The third man: pseudo-objectivity and the voice of passivity / Thomas Hoy

One of the hallmarks of academic language is the use of the third person. Developed as an academic register primarily in the natural sciences, it is seen as having an air of objectivity. Consequently, it has been mandated in a range of disciplines where the values of objectivity and detachment are l...

Full description

Bibliographic Details
Main Author:	Hoy, Thomas
Format:	Article
Language:	English
Published:	ACRULeT, Faculty of Education & UiTM Press 2006
Online Access:	http://ir.uitm.edu.my/id/eprint/301/ http://ir.uitm.edu.my/id/eprint/301/2/AJ_THOMAS%20HOY%20AJUE%2006.pdf

id	uitm-301
recordtype	eprints
spelling	uitm-3012019-03-08T05:27:17Z http://ir.uitm.edu.my/id/eprint/301/ The third man: pseudo-objectivity and the voice of passivity / Thomas Hoy Hoy, Thomas One of the hallmarks of academic language is the use of the third person. Developed as an academic register primarily in the natural sciences, it is seen as having an air of objectivity. Consequently, it has been mandated in a range of disciplines where the values of objectivity and detachment are less clear-cut. Students are issued with blanket instructions such as, “Never write in the first person.” The problem is that sometimes the nature and content of the task is such that the only appropriate and honest voice to use is the first person. I describe a number of cases I have encountered in my work as an academic skills adviser where students have been asked to respond to tasks which call primarily on their personal observations, insights and experiences. In being told to record such accounts in the third person, students are being asked to surrender their position of personal authority. The effect is corrosive; students lose confidence in themselves and their ideas. Potentially rich writing becomes bland and corporatist. I suggest a number of strategies that could give students more autonomy in their use of academic language. The choice of voice should never be totally conventional. There are times when the third person should shut up and let someone else speak. ACRULeT, Faculty of Education & UiTM Press 2006-06 Article PeerReviewed text en http://ir.uitm.edu.my/id/eprint/301/2/AJ_THOMAS%20HOY%20AJUE%2006.pdf Hoy, Thomas (2006) The third man: pseudo-objectivity and the voice of passivity / Thomas Hoy. Asian Journal of University Education (AJUE), 2 (1). pp. 99-109. ISSN 1823-7797
repository_type	Digital Repository
institution_category	Local University
institution	Universiti Teknologi MARA
building	UiTM Institutional Repository
collection	Online Access
language	English
description	One of the hallmarks of academic language is the use of the third person. Developed as an academic register primarily in the natural sciences, it is seen as having an air of objectivity. Consequently, it has been mandated in a range of disciplines where the values of objectivity and detachment are less clear-cut. Students are issued with blanket instructions such as, “Never write in the first person.” The problem is that sometimes the nature and content of the task is such that the only appropriate and honest voice to use is the first person. I describe a number of cases I have encountered in my work as an academic skills adviser where students have been asked to respond to tasks which call primarily on their personal observations, insights and experiences. In being told to record such accounts in the third person, students are being asked to surrender their position of personal authority. The effect is corrosive; students lose confidence in themselves and their ideas. Potentially rich writing becomes bland and corporatist. I suggest a number of strategies that could give students more autonomy in their use of academic language. The choice of voice should never be totally conventional. There are times when the third person should shut up and let someone else speak.
format	Article
author	Hoy, Thomas
spellingShingle	Hoy, Thomas The third man: pseudo-objectivity and the voice of passivity / Thomas Hoy
author_facet	Hoy, Thomas
author_sort	Hoy, Thomas
title	The third man: pseudo-objectivity and the voice of passivity / Thomas Hoy
title_short	The third man: pseudo-objectivity and the voice of passivity / Thomas Hoy
title_full	The third man: pseudo-objectivity and the voice of passivity / Thomas Hoy
title_fullStr	The third man: pseudo-objectivity and the voice of passivity / Thomas Hoy
title_full_unstemmed	The third man: pseudo-objectivity and the voice of passivity / Thomas Hoy
title_sort	third man: pseudo-objectivity and the voice of passivity / thomas hoy
publisher	ACRULeT, Faculty of Education & UiTM Press
publishDate	2006
url	http://ir.uitm.edu.my/id/eprint/301/ http://ir.uitm.edu.my/id/eprint/301/2/AJ_THOMAS%20HOY%20AJUE%2006.pdf
first_indexed	2023-09-18T22:44:24Z
last_indexed	2023-09-18T22:44:24Z
_version_	1777417127970471936

The third man: pseudo-objectivity and the voice of passivity / Thomas Hoy

Similar Items