Toward a Posthumanist Grammar

As I’m imagining it, a posthumanist grammar would work from three basic principles:

1)      Grammar is capable of a human interface;

2)     Both communication and creativity are a result of that interface; and

3)     Communication and creativity can be at odds from a humanist perspective, but not from a posthumanist perspective.

These principles promise to move our thinking forward in the field of composition and rhetoric about grammar because they provide a new way of addressing questions about grammar and student writing. Generally speaking, one of the most controversial questions in the field is how to deal with student papers that contain grammatical errors, errors which often cause teachers, some administrators, and the general public to condemn our educational system and pronounce a strong need to get “back to basics.” A posthumanist approach to grammar invites us to focus more specifically and more dynamically on language awareness and usage.