Alphabet to Email : How Written English Evolved and Where It's Heading Review

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Alphabet to Email : How Written English Evolved and Where It's Heading ReviewEvery communications technology has significantly affected the nature of human language. With the growing ubiquity of the Internet, this is an appropriate time to take a look at the effect of technological change on language and to see if historical patterns repeat themselves in the virtual world.
I am personally fascinated by languages. I'm amazed by the richness and variety of human communication, and by the constant change in vocabulary, grammar and style. In comparison to other languages, written English is pretty close to spoken English-even parts of this review uses language similar to what I might use in an intellectual conversation about a book on linguistics. Still, I thought that I'd give Baron a chance, and see what she had to say. I'm glad that I did.
This is not a book for academics. It is written for the educated and somewhat motivated layperson. With a glib style, and a keen awareness of the need to explain linguistic concepts to her readers, Baron's book is informative and enjoyable. According to the author, written English was once virtually identical to speech, serving as a record of spoken words. As needs changed, and technology permitted, language patterns in written English diverged significantly from spoken English. However, and perhaps motivated by the requirements and capabilities of new transportation and telecommunications technologies, written English has made a decisive retreat from the formal, and appears to be reconverging towards spoken language patterns.
She paints a dynamic picture of the historical ballet of written English. The give and take as the prescriptivists (think William Safire) and the descriptivists each have their day.Since the 1960s, American dictionaries have been largely descriptive, no longer trying to impose the ideals of their editors on the language, but instead trying to provide a written reference to actual usage (this is why contemporary dictionaries include profanities).
Not being a big fan of anything written before the late 19th century, I can easily accept that written language has become less formal. For me, Mark Twain was one of the earliest writers to use a style that doesn't feel horribly anachronistic. Interestingly enough, Twain was the first author to provide his publisher with a typewritten book manuscript. Baron makes a compelling case for the influence of technology, like the typewriter, on the English language. Again and again, the significance of new communications technologies is often completely misunderstood. Conservative social elements resist new technologies out of concern for their perceived negative effect on cultural values. Perhaps justifying this natural social backlash, once a communications technology becomes commonplace, it results in permanent changes on written and spoken language.
So what will be the effect of the Internet on our mother tongue? I wouldn't spoil a good story by leaking the ending, but I can tell you that her conclusions are well-reasoned and highly credible. If you are even mildly interested in language issues, communications, or the social effects of the Internet, then you will find this an enjoyable and informative text. If you are interested in further reading or research, you'll be pleased with the lengthy bibliography.Alphabet to Email : How Written English Evolved and Where It's Heading OverviewIn Alphabet to Email Naomi Baron takes us on a fascinating and often entertaining journey through the history of the English language, showing how technology - especially email - is gradually stripping language of its formality.Drawing together strands of thinking about writing, speech, pedagogy, technology, and globalization, Naomi Baron explores the ever-changing relationship between speech and writing and considers the implications of current language trends on the future of written English.Alphabet to Email will appeal to anyone who is curious about how the English language has changed over the centuries and where it might be going.

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The Psychology of Creative Writing Review

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The Psychology of Creative Writing ReviewFirst, this book isn't really for the average reader -- it's definitely an academic book, with emphasis on not just literature reviews but original studies performed by the authors of various chapters. For the academic reader, however, the book covers ground you're going to have trouble finding journal articles on in PsycINFO. I nearly gave the book five stars for covering ground so rarely covered, but while some chapters are five-star material, the book as a whole isn't strong enough to warrant such a high rating.
I'm thrilled with things like the breakdown of different types of blocked writers (perhaps it's not the block that's the problem, but the writer who has issues), the exploration of great manuscripts as collaborative projects (read: projects to which crit partners have contributed ideas and even prose), and the variety of theories on the creative process. Having read Susan Perry's book Writing in Flow: Keys to Enhanced Creativity, I liked that there is a chapter from her that compresses the findings of that book into a briefer space.
Other chapters are weaker -- I had trouble with the chapter that suggested that physiognomy is valid; and despite my appreciation for evolutionary psychology, the chapter arguing that creative writing may be an adaptive process was weak. I also got a bit of a chuckle at the irony of a chapter that states that phrases like "plodding sluggishly" and "sauntering languidly" are good, evocative terms for writers to use when in fact they're weak writing (use strong verbs! avoid adverbs!). Even those with some expertise on writers may not be masters of the art themselves, it seems.
For those who are interested in digging into the research behind creative writing and creative writers, this is a worthwhile read -- especially for those who have already exhausted/are already familiar with the famous creativity research of authors like Kay Redfield Jamison (Touched with Fire: Manic-Depressive Illness and the Artistic Temperament), Nancy Andreason (The Creative Brain: The Science of Genius), and Mihalyi Csikszentmihalyi (multiple books on the topic of Flow) and want to go farther.The Psychology of Creative Writing OverviewThe Psychology of Creative Writing takes a scholarly, psychological look at multiple aspects of creative writing, including the creative writer as a person, the text itself, the creative process, the writer's development, the link between creative writing and mental illness, the personality traits of comedy and screen writers, and how to teach creative writing. This book will appeal to psychologists interested in creativity, writers who want to understand more about the magic behind their talents, and educated laypeople who enjoy reading, writing, or both. From scholars to bloggers to artists, The Psychology of Creative Writing has something for everyone.

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