Reflections

First of all, I should thank Dr Deng for his dedication to this course, and his constant desire to 're-vision' and restructure it for the students' benefit, instead of following a rigid schedule. I'm not very fond of blogging, but it has nevertheless been a nice change from the discussion forums of other modules. As for the module itself, I took it partly to meet requirements (who doesn't?), but also because (as some earlier posts have stated) communication with others isn't exactly my forte, and so I was interested in learning more about it. While I consider myself a fairly decent writer, I'm not very aware of the 'technical' side of language - my knowledge of the technicalities of grammar and syntax is superficial to say the least, as is my awareness of the underlying structures of writing. My command of language is instinctive, and while it has served me well enough thus far, any self-respecting literature student should have some technical knowledge of the language as well.

This module has thus given some useful insights into the more empirical side of communication, in both writing and social interaction. However, as the previous post suggests, it has also caused me to think about the role of language in our lives. We cannot allow our use of language to be dictated purely by practical or empirical concerns, but my fear is that that is exactly what is happening here. The appalling general standard of English, even among undergraduates, seems to be proof of that - as long as your poor speaking and writing is 'understandibilililile' by others just as bad as yourself, you can get by. This should simply not be the case. Of course, that is not to say that linguistic precision is the be all and end all either - it must be mated with a certain sense of style, flair and eloquence, and, above all, a desire to give pleasure to the reader or listener. It may be a cliche, but I consider the comment 'A pleasure to read' the highest compliment one can receive for an essay. Unfortunately, I haven't received it quite as often as I'd like.

Lest this ends up as a repeat of the previous post, I'll just sign off by saying that this was a really enjoyable and interesting module, and one that I won't forget too quickly. Hopefully the next batch will appreciate it even more. Remember though: Communication (capitalised) should never just be about communication.