Interview by Maria Ammar, Salt Lake Community College, Salt Lake City, Utah, USA

Steven D. Stark is author of the recently published book, The American Way of Writing: How to Communicate Like a Native at School, at Work, and on the Road.

What is your book about?

I’ve found the hardest part for newcomers who want to master American English is not learning the alphabet, grammar, and extensive vocabulary, as challenging as those may be. It’s understanding what makes Americans tick and the myriad of ways that gets reflected in their language and behavior. That's what the book is about and it’s also what makes it different from other writing books.

The book is a direct outgrowth of my experiences teaching overseas to those in businesses and law firms who have to communicate with Americans. Thus, it reflects what clients and students have told me they see as the major issues confronting those who must learn to communicate fluently in written American English.

Can you give us an example of what you mean when you talk in the book about the “national values” that are inherent in the language and that nonnative speakers need to grasp?

Here’s one—America’s continued embrace of the mythical spirit of the Wild West in the 19th century forms a distinctive state of mind. Whether it’s wearing blue jeans and cowboy boots, revering cultural and political “outlaws” who stand up to the Establishment, or buying cars with evocative names like Ranger, Bronco, and Silverado, Americans continue to keep the myth alive. Very few saddle a horse anymore or give it free or close rein and even fewer participate in aroundup. But if you look at the American vocabulary, it’s hard not to be struck by the number of words and phrases people still use that recall the Wild West (the term itself dating from 1851).

Just to focus on one small sliver of that experience—horse and related cowpoke imagery— there’s hellbent (for leather), hightail, put to pasture, win your spurs, know the ropes, at the end of your rope, rope in, ride high, rein in, hold your horses, get off your high horse, don’t be a horse’s ass, horse around, eat like a horse, horse sense, horse of a different color, change horses in midstream, horse trade, be a clothes horse, workhorse (or work like a horse ), strong or healthy as a horse, and straight from the horse’s mouth.

To say nonnatives might have trouble picking up these terms and the values they represent is an understatement. But it’s important to try.

How did you do your research for this book?

Moving from my experience teaching, I began to do a lot of linguistic, sociological, and historical research on such topics as what it means to be an American, how culture is reflected in language, and what makes English different from other languages. There are close to 1,000 sources listed in the bibliographies in the book and online.

Who will this book appeal to?

The target audiences are those from abroad who have to work with Americans (either here or in their home countries), and those who come to the United States to study. It assumes a reader already competent in English—at least as far as language courses and the TOEFL go—yet one who finds that on the ground, there’s something elusive about the American language and those who write it that even the most advanced courses never seem to teach.

Is this a book that ESL/EFL instructors can use in the classroom?

Yes, not only in ESL classes but many others—even courses on American Studies stateside. I think many kinds of classes and different levels of writers will find it useful. I’ve written the book so you can read it straight through or refer to a specific chapter if you need guidance in a particular area, such as academic writing or writing email in the workplace.

Have you written other books related to this topic?

I wrote a writing book for lawyers—Writing to Win: The Legal Writer (Three Rivers Press–Random House). It collected lots of examples of effective writing—not just theory.

What is your next project?

This current book deals with writing. The next book will deal with speaking and public presentation skills in the same contexts.

Tell us about yourself. What is your background?

I’m a lawyer and writer, fascinated by different countries and cultures. I'm former cultural commentator for CNN, National Public Radio, and the Voice of America (where my job was to try to explain the country to others), as well as the author of five books, one e-book, and two chapbooks of visual poetry. I’ve written frequently for the New York Times, the Los Angeles Times, the Atlantic Monthly, and both the Boston Globe where I was an op-ed columnist and the Montreal Gazette where I was a world sports columnist. Both as a lecturer on law at Harvard Law School earlier in my career, and now in my consulting and training, I’ve taught literally tens of thousands of students, lawyers, and business people all over the world.

Do you have an author website or other platform where readers can find more information about you and your books?

The book is on Amazon where the first chapter is freely available. If you teach and want a desk copy, I urge you to contact the publisher.

You can also contact me at sds@starkwriting.com with any questions or comments. I welcome them.