Hi:
My thanks to Thomas Lunde, Brad McCormick and Ray Harrell for commenting
on my post.
One important point that I didn't spell out - and which most people
realize - concerns the absolute necessity of the written word for complex
subjects. Without the ability to review, word-for-word, as needed, most
non-fiction would be incomprehensible. I can't imagine anyone listening
to audio tapes of Descartes, Advanced Algebra or Against Economics - or
any of a hundred thousand other books and papers - and understanding
them.
A second point that I think needs emphasis, is that in a world where
reading literacy is not universal and where the media is literally owned
by a few with their own agenda, we would find it very difficult to
convince anyone but each other of our convictions. To do so, we would
have to revert to a time a century and more ago when the "workers of the
world" were almost convinced to unite primarily by the oratory of their
leaders. This was augmented by night schools, lecture series,
pamphleteering and rallies. At that time the laboring class had a greater
interest in their own welfare and destiny than they have today. I fear
that if reading and writing literacy should go down the TV drain, we
would all need Ray Harrell's coaching to reach out to the world :-) .
Ray Harrell concluded his post with the following statement: "Without a
serious grammar that is more inclusive English writing is a poor
substitute for sound." I'm not sure of the relationship here and,
perhaps, Ray could expand upon it. Writing is a poor substitute for
sound - until one becomes a consummate reader and a multimedia world
explodes inside your head - but this is for fiction, drama and poetry
only, not for complex material.
There is a problem and several people reading the same passage can come
to different conclusions, but this has mainly to do with abstract nouns
and their definition which, too often, differs from person to person. I
don't see where either oral emphasis or a more inclusive grammar will
help.
Robert
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