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"Correct English" Magazine and the "Science" of Language Study

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  • Title:
    "Correct English" Magazine and the "Science" of Language Study
  • Author: Gould, Christopher
  • Subjects: Baker (Josephine Turck) ; Correct English Magazine ; English Instruction ; Language Research ; Language Usage ; Linguistic Theory ; Literacy ; Scholarly Journals ; Vocabulary Development ; Writing (Composition)
  • Description: "Correct English," published continuously between 1899 and 1950, was dedicated to the preservation of "proper" English usage. Josephine Turck Baker, editor and founder, understood that conventions of grammar arose from usage. It was her opinion that correctness was determined by clarity, not by the rules of Latin syntax. Thus, "correct" usage was defined as the careful selection of words that accurately communicated a thought or idea. Among the consequences of this instrumental view of language were (1) a preoccupation with vocabulary acquisition; (2) encouragement of students to "think first, then write" (an injunction central to the theory now known as Current-Traditional rhetoric); and (3) reduction of written composition to a purely mental exercise, with the teacher's role becoming one of exhortation in abstract principles. Baker was also convinced that literature should be taught only after students had mastered grammar and spelling, since literature was art, which she defined as the mastery of abstract rules. "Correct English" ceased publication when its editorial staff and writers became confident that universal literacy could be achieved through progressive educational policies and technology. The notion of language as an instrument or "tool of communication" has endured, even in university English departments. (AEW)
  • Creation Date: 1987
  • Format: 11
  • Language: English
  • Source: ERIC Full Text Only (Discovery)
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