Jeff Martin (enviroserv@videotron.ca)
Wed, 05 May 1999 08:47:28 -0400
Date: Wed, 05 May 1999 08:47:28 -0400 From: Jeff Martin <enviroserv@videotron.ca> Subject: RE: Another point in etiquette: proof-read yourself!
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> -----Original Message-----
> Sent: May 4, 1999 3:46 PM
>
> S. Ellison makes an effective point, as far as it goes, that is, on the
> surface, but I want to know the following: Is it really possible
> over time
> to divide oneself into two people in one's written expressions?
> That is, he
> or she writes in a sloppy, disorganized fashion when engaged in a listserv
> discussion, but then is able to shift into sublime erudition later, when
> working on a journal article. It seems to me that we have already
> witnessed a
> diminution in written quality of papers submitted to journals, and
> carte-blanche attitudes toward historic norms of written
> expression, in any
> venue, must have the result of further reducing quality of writing in all
> other venues. And I am not referring here simply to occasional typos!
>
> Lawrence Lipsitz
>
Having followed this thread with some amusement, I now find myself drawn to
throw caution to the wind and leap in... I think it was the labeling of the
material appearing in academic journals as "sublime erudition"!
During the past 8 to 10 months of lurking on this list, I have encountered
many more examples of "sublime erudition" here than I have from within the
pages of the academic press. With few exceptions, the academic literature
(past and present) suffers from painful levels of obfuscation and
self-aggrandizement.
I'm all for people reflecting on what they've written for a moment before
clicking on send, and making use of the tools, like spell-checkers, that are
now so readily available for cleaning up our writing, but let's not stifle
this conversation by trying to turn it into an academic journal.
Well, I think it's time to duck and run... Jeff
Jeff Martin, B.Sc., MLIS
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