Archive for the ‘Plain Language’ Category

We love language – it’s a living thing that constantly changes. Here are some neologisms (new words) we found recently:

Deskfast
A breakfast eaten at your desk.

Word of mouse
Communication via computer-based means, such as email, chat rooms or newsgroups.

Adminisphere
The layers in an organization’s hierarchy that sit above the rank and file.

These new words will reflect something of today’s cultural context to future historians, just as the words we inherit carry traces of their own history.

For those of you who are curious about where English comes from, here is a very brief and overly simplified history of the English language. Apologies to any linguists out there.

The earliest version of English was Anglo-Saxon, a proto-Germanic language. Although only about 5,000 Anglo-Saxon words survive in Modern English, they are the words we most commonly use.

Anglo-Saxon: water, hair, blood, mother, and the verbs to be, to have and to go

English developed by borrowing words from cultures it came in contact with. For instance,

In the 9th century, England was invaded three times by the Vikings (Norse), and they left some colourful words we continue to use today:

Norse: anger, ill, ransack, slaughter, knife

In 1066, the Normans invaded England, and subsequently French became the official language – certainly among the elite at court. Roughly half the words in Modern English are borrowed from French.

French: government, sermon, judge, crime, physician, fashion, literature, music

After that, Greek and Latin became the traditional languages of high culture and ‘classical’ education. English adopted many Latin and Greek words, and many of them form our medical and legal vocabulary.

Latin: annual, minimum, malice, malady, vocal, export, pedestrian, ignite

Greek: archeology, biography, aerobic, bureaucrat, monopoly, stethoscope

Where will tomorrow’s words come from?

Sometimes our participants ask for a simple, concrete way to measure the readability of their writing. The Fog Index, below, is one such measurement tool. It was developed by Robert Gunning in the 1950s. Here’s how it works:

Find the average number of words per sentence. Use a sample of at least 100 words. Divide the total number of words by the number of sentences. This gives you the average sentence length.

Count the number of words of three syllables or more per 100 words. Don’t count

• Words that are capitalized
• Compound words made by combining short easy words, like bookkeeper
• Verbs that are made into three syllables by adding ed or es, like created or trespasses

Add the two figures above and multiply by 0.4. This will give you the Fog Index. It corresponds roughly with the years of schooling a person must have to read a passage with ease and understanding.

Please keep in mind that readability is about more than getting an appropriate score on your Fog Index. It also depends on

• knowing your reader’s prior knowledge and needs,
• creating a bond by choosing an appropriate tone, and
• reviewing what you write and seeing it from the reader’s point of view.

Gunning himself writes,

“You can’t make rules about writing, because rules are a substitute for thought – and you can’t write without thinking. Therefore, don’t try to write by formula alone….The way to write clearly is to apply principles, not rules, of clear statement.

Thanks to the Internet and email, customers can reach you from all over the world. If you write emails to your global customers in English, it’s a good idea to avoid using idioms – words or phrases whose meanings are not understood from the individual words themselves.
For instance we understand what “spread ourselves too thin” means, but someone not familiar with this expression, or idiom, might be confused by it. Other examples of idioms include:

24/7
give the green light
a win-win
on the go
across the board
rain check
bend over backwards
right up our alley
brand new
think outside the box
fall through the cracks
touch base

Instead of using idioms, substitute a more literal expression.

For instance, instead of writing or saying, “I agree the session was Mickey Mouse,” write “I agree the session was poorly run.”

by Jody Bruner

Here’s a tip that will dramatically improve your writing, especially when you are writing to a reader you don’t know  or to a large number of unknown readers.  In these situations, the message is often hard to understand because we tend to assume too much prior knowledge on the reader’s part and there is no personal connection.

The tip is simple–conjure up an ideal reader and write to that person. The writing will flow more easily and you will be more aware of the assumptions you make about the reader’s prior knowledge. Your message will be more easily understood and you will make a personal connection.

The best kind of ideal reader is someone you know, but who is not an expert in your field. I have two ideal readers, for different situations. My first reader is my neighbour Erin. She is a busy mom with three small girls. She is bright and has no time for beating around the bush. I think of Erin when I write emails or short letters. Picturing her in my mind helps me get to the point and explain everything clearly and concisely.

My second ideal reader is my friend Selma. Selma is an academic. I know she has a deep curiosity about just about everything and a great deal of patience. She is willing to dig deep into a topic, however technical it is. Selma is very smart, with very specialized knowledge. I know I have to be careful about assuming too much prior knowledge. I need to explain things thoroughly. I think of Selma when I need to write something technical or complex.

When you are writing to many readers, even thousands, it’s important to remember that each reader is an individual. Conjure up the face of your ideal reader and you’ll be amazed at how much easier it is to write and at how easy it is to strike a friendly, engaging tone.

Who is your ideal reader?