Interveiw

Elise Megale
Group 5

I am a Spanish major. In my interview with Loren Chavarría of the Spanish department, I asked her how important grammar was in Spanish. Although my question was very broad, Chavarría had a lot of interesting things to say. Our conversation was so long, and we covered so many things, I have tried to condense it here for you. It was more a discussion about the world, culture, prejudice and language then how grammar could affect my future career.
We began by talking about grammar in a university setting. With her students studying Spanish as a second language, Chavarría doesn’t consider “perfect” grammar as important when they are first learning. She talked about two types of language students that she usually has. The first group retains grammar very well, but usually don’t try to speak much for fear of making a mistake, although the little they do speak may be grammatically more advanced then the second type of student. These other students will jump into speaking, and try to communicate their ideas above all. She believes, the best way for the second type of student to learn the correct grammar is to speak read and listen to native speakers.
We then began to talk about who determines what “good” grammar is for a culture. Those in power determine correct grammar, those with money. In the United States, this has been the white European-Americans. Chavarría told me of the first time she saw Condoleezza Rice on the television. “I was so surprised! Here was this African American woman! I had assumed by how she spoke that she was white. Why didn’t she speak like an African American? Why was that dialect not acceptable?” Those people that speak “Spanglish”, or with an African American dialect, usually come from a lower socioeconomic level. She thought it was a pity that all over the Americas, north and south, indigenous people have been forced (with violence many times) to abandon their languages, their dialect, and culture, to adopt that of the colonizer. Our languages reflect our culture. We ended by discussing how the mixing and changing of languages and grammar is inevitable, a force that has not been stopped before historically.
Overall, my conversation with professor Chavarría was very enlightening and thought provoking.

Language and Grammar in Zoology

I am majoring in Zoology, and would like to work in a zoo with big cats. Since there weren’t any professors I could think of that do anything like that, I chose to interview one of my professors, Dr. T, because I thought it likely she had done research and published articles in scholarly journals. To begin with, T said that a persons writing will have a large impact on their likelihood to succeed within a zoology career. Writing reflects upon who a person is, and will have an impact on their credibility. T went on to say that if an individual lacks credibility in their writing, readers will take them to be of less importance when compared to other scholarly writers. In Zoology research, said T, it is extremely important to have a formal writing style, because the publishers of journals and magazines require it. For students, correctness in writing depends on the context of the situation. Writing an essay is going to be more formal than answering short questions on an exam. It impresses T the most when students can both use good grammar and express themselves to their fullest extent, even when it is not required.

Interview on Grammar in the Major

I am not majoring in something at OSU, but instead I am just taking the pre-requisites for nursing school. Since there is no nursing major at OSU, I interviewed a person (G) that used to work as a nurse, still works in the medical field, and teaches part time at OSU. G said that the way a person writes can great affect their impact on the reader. A person’s writing creates a “visual picture” in the reader’s mind about what the person is like. He says that a person’s writing is a reflection of who they are. For example, if you don’t write well, people who read your writing might think that you are not competent enough for the job, or smart enough, or just that you are lazy and unprofessional.

G specifically emphasized the importance of clarity and efficiency in writing in the nursing profession. Clear communication in general is extremely important between the nurse, the patient, and the doctor. Often times the communication is writing, which contains some kind of important information on the patient’s condition, and directions on caring for the condition. These documents of each case are extremely important in order for the patient to be cared for properly and to protect the professionals in any kind of legal dispute. G also mentioned the importance of the ability to read and write using medical jargon, as this is used a lot in notes on patients’ charts.

Interview Response

The Professor I interviewed, Dr. C. of the English Department, definitely believes that the way a person writes affects the influence and impact that he/she has in the realm of English. Dr. C. emphasized that when applying for positions and programs, graduate schools specifically, the required writing sample and letter of documentation is your first impression, the first that the place of interest sees of you. Ultimately, you are selling yourself to them through your writing. Thus, the importance of correctness in writing is huge for anyone involved in the field of English, literature, and creative writing. There is definitely pressure put on the professor to be flawless in their grammar and writing ability, though of course no one is perfect. In return, it is expected of the students to convey excellent grammar usage and to be as clear, original, and grammatically correct as possible in their own writing. Dr. C. expressed the most desirable writing styles to be clarity and sophistication, to have the ability to convey one’s ideas and arguments thoroughly and expertly.

The subject of student writing dominated much of the discussion. As a professor, student writing embodies much of what a professor sees on a daily basis. What impresses Dr. C. the most in student writing is: well-thought ideas, original ideas, critical work (finding and discussing a variety of literary criticism), and again, clarity and sophistication. She also stressed organization, the ability to arrange sentences, and the ability to change subjects gracefully and fluidly, as being important aspects. Dr. C. expressed the opinion that some people are simply more intuitive writers than others and that, while one can cheat in regards to writing, one cannot ever fake it. A few things that Dr. C. finds unattractive in student writing is when students are obviously writing over their heads and when the writing is sloppy and hastily thrown together (proof that they haven’t really been paying any attention). More than once during the interview, Dr. C. expressed the importance of reading, and emphasized her belief that reading is perhaps the best way a person can improve their grammar and writing skills.

Grammar in the Major Interview

According to Dr. A., Sociology, grammar is important in Sociology because it is used to convey ideas with a minimum of confusion. Proper grammar maximizes one’s clarity of thought. One of the most widely used methods of impacting the field of Sociology is through publication. This can include textbooks, in-depth studies, and journal articles. Dr. A. pointed out that while a student of Sociology is writing, it is essential that they be able to recognize potential criticisms, such as improper grammar. In short, “No matter how good your ideas are, if your written work is loaded with grammar problems, it undermines your ability to persuade your audience,” said Dr. A.