useful, I think, to
>contrast grammar with that which cannot be systematized (e.g., syle).
>
> -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
> To leave the list, send a SIGNOFF CASLL command to
> [log in to unmask] or, if you experience difficulties,
> write to Russ Hunt at [log in to unmask]
>
> For the list archives and information about the organization,
>the annual conference, and publications, go to the Inkshed Web site at
> http://www.StThomasU.ca/inkshed/
> -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
To leave the list, send a SIGNOFF CASLL command to
[log in to unmask] or, if you experience difficulties,
write to Russ Hunt at [log in to unmask]
For the list archives and information about the organization,
the annual conference, and publications, go to the Inkshed Web site at
http://www.StThomasU.ca/inkshed/
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
To leave the list, send a SIGNOFF CASLL command to
[log in to unmask] or, if you experience difficulties,
write to Russ Hunt at [log in to unmask]
For the list archives and information about the organization,
the annual conference, and publications, go to the Inkshed Web site at
http://www.StThomasU.ca/inkshed/
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
