James Britton introduced a discourse system in composition and academia that classified the use of language into three categories: expressive, transactional, and poetic. The contribution to research and literature has been monumental in bringing some much-needed order and precise definition of terms. The descriptions are tailored to suit the nature of the task and demands made upon the writer that also illuminate the writing process itself.
Transactional Writing
This form of writing is also known for its informational language. The purpose of this style of writing is to relay information or ideas and deals with facts, views, or opinions that relate to the real world (Durst, 2015). This style of writing aims at advising, informing, persuading, or expressing displeasure in the form of complaints to the audience. There are different types of transactional writing, which tend to grow more abstract as the body of work moves from facts on the record to theory. The language used is relative to the recipient and the message being relayed, and may be formal or informal.
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Transactional writing has been applied to a wide range of uses mainly but not limited to cases where some degree of formality or structure is anticipated. Some types of documents that apply informational writing are letters, emails, blogs, speeches, articles, reviews, and reports with target audiences ranging from students to working-class individuals (Durst, 2015). The structure of transactional writing is user-oriented and tailored for the recipient of the information. This is evident in the documentation mentioned and the individual tones and formats of each; it has been said that the language is for the audience.
Assignment Model
An example of this type of assignment would be to write a magazine article explaining the benefits of adopting a healthy lifestyle. The piece would be passing on information to the reader and would include certain details to be deemed satisfactory. This would include the importance of exercise, sustainable healthy habits, including dietary changes and perhaps case studies on people who applied these changes and the results. The article should use the correct tone and employ the necessary degree of sophistication to the language. In this case, health and lifestyle, as well as nutritional jargon and research, backed statistics should be used.
Expressive Writing
Expressive writing employs personal undertones in the language when relaying messages. The function of this language is close to self, unstructured, and assumes a shared context between the reader and the writer (Nordquist, 2019). The focus is on the identity of the speaker and their intended communication, and thus the demands for the conventional representation of experiences are minimal. It begins more with a subjective stance and slowly progresses to a more objective feel, making it a suitable too for learners. It often incorporates personal and intimate use of language; the writer is, in a sense-making us privy to their internal state.
The target audience in this instance is at the discretion of the writer, given that the purpose of the article is to communicate their emotions or experiences. The most recognized use is perhaps to gain admission into a higher education institution, scholarship application, or simply as a personal therapeutic self-expression technique. The tone and language used to draw the reader into the story, making them relate with the writer at a personal level. This type of writing is especially efficient in invoking emotion from the reader and justifies some of the mentioned uses. However, it is necessary to maintain a healthy balance in the tone; extreme applications may not garner the expected result.
Assignment Model
Expressive discourse has gained emphasis over previous years with experts sometimes expressing concern at the influence it has. Educators, however, see discourse writing as the pre-emptive point from which all writing stems. They hope that learners will first learn how to adequately express themselves before familiarizing themselves with and finally transiting to other forms of writing as they mature (Freisinger, nd). Expressive discourse can also be elevated to a persuasive or referential role. Beyond just expressing the self, it is used to connect with the audience in order to skewer their perception towards a particular direction. The writer expresses their opinion on certain views with the hope of eventually influencing the reader.
An example of this type of assignment would be an essay to describe an event that led you to have a life-changing revelation. This essay would require a captivating and personal experience from the writer, communicated in similar language. The piece should include what the event was, what the circumstances leading to where, and what the aftermath was. Furthermore, there must be clear communication on why the occurrence was so significant that it led to shifting revelations as well as what those revelations were. There should be a sense of natural progression in the article, the cause-and-effect actions of the events and subsequent changes respectively should be clear to the reader.
Poetic Writing
The functional element of this writing style is imaginative and contains standard literary genres such as fiction drama, and poetry. The language used makes a construct or a formal pattern that represents an experience (Young, nd). The poetic function of written language becomes evident when individuals attempt to relate new knowledge to their existing value systems. In an educational setting, students have the opportunity to try and comprehend knowledge in terms of their systems and beliefs. Poetic language helps the audience to understand the interconnected nature between the artist and the art they create. The belief is that the two elements cannot be separated while still achieving the same result with the same efficiency.
The application of poetic writing is felt from academia to personal lives as there are several forms of imaginative writing articles such as poetry, stories, plays, and parables. The audience could be a student, a teacher, or even a loved one while the uses range from formal as seen in the educational context to informal (Young, nd). The purpose of the language, like with the previous style, is for one's own sake. The language could be formal or informal relative to the structure of the article and the target audience. Educative pieces are formal while a love poem, for example, would be less formal. The poetic style of writing helps students to form connections between themselves and the subject matter they are learning. The tool is limited to exposure from bias or fear, which in many cases would lead to students expressing what they perceive the educator wants to hear. Students can explore how the outcome of a learning exercise makes them feel using poetic writing, a practice that in the long run provides visual access to self-examination and self-knowledge.
Assignment Model
An example of this type of assignment would be to write a short play displaying the dangers of prolonged alcohol and substance abuse. The language used should be captivating and contain the relevant jargon pertaining to the thematic nature of the play. In this case, the tone could be somber or humorous but is expected to communicate the underlying message. The plot should progress naturally and incorporate a few cast members. One could use a family setting in order to make use of recurring characters to tell the story without diluting the plausibility of the narrative.
References
Durst, K.R. (2015). British Invasion: James Britton, Composition Studies, and Anti- Disciplinarity. National Council of Teacher of English. Retrieved from:
http://www.ncte.org/library/NCTEFiles/Resources/Journals/CCC/0663- feb2015/CCC0663British.pdf
Freisinger, R. (nd). Cross-Disciplinary Writing Programs: Beginnings. Language Connections. Retrieved from: https://wac.colostate.edu/books/language_connections/chapter1.pdf
Nordquist, R. (2019). Expressive Discourse in Composition. ThoughtCo. Retrieved from: https://www.thoughtco.com/expressive-discourse-composition-1690625
Young, A, (nd). Considering Values: The Poetic Function of Language. Language Connections. Retrieved from: https://wac.colostate.edu/docs/books/language_connections/chapter6.pdf
