The recently drawn distinction between process and product in composition teaching may serve to establish a false dichotomy. Every process leads to a product, however tentative, and every product is the outcome of a process. The dichotomy masks important variables dictated by purpose and audience. Further, it fails to take account of the distinction between "knowlidge telling" and "knowledge transforming", largely ignoring the latter Finally, it obscures the fact that, while oral language is indeed part of the human genetic baggage, written language is a recent phenomenon, not universally distributed in the species. Wriring is not merely the recording of speechi rather, it is shaped by various factors including cultural considerations. The teaching of writing must deal with these variables.