On Writtenness

Reviews / Votes

Written language has long been an orphan in the study of language. Joan Turner, a uniquely qualified voice in this field, shows how detailed attention to it raises fundamental theoretical issues, of consequence for the entire field of language, culture and society. This elegant and compelling text is sure to raise major, and long overdue, crossdisciplinary debates - a rare achievement. -- Jan Blommaert, Professor of Language, Culture and Globalization and Director of the Babylon Center at Tilburg University, the Netherlands In this timely work Joan Turner interrogates the concept of 'writtenness' in its philosophical, historical and sociological contexts ranging from John Locke to Pierre Bourdieu. Not since the textual dichotomy between form and content was opened up and critiqued by Barthes and Derrida has the idea achieved so much scrutiny. Turner successfully demonstrates the highly political implications of this ideological complex within contemporary higher education -- Chris Jenks, Professor of Linguistics and former Vice-Chancellor, Brunel University, UK. I have enormous regard for the originality of Turner's argument around "writtenness" and the wide-ranging historical, philosophical, theoretical, rhetorical, and pedagogical resources she brings to bear on her examination of this key term. As a practitioner, she reveals a keen understanding of the implications for student writers from differing lingua-cultural backgrounds who may not have had access to the conventions required to produce a "smooth read" and for tutors whose intellectual work is minimized by demands for "proofreading" and "pristine" prose. Turner's book should be a must-read for scholars seeking to understand the complex causes and layers of our expectations for "good writing" and the "virtuous rightness" it has come to embody over the centuries. Her argument-that we must replace our expectations for a smooth read with a more open interpretive stance, even though that may mean coping with a "rougher ride"-will resonate with scholar-teachers engaged in translingual work. -- Terry Myers Zawacki, Emerita Professor of English and Emerita Director Writing Across the Curriculum, George Mason University, USA