George Ann Gregory Ph D

The Texture of Essays Written by Basic Writers George Ann Gregory Ph D

This exploratory study comprises a statistical analysis of style factors discriminating between compositions written by basic writers from two different language groups: Anglo (a reference to the language and European American English speakers) and Diné (Navajo-English bilinguals). The current study included 62 essays and was limited to non-introspective topics. A multi-variate statistical approach revealed three underlying textual factors that discriminate between these compositions. While using a limited sample, the findings indicate that the texture of compositions by Diné is dominated by attributes of traditional Dinébizaad rhetoric, or the rhetoric of the Navajo language. On the other hand, the texture of compositions written by Anglos is dominated by generic written elaboration. These findings correspond with previous impressionistic teacher observations and analysis of compositions of these two groups. While language uses have changed since the date of this study, there are still echoes of traditional Native American rhetoric heard today, suggesting a need for additional study about how rhetorical uses of language change and are preserved.