The Language of Work

Carol Siri Johnson, Charles Sides

INTRODUCTION

Theory and History of Technical Communication
This introduction is an overview of scholarly research in the history of technical communication and its relation to literary theory.

PART ONE: BACKGROUND
Chapter 1: The Evolution of Technical Communication in the American Iron and Steel Industry
The chapter describes the historical context of technical communication in the American iron and steel industry as a whole and the evolution of genres within it (such as the publication of scientific articles and trade journals).

Chapter 2: The Evolution of Lukens Steel (1810 to 1925)
This chapter summarizes the history of Lukens Steel, a rolling mill that specialized in boiler plate, in order to provide the industrial and social context.

PART TWO: ANALYSIS
Chapter 3: 1810-1870: Prediscursive Technical Communication
At this early stage, written technical communication was limited to letters of specification sent to and from customers; any technical knowledge was exchanged directly between the workers.

Chapter 4: 1870-1900: Record Keeping Paves the Way
When Lukens Steel built their own open hearth furnaces, exact record keeping became necessary to track and maintain the quality of the iron and steel as it traveled from the furnace through the mill to the inspector waiting at the end.

Chapter 5: 1900-1915: An Explosion of Technical Communication
As the plant grew in size and complexity, workers, managers and foremen had to communicate in writing; an interplant mail system relayed handwritten notes and drawings to communicate essential technical matters.

Chapter 6: 1915-1925: The Union of Words and Work
As the amount of written communication increased, Lukens Steel hired stenographer typists to bridge the gap between varying levels of literacy. The result was a further increase in the amount of written communication.

CONCLUSION
The conclusion reiterates the theme that, over time, the working world shifted from prediscursive (spoken) to chirographic (written and drawn) communication. It ends with a plea to include technical communication as a form of literature in order to broaden our understanding of the world.

Glossary

Index