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CHAPTER II REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE
A. Writing
1. The Nature of Writing
Many linguists state various definitions of writing. According to White and Arndt 1991: 3, writing is far from being a simple matter of transcribing
language into written symbols; it is a thinking process in its own right. It demands conscious intellectual effort, which usually has to be sustained over a
considerable period of time. It means that writing is an activity of recording thoughts, ideas and feelings in written forms, and it demands the mastery of
language systems and the strength of the mind to make reasons over period of time.
Another linguist, Friedrich as quoted by Coulmas 1989: 35 states that writing may be characterized as a medium of communication which people
use in order to bridge spatial and temporal distance by means of readily understandable or agreed upon signs. It can be said that writing is way of
expressing ideas, feeling or giving people information to bridge them who far away in space or time so that can be known what someone says about.
Related to both definitions above, the researcher sees the similarity of writing definition that is to express ideas and feeling. Friedrich emphasized
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9 the definition on the distance of space and time, meanwhile White and Arndt
just emphasize on the process of writing. Based on the definitions of writing above, the researcher concludes
that writing can be defined as an activity of expressing thought, ideas, feelings, or giving information in written form which demand the mastery of
language systems and the strength of the mind to make reasons over period of time.
2. Writing Skill
Skill refers to the ability to perform a task or activity consistently over period time Hornby, 2000: 1255. Skill cannot be acquired instantly. It is
acquired through training a lot. Writing skill is an ability to express ideas, opinions, or feeling in written form which demand the mastery of language
systems and the strength of the mind to make reasons over period of time. It is one of language skills which is considered important for communication with
other people in addition to listening, speaking, and reading. According to Brown 2004: 220 there are two categories of writing
skill. They are micro skills and macro skills. The descriptions are as follows: a. Micro skills
o Produce graphemes and orthographic patterns of English.
o Produce writing at an efficient rate of speed to suit the purpose.
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10 o
Produce an acceptable grammatical system e.g. tense, agreement, pluralization, patterns, and rules.
o Express a particular meaning in different grammatical form.
o Use cohesive device in writing discourse.
b. Macro skills o
Use the rhetorical forms and conventions of written discourse. o
Appropriately accomplish the communicative functions of written texts according to form and purpose.
o Convey links and connection between events and communicate such
relations as main idea, new information, given information, generalization, and exemplification.
o Distinguish between literal and implied meaning when writing.
o Correctly convey specific references in the context of the written text.
o Develop and use the battery of writing strategies, such as accurately
assessing the audience’s interpretation, using prewriting, writing the fluency in the first drafts, using paraphrases and synonyms, soliciting
peer and instructor feedback, and using feedback for revising and editing.
Micro skills are appropriately applied to imitative and intensive types of writing task, whereas macro skills are essential for the successful mastery
of responsive and extensive writing. In order to be able to produce a good written text, a writer should
require the range of knowledge, besides the writer also focuses on macro and
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11 micro skill of writing. Nunan 1998: 37 states that successful writing
involves: 1 mastering the mechanics of letter formation; 2 mastering and obeying conventions of spelling and punctuation; 3 using the grammatical
system to convey one’s intended meaning; 4 organizing content at the level of paragraph and the complete text to reflect given new information and
topic comment structures; 5 polishing and revising one’s initial efforts; and 6 selecting an appropriate style for one’s audience.
Based on some theories above, it can be inferred that writing skill is an ability to express thought, ideas, feelings, or giving information in written
form which involves the knowledge of: 1 using punctuation and capital letter; 2 selecting appropriate vocabulary; 3 grammatical language system;
4 supporting details; and 5 organizing the writing.
3. Teaching Writing
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