Journal of Technical Writing and Communication Jan 1986

Computer Manuals for Novices: The Rhetorical Situation

Ronald Halse

Abstract

Writing good computer manuals for beginners is a demanding job. Recently, rhetoricians have advised manual writers who want to write better manuals to consider the audience (computer users) carefully. However, my rhetorical analysis of several computer manuals shows that writers should also consider genre, subject, and writer's purpose. I also found that, while some writers accommodate their rhetorical situation, they may do it unconsciously, given the inconsistency of their rhetorical choices. In conclusion, by paying attention to the overall rhetorical situation, manual writers will surely produce better manuals.

Journal
Journal of Technical Writing and Communication
Published
1986-01-01
DOI
10.2190/vgbl-h297-qgxe-qwnj
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Closed
Topics
modern rhetorical theory rhetorical criticism genre theory digital rhetoric
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References (8) · 2 in this index

  1. Winkler V. (1985)
    “Procedures for Designing and Evaluating Training Materials,”
  2. Carson D. (1979)
    The Technical Writing Teacher
  3. 10.1147/sj.203.0306
     ↗
  4. Annett (1983)
    A Structured Approach to Technical Project Documentation
    Journal of Technical Writing and Communication
  5. 10.2307/2094370
     ↗
Show all 8 →
  1. Park (1982)
    The Meanings of "Audience"
    College English
  2. 10.2307/461344
     ↗
  3. Miller C. (1980)
    “The Rhetorical Genre: An Explanatory Concept for Technical Communication,”
CrossRef global citation count: 2 View in citation network → Build reading path →

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