The syntactic aspect of semiotic theory, especially its “aesthetic principle,” is very influential in document design theories and practices. It has its roots in Burke's and Lessing's gender-related theories of images. Thus, it is laden with ideologies: it embodies our patriarchal attitudes and our iconophobia. Employing the semiotic theory in document design, we are making choices to reinforce the gender-related ideology in Burke's and Lessing's theories. It is time for us to re-conceive the “aesthetic principle” by de-emphasizing it and to adopt the reconciliation approach to design effective documents targeted at various rhetorical situations.
Get full access to this article
View all access options for this article.
References
1.
MoranM., The History of Technical and Scientific Writing, in Research in Technical Communication: A Bibliographic Sourcebook, MoranM. G. and JournetD. (eds.), Greenwood Press, Westport, Connecticut, pp. 25–38, 1985.
2.
TebeauxE., The Emergence of a Tradition: Technical Writing in the English Renaissance, 1475–1640, Baywood Publishing Company, Amityville, New York, 1996.
3.
BrasseurL. E. and ThompsonT. L., Gendered Ideologies: Cultural and Social Contexts for Illustrated Medical Manuals in Renaissance England, IEEE Transactions on Professional Communication, 38, pp. 204–215, 1995.
4.
DurackK. T., Authority and Audience-Centered Writing Strategies: Sexism in 19th-Century Sewing Machine Manuals, Technical Communication, 45, pp. 180–196, 1998.
5.
MoranM. G., Preface, in The Emergence of a Tradition: Technical Writing in the English Renaissance, 1475–1640, TebeauxE. (author), Baywood Publishing Company, Amityville, New York, pp. iii–v, 1985.
6.
MitchellW. J. T., Iconology: Image, Text, Ideology, University of Chicago Press, Chicago, Illinois, 1986.
7.
BartonB. F. and BartonM. S., Trends in Visual Representation, in Technical and Business Communication: Bibliographic Essays for Teachers and Corporate Trainers, SidesC. H. (ed.), National Council of Teachers of English, Urbana, Illinois, pp. 95–136, 1989.
8.
BartonB. F. and BartonM. S., Simplicity in Visual Representation: A Semiotic Approach, Iowa State J. Business Technical Communication, 1, pp. 9–26, 1987.
9.
MorrisC. W., Foundations of the Theory of Signs, University of Chicago Press, Chicago, Illinois, 1938.
10.
WinnW., The Role of Graphics in Training Documents: Toward an Explanatory Theory of How They Communicate, IEEE Transactions on Professional Communications32, pp. 300–309, 1989.
11.
GoodmanN., Languages of Art, Hackett, Indianapolis, Indiana, 1976.
12.
GombrichE., Image and Code: Scope and Limits of Conventionalism in Pictorial Representation, in Images and Code, SteinerW. (ed.), University of Michigan Press, Ann Arbor, Michigan, 1981.
13.
LessingG. E., Laocoon: An Essay on the Limits of Painting and Poetry, McCormickE. A. (trans.), Bobbs-Merrill, Indianapolis, Indiana, 1962.
14.
BrockmannR. J., Writing Better Computer User Documentation: From Paper to Online, John Wiley & Sons, New York, 1986.
15.
KostelnickC., Visual Rhetoric: A Reader-Oriented Approach to Graphics and Design, Technical Writing Teacher, 16, pp. 77–88, 1989.
16.
BoiarskyC. and DobbersteinM., Teaching Documentation Writing: What Else Students—and Instructors—Should Know, Technical Communication, 45, pp. 38–46, 1998.
17.
MarkelM., Testing Visual-Based Modules for Teaching Writing, Technical Communication, 45, pp. 47–61, 1998.
18.
AlredG.OliuW. E., and BrusawC. T., The Professional Writer: A Guide for Advanced Technical Writing, St. Martin's, New York, 1992.
19.
BurnettR., Technical Communication (4th Edition), Belmont, Wadsworth, California, 1996.
20.
AndersonP. A., Technical Communication. A Reader-Centered Approach (4th Edition), Harcourt, Fort Worth, Text, 1999.
21.
BurkeE., A Philosophical Enquiry into the Origin of Our Ideas of the Sublime and Beautiful, BoultonJ. T. (ed.), Notre Dame University Press, South Bend, Indiana, 1968.
22.
DondisD., A Primer of Visual Literacy, MIT Press, Cambridge, Massachusetts, 1975.
23.
KostelnickC., Conflicting Standards for Designing Data Displays: Following, Flouting, and Reconciling Them, Technical Communication, 45, pp. 473–483, 1998.
24.
StoneL., The Family, Sex and Marriage (abridged edition), Harper & Row, Princeton, New Jersey, 1979.
25.
Plato, The Republic, LeeH. D. P. (trans.), Penguin, Baltimore, Maryland, 1964.
26.
BaconF., The Works of Francis Bacon, SpeddingJ.EllisR. L., and HeathD. D., (eds.), 15 volumes, Houghton, Boston, Massachusetts, 1900. Cited in text by volume and page number.
27.
TufteE. R., The Visual Display of Quantitative Information, Graphics, Cheshire, Connecticut, 1983.
28.
DingD., Rationality Reborn: Historical Roots of the Passive Voice in Scientific Discourse, in Essays in the Study of Scientific Discourse: Methods, Practice, and Pedagogy, BattalioJ. (ed.), Ablex, Greenwich, Connecticut, pp. 117–134, 1998.
29.
DingD., Marxism, Ideology, Power and Scientific and Technical Writing, Journal of Technical Writing and Communication, 28: 2, 1998.
