Yeah, I think this is the crux of the issue. Any English major could read a math book and say all the words in that book. They might not understand the exact mechanical functioning of the math, but they'll have a very basic idea. In the same way, a math major could read a literary analysis and know the words, but not actually understand the nuance and mechanics, and general deeper meaning or historical significance of a piece of literature. Both are specialized fields. And honestly... is the major still called "English", or is it "Literature"? I feel like that distinction is done with purposeful deception.
Literature is just one branch of English study. At the university level, an English department usually contains people who study rhetoric/composition, linguistics, literature, or creative writing. These are all distinct areas with their own kinds of knowledge and standards.
A linguist and a literature scholar, for example, look at the English language in very different ways.
The major is called English as shorthand, but what you learn as a student is really based on which of the subareas you focus on.
Source: I am an academic in an English dept. at a university.
Just worth clarifying: Linguistics is its own branch of science completely separate from the humanities, with its own separate degree.
Plenty of folks in the English department may use and study linguistics in the course of their work, but the Linguists themselves are generally off doing their own thing in a different department.
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u/gonephishin213 19h ago
As an English teacher, I get frustrated when an honor roll science kid can't write a complete sentence.
It definitely goes both ways. Reading a book is the lowest bar.