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| Welcome to Writing Lab |
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HOW TO PARAPHRASE
Using the following source or one your professor chooses, write a paragraph that paraphrases the source; then construct an entry for the list of Works Cited. This passage is the opening paragraph (p. 104) of Charles Bazerman's essay "Linguistic and Rhetorical Studies of Disciplinary Language." This essay is one among many collected in Bazerman's book Constructing Experience, published in 1994 by Southern Illinois University Press in Carbondale, IL.
Here Bazerman introduces the idea that different disciplines, such as history, chemistry, and English, use language differently. He suggests that focusing attention on these differences can help scholars communicate better:
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Linguistic and rhetorical studies of disciplinary language begin, but do not end, with the observation that the primary product of most disciplines, and a secondary product of all, are published texts, which are taken to constitute the knowledge of the disciplines. Thus, study of the language and rhetorical action of these texts helps us understand both the process and product of disciplinary work. Identifying differing patterns of language production, use, and form among various disciplines, as well, helps us understand the differences of activity and accomplishment among the disciplines. Several practical considerations further support the general reflexive curiosity about the language: if we understand more about the kinds of language used in disciplines and how those languages are used, we can use those languages more effectively as individuals and as members of disciplinary groups, we can prepare students better to communicate within their fields, and we can provide guidance for editors and other infl
uentials in shaping the communication system. Finally, by demystifying the apparently arcane character of discourse within various disciplines, we provide more access to that discourse for nonspecialist or people trained in other specialist languages.
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