INTEND WRITING?-2

 

INTEND WRITING?-2

Leaving aside the prospects of stiff resistance to true freedom in writing, one may consider key aspects that enhance the writer’s profile for quality.

Quality generally has two dimensions –content and expression. Curiously, it is expression that portrays content for its innate message –no matter what the theme stands for. If so, a writer is obliged to be well organized in terms of vocabulary and in selection of apt terms that do not permit scope of interpretation. Yes, the message ought to be perceived alike by the writer and the reader.

It is a culture in Science writing to abide by precision and brevity.  Such ‘crystalized’ gist is named “Abstract’ and presented as the opening of the article/ write-up. Though termed ‘abstract’ the content is clear about the information presented and at best the status of ‘abstract’ if any could be regarding the data and methodology pursued.

Let us understand the genuine purpose of any writing.

1 The write-up has to be contemporary in content and relevance.

2 The information presented, must reveal authenticity from the research behind

3 The message need not be skewed [no leaning to left or right] and be acceptable to protagonists / antagonists by the sheer truth there in. Yet, strenuous attempts to malign the author or the views of the person do crop up as a damage control effort for defending a standpoint.. It is here that ‘freelance writing’ takes a beating for honesty.         

4 Obviously facing hardships of the like presented above is a part of writers’ routine.

Using select terms [best-fit ones] confers a status of maturity on to the writer. As such, our languages are rich enough to promote clear perception of an idea or a happening.

However, a diverse nation as ours is conditioned by styles of usage impelled by regional practices. A case in point is the use of “only” to specify a conditional demand. In southern India, use of “only” is meant as a term of exclusivity. The same term as used in several parts of northern India may suggest a slightly different idea.

South Indian version

You only meet him = make your meeting with him –one to one [do not involve another person in the meeting].

Northern version

You only meet him = Your requirement can be attended to by him [the official indicated]

Such vagaries bring in some degree of ambiguity and it dampens the recipient’s perception as it fails to be convincing for the real implication of the usage.  Such ‘disturbing’ states of mind can be avoided if every user choses to abide by what the natives of the language prefer. However, there are two schools –The British and The American. Though the two are alike, they are not identical.

For instance: The representatives met the President [Brit]

The representatives met with the President [Amer]

We have been trained to use “met with” for unforeseen happening as in –‘he me with an accident’.

There are terms –regard to and regards to

As per British tradition “Regard to” is to mean ‘in connection with as in “The proposal with regard to new construction awaits clearance from environment ministry.

Americans seem to prefer “with regards to “

While regard to = relating to /in connection with

Regards to= expression of warmth /affection. in British tradition. Several English news channels in India adopt American usages though their basic approach is in British form

So, one has to strictly adopt any one language culture,  scrupulously avoiding indiscriminate application of different patterns-British/American /Any other.