I attended the second annual Finnish Conference of Writing Research, held this year at the University of Jyväskylä. The theme was change and transformation in writing. What kind of ideas did I pick up in the two days of talks?
Anne Mäntysen‘s speech made us think about one-on-one interactions between teachers and students, such as critiquing work. Research suggests that in Finland tutoring sessions are more hierarchical and one-sided than in Sweden.
Niina Hynninen discussed how the text in one English-language scientific article took shape. The authors negotiated about the acceptability of language and not simply its correctness. For example, writers often do not want specifically British usage for an article directed at an international audience.
The broad meaning of language was emphasized by Ulla Tiililä: for example, government becomes concrete through its use of language. It is interesting to analyze whose voice comes through in written decisions affecting the public: the government expert’s, or the citizen’s?
Sonja Kniivilä spoke about voices in scientific writing. According to her, research may have three voices: that of the field in general, that of the sources, and that of the author. As part of instruction for writing, the ability to recognize voices is crucial. For that reason Kniivilä has her students mark different voices in text with different colors.
In the closing speech, Minna-Riitta Luukka illustrated the multidimensionality of writing and language skills. Writing research has expanded from individuals to community, from learning to socialization, and from general knowledge to situational skills. Language, and the text it appears in, are related to everything in society, so we need to deepen our linguistic awareness.