On an average sunny afternoon in the Scott household, one of us can be heard speaking in ridiculously obtuse language. Why? So that our dog, Lily, will not hear phrases that might prematurely trigger excitement. We strictly avoid using words that she knows such as “walk, go, park,” which results in some awkward but fun sentences like: “Is it time to take the canine for a jaunt around the circular paved path?”
About half of the time, even when we strictly avoid using the words we know she will react to, Lily still figures it out. It turns out that managing one’s tone is more than a matter of word choice, even for dogs.
While tone in writing is established primarily through diction, factors such as purpose, organization, conventions and engagement with sources also impact the tone.
When the Writing Center has visits from students requesting to see if the paper “sounds right,” tutors lead the discussion with questions about the assignment requirements and the overall rhetorical situation for the writing. Most student writers have at least a head start on interpreting the assignment requirements that the instructor provided.
However, when a genre is new to a writer or the writer is just unsure about the appropriateness of the final draft, discussions anchored in rhetorical situations provide a crucial perspective for revision for tone. The rhetorical situation for the writing is determined by purpose, audience, genre and context: What is the purpose of the writing (e.g., persuade, entertain, inform)? Who is the audience? Beyond the professor, what discourse community, field of study or profession is involved? What are the audience’s expectations? What are the conventions the audience might know and expect for this genre? In what context will the writing be received (i.e. a classroom presentation, a conference, a journal publication submission)?
By addressing these questions, writers begin to understand themselves and their writing as part of a discourse family that communicates respectfully in the language and conventions of that field.
Beyond using the right words, the writer’s tone recognizes the value of the community into which the writing enters. The tone we use in community matters, in writing and in everyday life.
While my dog, Lily, may not know the words we are using, she may recognize the timing, the inflection of voice, the pat on the head, the glance towards her, towards outside, or towards a leash, which includes her in the conversation. In those cases, she reads the room. Whether she gets a walk in that hour might still be questionable, but whether she is being discussed is certain.
More than just considering specific words, the tone of writing conveys our consideration for others: Tone matters.
