Joseph M. Williams

Joseph M. Williams (18 August 1933, Cleveland, Ohio, - 22 February 2008, South Haven, Michigan) was a professor in the Department of English Language and Literature at the University of Chicago.

Williams began as a researcher of English language. In "Origins of the English Language: A Social & Linguistic History" he traces the history of the English language from the evolution of man through to Modern English. His interest in studying close connection between grammar and rhetoric, reflected in another earlier book "The New English: Structure, Form, Style", culminated in , his noteworthy textbook on writing style.

In "Style", Williams established and vehemently defended two basic principles that “it is good to write clearly, and anyone can.” ("Style: Lessons in Clarity and Grace" (9th Edition) 4). To meet these ends Williams laid out streamlined steps to help writers first make their sentences and paragraphs clear and then graceful. This includes expressing actions in specific verbs to make sentences clear. Paragraphs are cohesive, when sentences have a sense of flow, and coherent, when paragraphs are felt as the whole. Emphasis depends on how sentences end. Graceful sentences and paragraphs are concise, shapely (uninterrupted and coordinated), and elegant (balanced in syntax, meaning, sound and rhythm). In later editions, he discussed ethics of writing understood as a social act between writer and reader and offered steps to produce coherent documents.

Noting the kinship between "Style" and The Elements of Style by William Strunk and E.B. White, some praised Williams for practicality of his advice [http://www.econ161.berkeley.edu/econ_articles/reviews/williams.html] , while others criticized him for his own wordiness which he strived to combat in writing of others [http://www.amazon.com/Style-Lessons-Clarity-Grace-9th/dp/0321479351] .

The Craft of Research, a collaborative textbook written by Williams and his two long-term academic colleagues and friends – Wayne C. Booth and Gregory G. Colomb, – was designed to help students plan, carry out and report on research in any field and at any level – from a term paper to a dissertation, an article, and a book. Authors understood writing a research report as “thinking in writing” and “thinking from the point of view of [the] readers” ("The Craft of Research" 15). Their treatment of research arguments included a refinement of Stephen Toulmin’s formal layout of arguments. In another book, "The Craft of Argument", Williams and Colomb looked at written arguments in general. The authors claimed that in argument “questions and answers not only seek truth, but also generate the means of persuasion that rhetoric seeks” ("The Craft of Argument" xix). Together with Gregory G. Colomb, Francis X. Kinahan, and Lawrence D. McEnerney, Williams developed innovative instructional materials for advanced writers in the academy and the professions known as The Little Red Schoolhouse [http://www.me.gatech.edu/me/academics/little_red_schoolhouse/description.html] , [http://writing-program.uchicago.edu/courses/grad.htm] .

From 1980, Williams (together with Colomb and others) ran Clearlines, a consulting firm helping writers in corporations, law firms, and consulting groups to write clearly and concisely. [http://clearlinesconsulting.com/]

Books

*The New English: Structure, Form, Style. New York: Free Press (1975)
*Origins of the English Language: A Social and Linguistic History. New York: Free Press (1975, 1986)
*. Glenview, Ill.: Scott, Foresman (1981, 1985, 1989), New York: HarperCollins (1989, 1994), New York: Longman (1997, 2000, 2003), Toronto: Longman (2005), New York: Pearson Longman (2005, 2007)
*. Chicago: University of Chicago Press (1990, 1995) with two chapters coauthored by Gregory G.Colomb
*The Craft of Research. Chicago: University of Chicago Press (1995, 2003) with Wayne C. Booth and Gregory G.Colomb
*The Craft of Argument. New York: Longman (2001, 2003, 2007) with Gregory G.Colomb
*Style : The Basics of Clarity and Grace. New York: Pearson Longman (2003, 2006)
*A Manual for Writers of Research Papers, Theses, and Dissertations, Seventh Edition: Chicago Style for Students and Researchers. Chicago: University of Chicago Press (2007) by Kate L. Turabian, revised together with Wayne C. Booth, Gregory G.Colomb, and The University of Chicago Press Editorial Staff

External links

* [http://www.press.uchicago.edu/Misc/Chicago/065685in.html Interview with Wayne Booth, Gregory Colomb, and Joseph Wiiliams - authors of The Craft of Research] by The University of Chicago Press
* [http://www.asne.org/index.cfm?ID=2531 The Question: Why Is Writing Clear? Why Is It Concise Or Direct?] by Joseph Williams inASNE LITERACY COMMITTEE: Writing and Reading Today
* [http://www.asne.org/index.cfm?ID=2529 Hierarchy of abstraction key concept in powerful writing] by Carolyn Matalene inASNE LITERACY COMMITTEE: Writing and Reading Today
* [http://www.journallegalwritinginstitute.org/archives/2007/Gop.pdf A tribute to Joseph Williams on the occasion of his being presented with the Golden Pen Award by the Legal Writing Institute] by George D. Gopen
* [http://news.uchicago.edu/news.php?asset_id=1280 Joseph M. Williams, Professor Emeritus of English and Linguistics, 1933 – 2008] , The University of Chicago news story
* [http://www.suntimes.com/news/obituaries/819369,CST-NWS-xwill29.article "Language was his passion"] obituary in Chicago Sun Times
* [http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/obituaries/chi-hed_joewilliams_02mar02,0,3043751.story Linguistic expert taught value of storytelling] obituary in Chicago Tribune