Update note on the lingustics talk

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Gabriel Arazas 2021-04-07 17:35:05 +08:00
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#+author: "Gabriel Arazas"
#+email: "foo.dogsquared@gmail.com"
#+date: "2020-11-14 22:07:13 +08:00"
#+date_modified: "2020-11-15 03:17:44 +08:00"
#+date_modified: "2021-04-07 16:34:17 +08:00"
#+language: en
#+options: toc:t
#+property: header-args :exports both
#+tags: media.talk writing
- talk :: [[https://youtu.be/OV5J6BfToSw][Linguistics, style, and writing in the 21st century]]
- source :: [[https://youtu.be/OV5J6BfToSw][Linguistics, style, and writing in the 21st century]]
- author :: Steven Pinker
# TODO: Give examples to several of the sections here.
@ -34,7 +35,7 @@ Others have concluded it might be due to writing being an unnatural act like bak
Since writing is an unnatural act, we can make use of science to investigate what makes good writing.
One of the starting points of good writing is a good model of communication.
One of the more popular model is the *classic style*.
One of the more popular model is the [[file:2021-04-07-15-09-24.org][Classic prose]].
- View the writing as the window of the world.
- Reader and writer as equals.
@ -48,7 +49,7 @@ One of the more popular model is the *classic style*.
Because it gives reader credit, it implies coordination between the reader and the writer.
Just like how you would intepret in a conversation, hearing "The students in this school are getting dumber." equates to the most students seem to be getting dumber.
It knows that the reader can read between the lines since they most likely read to know how the writer did about the subject.
It knows that the reader can read between the lines since they read to know how the writer will do about the subject.
Classic prose should serve the following goals:

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#+title: Classic prose
#+author: "Gabriel Arazas"
#+email: "foo.dogsquared@gmail.com"
#+date: "2021-04-07 15:09:24 +08:00"
#+date_modified: "2021-04-07 16:33:04 +08:00"
#+language: en
#+options: toc:t
#+property: header-args :exports both
#+tags: writing
Classic prose is a model of communication with the philosophy of using prose as a window onto the writer's world.
In order to make this model effective, the writer has to keep the guidelines in mind:
- The reader and writer are equals.
- Only shows the objective reality.
- Conversational.
- Focus on the subject, not the process of studying it.
This model of communication encourages a reader-centric focus on writing without looking down on them.
For example, with the saying "The people of America are getting fatter.", we both know means that the average of the population of America are getting fatter, not every single one of them.
Just like in a casual conversation, the reader has a rough idea of what they're reading.
They are reading to see what the writer has to do something about the subject.
The guideline of keeping it as objective as possible makes
Consequently, this reduces the fluff that you often see in academic writings or legal documents such as:
- Apologizing (e.g., "...as the theory of multiverses is not yet proven as of the time of this writing, more research is required on how we define superheroes").
- Philosophical non-sequiturs (e.g., "In order to create a deviled egg, first we need to ask is cooking.").
- Hedging (e.g., probably, somewhat, all I know is, I'm not an expert but).
- Metaconcepts (e.g., perspective, approaches).
- Clichés (e.g., walk in a park, knock peoples' socks off).
- Thingification of verbs and adjectives (e.g., "make an appearance" instead of "appear", "bringing doom" instead of "destroy").
- Scare quotes (e.g., "so-called", "in-the-know").