Metonymic Technical Writing for the 737 Max: Appropriate Genres, Effective Procedures

Abstract

Technical writing plays a critical role in how human beings interact with technology, and this essay examines the role of technical writing in the airplane crashes involving the 737 Max. It raises the question over whether if different genres of technical writing had been used these airplane crashes could have been prevented. The essay argues that while some forms of technical writing are metonymic in nature, depending on the genre of writing used, the manner in which metonymy operates, and how metonymic content is communicated, metonymy can vary from genre to genre. Consequently, the essay also argues that if different genres of writing had been used as documentation for the 737 Max, both crashes may not have happened.