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Yep, linguists love to communicate (because they have so many more options available to them).
And in a group such as this, thinking about finding a soulmate is not a high priority item — top priority goes to concentrating on getting to the bathroom in time, and deciding what to eat tomorrow that might make the threat of having to do the bathroom boogie a low priority item.
Actually, I though that monoglot might be an original word, but when I looked it up, I found that it was already in use.
Love,
Tex
It is suspected that some of the hardest material known to science can be found in the skulls of GI specialists who insist that diet has nothing to do with the treatment of microscopic colitis.
And in a group such as this, thinking about finding a soulmate is not a high priority item — top priority goes to concentrating on getting to the bathroom in time, and deciding what to eat tomorrow that might make the threat of having to do the bathroom boogie a low priority item.
Congrats on thinking about monoglot! It actually does exist. Uniglot on the other hand doesn't exist..but why do we need another word to describe the same thing? One thing that you learn in j-school is that you shouldn't take three words to describe something if you can do it in two ;-)
Jean---thanks for that. Interesting...mentioned some of the stuff I said in my post about languages.
Love,
Monique
Diagnosed 2011 with LC. Currently on Low Dose Naltrexone (LDN)
Monique wrote:One thing that you learn in j-school is that you shouldn't take three words to describe something if you can do it in two ;-)
Well, see, that sums up my problem — the only writing course that I can recall taking was about scientific writing, and I don't recall the instructor mentioning anything about rationing words.
Love,
Tex
It is suspected that some of the hardest material known to science can be found in the skulls of GI specialists who insist that diet has nothing to do with the treatment of microscopic colitis.
Have you ever read any scientific paper without snoozing half way through it? (They all had the same instructor you had) Well, now you know why...they go on and go and on ad nauseam and ad infinitum . It's called self-editing
Love,
Monique
Diagnosed 2011 with LC. Currently on Low Dose Naltrexone (LDN)
I've written a few research papers in my life. The first time I tried my hand at it I learned that there is a formula you use. All very orderly and precise but nothing that gets the creative juices flowing, just a march from hypothesis, to evidence to conclusion Each individual paragraph reads like that and the paper as a whole reads like that. You can get the gist of the argument by reading the first and last sentence of each paragraph. I have however read some non-fiction books by scientists that are very compelling but the audience for these books is very different than the audience for scientific papers. Oliver Sacks comes to mind but there are others. Different strokes for different folks.
Monique wrote:Have you ever read any scientific paper without snoozing half way through it?
That's part of the reason why it took me over 2 years to write the book. I felt obligated to include a bunch of medical references, and so I kept falling asleep.
Love,
Tex
It is suspected that some of the hardest material known to science can be found in the skulls of GI specialists who insist that diet has nothing to do with the treatment of microscopic colitis.
You're so right, and I'm sure that has corrupted my writing ability, because I sometimes find myself trying to emulate that style without even realizing it.
There's no way that I could ever write a novel.
Tex
It is suspected that some of the hardest material known to science can be found in the skulls of GI specialists who insist that diet has nothing to do with the treatment of microscopic colitis.
Monique, linguists actually make great husbands. I know--I'm married to one.
And yes, I do come from a family of missionaries. My parents had intended to go to Burma in 1941, but were delayed by WWII. They sailed to India in 1946 on an empty troop transport, which was going to India to pick up returning troops. My mom tells of how scary it was to sail with their 11-month-old son on a ship that had only 18-inch railings around the deck. And they didn't have staterooms; all the women and children were in one big room, and all the men were in another big room. I think most of the passengers were missionaries. From India they drove overland into Burma in a truck. Mom got to sit on board because there weren't any seats except for the driver.
Writing in different genre does require different styles. I took a class in writing linguistics papers, and was surprised when the teacher said, "You present your data, and when you're done, you stop. Don't write a conclusion summarizing everything."
Scientific writing is boring because the people who write it are usually scientists who know the topic but have never learned the essence of good writing (I am talking in general, here) and who could benefit from courses in creative writing or short story writing or feature writing, which is what journalists do. You mentioned Olive Sacks. He is as good as he is because he DOESN'T write like a scientist. He uses the techniques of good story-telling to tell his stories. He weaves a compelling story, anecdotal sometimes and draws you in with the story, not the science behind it. He writes for a wide audience who doesn't necessarily want to drown in science-speak.
But, as you said, different strokes for different folks. If you write for scientists then for sure you should not dumb-down the copy. A writer should always take in consideration his audience, and that's rule number one.
Martha,
Thanks for sharing your story! Great story! What languages does your husband have in his portfolio and how does he use his linguistic knowledge?
Love,
Monique
Diagnosed 2011 with LC. Currently on Low Dose Naltrexone (LDN)
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