Saturday, November 30, 2002

S P I N P R O J E C T - T U T O R I A L S

News Hooks and much more ... neat
The Plain English Movement. ERIC Digest.

"An educational group with a different approach to plain English is the NCTE Committee on Public Doublespeak, which attacks the misuse of both oral and written public language. William Lutz, chair of the committee, describes four types of "doublespeak."

EUPHEMISMS, words or phrases that soften unpleasant realities, can be used to mislead or deceive, as when the phrase "unlawful or arbitrary deprivation of life" is substituted for "killing."

JARGON, the specialized language of members of a profession, becomes doublespeak when used in addressing (and in fact confusing) nonmembers. In its annual report to stockholders, an airline explained a three-million-dollar loss due to a plane crash as "the involuntary conversion of a 727."

BUREAUCRATESE refers to the use of a sheer volume of words or complicated syntax to overwhelm audiences. One bureaucrat, testifying before a Senate committee, stated, "It is a tricky problem to find the particular calibration in timing that would be appropriate to stem the acceleration in risk premiums created by falling incomes without prematurely aborting the decline in the inflation-generated premiums."

INFLATED LANGUAGE makes the ordinary seem extraordinary, as when car mechanics are called "automotive internists" or electronics companies describe black-and-white television sets as units with "non-multicolor capability" (Lutz, 1987). While intensive analysis of manipulative language has historical roots in the general semantics of Korzybski (1933), recent scholarly applications have merged with the popular movement toward plain English." YOH
ED284273 1987-00-00 The Plain English Movement. ERIC Digest.

"The current plain English movement is affecting many areas of our society. It favors the interests of the reader and consumer over the private or organizational interests of the writer. At the same time, organizations that embrace plain English benefit from better internal communication and improved public relations. In outlining the plain English movement, this digest (1) describes how the consumer movements in the 1960s influenced federal and state legislation, (2) examines how the plain English movement has affected education, and (3) discusses publications pertinent to the movement."

List of Essential Skills

From the Canadians. It is good to see that thinking and writing are included.

Friday, November 29, 2002




Click to subscribe to plainlanguage


A really neat egroup with a bunch of enthusiastic word smiths exchanging views.
Institute for Public Accuracy - IPA

More alternative media?

Thursday, November 28, 2002

Cursor.org - news with a different slant
Welcome to Engrish.com!

Cute variations on the not plain language theme
PEN

The US government's web site on plain language - must be good!
Impact Information—Plain Language Resources

A handy page of useful links
The Plain Language Association International - Your Best Page for Effective Communication

Cheryl Stevens had a hand in this as well - links to PLAIN

Wednesday, November 27, 2002

If any man wish to write in a clear style, let him be first clear in his thoughts; and if any would write in a noble style, let him first possess a noble soul.
Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
Radio UserLand : Radio is a News Aggregator

Cutting edge stuff - if knowledge is power then this is its new source.
PS "Radio" is a trade name in this case and doesn't mean the 'wireless'.
10 rules towards successful features

"When you are starting out, you may have the right ideas, but it is unlikely you will have your own distinctive style, or that you will be able to adopt the distinctive style of any specific publication.


This does not mean you face immediate rejection. If an article is written in a solid, readable way, with a clear structure and a smooth flow from one thought to the next, one sentence to the next, and one paragraph to the next, and avoiding cliches and excessive adjectives, then it will probably sell itself on its subject matter.


The key words in the above are "readable" and "structure". Once you are experienced, every story you write will dictate its own structure, and the readability will develop organically. When you are starting out, however, you may find you have to apply these artificially. Call it, if you like, artificial respiration for bringing a freelance career to life. "

MediaChannel.org - Journalists' Toolkit

Specificially for journalist but maybe of the points are applicable across the broad spectrum of writing
Guardian Unlimited | Style guide | Guardian style guide

Very pedantic but may be useful if you are stuck

Tuesday, November 26, 2002

What is the special significance of community media to civil society?

"Community media are key to creating a strong, socially responsible civil society. They must have access to sufficient financial resources whilst respecting and preserving their independence from government and commercial media corporations. Revenues raised from the sale of spectrum and cable and telecommunications licenses should be reinvested in social communications objectives, including support for community media development. And policy initiatives that support and promote community media at regional, national, and transnational levels – such as tax incentives, production funds, and legislation supporting the creation of co-operatives and other not-for-profit organizational forms - should be devised and implemented. Communication policy development and international investment in information and communication technologies must consistently include support for community-based media."

WorkWrite Resources

A page of useful pointers.
George Monbiot

He thinks and writes in a straightforward way

Monday, November 25, 2002

7 Principles of Plain Language

Be on the Cutting Edge:
Learn These Seven Plain Language Principles Now!
By Carol Ann Wilson - an even briefer intro.
39 Steps for Writing Plain English by William Lutz


The rampant nitty gritties
Theory from the blogger


An outline of the 4D approach to popularising policy 98kb pdf file


A brief outline of how to 'demystify' jargon laden documents 173Kb pdf file
Plain English Campaign: Free guides: How to write in plain English

So what's plain English?


First let's say what plain English isn't and destroy some of the myths about it.


"It's not 'cat sat on the mat or 'Peter and Jane' writing. Almost anything - from leaflets and letters to legal documents - can be written in plain English without being patronising or over-simple.

It doesn't mean reducing the length or changing the meaning of your message. Most of the UK's biggest insurance companies produce policies that explain everything fully in plain English.

It's not about banning new words, killing off long words or promoting completely perfect grammar. Nor is it about letting grammar slip.

It is not an amateur's method of communication. Most forward-looking senior managers always write in plain English.

And finally, it is not as easy as we would like to think."
Plain Language International Network - Resources

A good place to begin. Some neat articles and useful links.