Job Discussion Forums

[Sashadroogie]

Just was posting a comment about Steven Pinker and David Crystal on another thread, and was reminded of an issue of sorts from years back. Namely, how is that certain EFL writers, who claim some type of higher knowledge of how English works, can produce such Goddamned awful prose? The aforementioned are really clear and even stylish in expressing their ideas. However, has anybody ever had to suffer wading through David Nunan or Rod Ellis? Urrrggghhhh!!!! Impenetrably BORING tomes with leaden prose.

But, perhaps that is just me. What do other posters think? Post up your ideas about who the worst EFL writers are, and why you think so : )

[spiral78]

My vote for most dense and time-wasting prose goes to Janet Giltrow. Nunan and Ellis are eminently readable in comparison. I admit to a liking for Ellis' work, by the way.

[Perilla]

Nunan ranks top of my list for producing dire, often unreadable waffle about stuff that doesn't seem to matter very much.

[Sashadroogie]

Nunan it is then.

Cheers!

[Teacher in Rome]

Perilla, have you met David Nunan? He's at one of the Unis in HK isn't he?

[spiral78]

I've met 'im.
Giltrow still wins the prize.
until you've been exposed to both, yer vote don't count!!!

[teacheratlarge]

I've met both Crystal and Nunan. I don't think either belongs in the category some of the posters are trying to put them. Hardly brilliant either, but they both have written plenty that gives one something to ponder on.

Rod Ellis does seem to go on and on sometimes, but he has a major point or two now and then.

Of course, we could contrast that with what gets posted here regularly.

I don't see any of the authors as being that poor in expressing their thoughts. Besides, if you think they are plodding, don't read them. Pretty simple that, yes?

[Perilla]

[Cool Teacher]

Jack Richards is good! He's clear. Michael Swan is good too! Penny Ur's good.

I read some stuff by Skehan which was not much fun but teachnical. I read something by Celia Roberts I think which was painful.

[fluffyhamster]

It depends on what the writer is writing about. Nunan's general methodology guides aren't too bad (though still hardly riveting), and the topics that Crystal sets himself are often quite light in comparison (and his "heavier" stuff doesn't always exactly fly off the page - try for example his Linguistics). SLA is usually quite dry at the best of times. Lastly, I wouldn't call Pinker an EFL writer, though some might see his pet theory's relevance.

Giltrow, I was having a quick look at her Academic Reading: Reading and Writing Across the Disciplines, 2nd edition (previewable on Google books). Among other sins, in the Introduction she has hyphenated thus: teen-ager. ("Little" things like that can tell you a lot, perhaps all you need to know, about a writer and their work).

[johnslat]

Dear fluffyhamster,

Perhaps a "teen-ager" is something that ages a teen, such as, say, homework

Regards,
John

[spiral78]

I'm no teenager, but Giltrow def gave me a few new grey hairs.

best regards,
spiral