Why I Teach Writing With a Focus on Meaning?

I've taught kids and adults English and Portuguese as foreign languages (FL). Over the years, this has given me a solid grasp on balancing form-based complexity and meaning-based complexity in waiting.

Second Language learning has its idiosyncrasies and a knowledgeable perspective gives you some practical insights about the complexities at play.

So, I'm always researching what science has to say and I've recently encountered a study by Sachiko Yasuda in which the main findings made me reflect on the question at hand.

Does more complex writing equate to better writing, particularly in FL contexts?

My standpoint as a linguist and teacher

Over two decades of owning my craft on multiple online platforms and guiding new writers as an editor, I've learned one crucial lesson: complexity does not always mean better writing. This realization has reshaped my teaching methods and my approach to storytelling.

After securing a degree in Modern Languages and Literatures, my academic research turned to Linguistics and second language acquisition for adult foreign language (FL) learners.

So I share Dr. Yasuda's long-standing interests in second language writing and language-centric ontogenetic development. Per definition, linguistic ontogeny aims to explain how we develop our speech habits throughout our lives.

As a linguist, I can relate to this endeavor as I seek to understand how we can improve writing performances and overall literacy of FL learners skills in multiple settings, even beyond the classroom.

Even if I'm not as involved in a formal educative setting as I was in the past. I have years of relevant experience in pedagogy-oriented curriculum development.

In hindsight, I realized how working in such complex scenarios is fundamental to an understanding of how the idea of "quality" writing has developed and how I can better cope with all these changes as a writer and content creator.

Form-based vs. meaning-based complexity

In her study, Dr Yasuda aimed to investigate the relationship between form-based complexity and meaning-based complexity.

This refers to two distinctive ways of looking at how difficult something is to understand or use.

Form-based complexity

Form-based complexity focuses on the structure and mechanics of something, without considering the actual content.

To give you a more practical example:

Imagine a complex tax form with many sections, sub-sections, and confusing instructions. Filling it out would be form-based and complex, even if the underlying tax concepts are simple.

In language learning, long sentences with advanced grammar structures would be form-based complex, regardless of the meaning conveyed.

Meaning-based complexity

Meaning-based complexity focuses on the actual ideas or information being communicated.

A scientific paper with complex concepts and unfamiliar terminology would seem convoluted, even if the sentences are grammatically simple.

Explaining quantum mechanics to someone with no physics background is an example of a meaning-based complex situation.

Here's an analogy to help you understand the dichotomy.

Consider a locked box. Form-based complexity would be how intricate the lock mechanism is, with multiple tumblers and levers.

Meaning-based complexity would be what's inside the box.

A simple toy is less complex than a complex scientific instrument, even if the lock itself is the same.

In the real world, both types of complexity often work together.

A legal document might be both a form-based complex (dense legalese) and a meaning-based complex (complicated legal concepts).

Thus, Dr. Yasuda's study spiked my interest because it sheds new light on the process of how FL learners may improve their writing skills in the language if they focus on making sound arguments rather than mastering complex grammar and vocabulary.

"That is just the way with some people. They get down on a thing when they don't know nothing about it." - "The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn" by Mark Twain

Personal insights on Dr. Yasuda's research

The research results may seem surprising at a surface level, as instead of associating quality (high scores) with the use of more complex grammar it showed quality was perceived in the way the author infused meaning into the narrative by using compound nouns with "semantic density."

Mastering the grammar of a language does not necessarily correlate to better writing, the "secret" to quality writing resides in the way writers can give meaning to their ideas in a semantic-friendly way that makes them easily accessible to the reader.

Hence we cannot go on considering "grammar" as a static collection of structural rules.

As a language teacher, I approach the theory of language and the teaching/learning process from a systemic functional perspective in which grammar learning is a "mastery of a static body of knowledge.''

This aligns perfectly with the best practices for online writing and storytelling. Using shorter sentences and paragraphs instead of those long monoliths of text may convey the author's idea more efficiently, as it is in line with our short attention span while reading online.

This alone brings down what has been traditionally conceived as the "hallmark of sophisticated writing," as Dr. Yasuda brilliantly explains in her study.

The strongest predictor of essay scores was not the form-based complexity but rather the complexity of meaning achieved by argument quality. The depth and effectiveness of the arguments presented in the essays had a stronger influence on the scores than the superficial form-oriented syntactic complexity.

Why I prioritize meaning-based writing

Reading Dr. Yasuda's paper has solidified my belief about writing complexity and to value of clarity and meaning in my writing.

Writing for clarity rather than style is more important than relying on sheer complexity.

I prefer to use a strong and unique writing voice, backed by descriptive language and a colloquial tone. Providing your arguments, personal context, and unique voice is one of the best ways to strive for quality in your writing.

It helps when you consider your audience. Keeping your audience in mind and writing "for the reader" is crucial to producing "high-quality" work.

Focusing on content over form is key, so prioritizing meaningful arguments over superficial complexity, while ensuring the reader relates to the content by sharing personal experience, will make your writing feel more relatable and actionable.

What do you think? Is there a berry anywhere in this story?