This is the summary of the interview Laurie Schweinle and i conducted with Dr. Tribbey on the fifth of September:
On “literal meaning and it's 'decline'”:
“We can’t have science without literal meaning. But when has there ever been literal meaning in literature?” We have to be more open minded about meaning, especially when dealing with the Humanities such as philosophy and history. According to Dr. Tribbey, “Humans do not live in a world of Literal Meaning”
The reason for no literal meaning: values. Humans live with structures of values and different people have different values.
On “this trend and the declining interest in grammar instruction”
Dr. Tribbey moves away from Grammar A in his work, preferring the radical Grammar B for creative purposes. He sees grammar as “culturally coded” and prefers to deny the assumptions of grammar. In Western culture, grammar is “I” centered. In science, there is a movement away from the autonomous self. But grammar still assumes the autonomous self.
Dr. Tribbey paraphrases Joe Amato, the writer of Industrial Poetics. What we think of as “self” is a product of history and cultures not an “individual self”. Tribbey qualifies with the need of an “individual self” because “it would be a spooky world without ‘individual self”. Also, Grammar B may trigger creativity but Grammar A “gets you a job.”
In conclusion:
Dr. Tribbey confesses he is not a “grammar cop” when it comes to teaching but regular grammar is really about social advancement.
“We can’t have science without literal meaning. But when has there ever been literal meaning in literature?” We have to be more open minded about meaning, especially when dealing with the Humanities such as philosophy and history. According to Dr. Tribbey, “Humans do not live in a world of Literal Meaning”
The reason for no literal meaning: values. Humans live with structures of values and different people have different values.
On “this trend and the declining interest in grammar instruction”
Dr. Tribbey moves away from Grammar A in his work, preferring the radical Grammar B for creative purposes. He sees grammar as “culturally coded” and prefers to deny the assumptions of grammar. In Western culture, grammar is “I” centered. In science, there is a movement away from the autonomous self. But grammar still assumes the autonomous self.
Dr. Tribbey paraphrases Joe Amato, the writer of Industrial Poetics. What we think of as “self” is a product of history and cultures not an “individual self”. Tribbey qualifies with the need of an “individual self” because “it would be a spooky world without ‘individual self”. Also, Grammar B may trigger creativity but Grammar A “gets you a job.”
In conclusion:
Dr. Tribbey confesses he is not a “grammar cop” when it comes to teaching but regular grammar is really about social advancement.
8 comments:
I don't know what "Grammar A" and "Grammar B" means. Did Dr. Tribbey explain this to you? Could you explain it here?
Oh no, not Grammar B again. Maybe you could make your next post in Grammar B to make it interesting.
Yay for Grammar B!!!! No one really knows what it means :)
The reason he isn't a grammar cop is this:
Students don't get to college writing sentences like this:
Same done did eat my hamburger and them french fries.
You can blame our knowledge of grammar by the time we hit college on an innate understanding, or the fact that we are throat deep in it since birth. Either way, we learn it before we get here.
I'm sure if a professor ran into a student with grammar so bad you can't understand what they are expressing - they'd be a grammar cop for that person at least.
I agree with his ideas about grammar though. We really shouldn't be too literal with what we read when the goal of the writer was to express so that we could interpret it. However, you should take each word individually as literal. Just not an entire collective piece.
I agree that it is about social advancement. Hadn't thought of it that way until I read that.
I think I agree with your summary of Dr. Tribbey. Science dealing in absolute and specific rules is nothing but literal meaning and it is a necessity. However, grammar can be over stressed and can hold back communication if frivlous unnecessary rules are enforced.
Yay for Tribbey! I seem to have gotten along just fine with only a few grammar cops in school.
I haven't had Dr. Tribbey and I don't think I get what he's saying.
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