Introduction

In 1963, the authors of an NCTE report, Research in Written Composition, openly lamented the state of research in that field: they found research in composition in the same state as “chemical research as it emerged from the period of alchemy.” In colleges and universities, technical and scientific communication has been one of the casualties of the dissociation of English and speech, which William Riley Parker dates to 1914. The academic standing of technical and scientific communication has improved recently, if only because of increased pressure for more and better teaching. The academic standing of technical and scientific communication has improved recently, if only because of increased pressure for more and better teaching. Some literary scholars have begun to question the definition of their own discipline and its presumed insulation from the study of other forms of language, such as referential or scientific language. The chapter also presents an overview of the key concepts discussed in this book.