Three Definitions of Plain Language

By Cheryl Stephens

Definition 1 -- Brian Garner

Brian Garner, in The Elements of Legal Style, answers:

What do we mean by "plain language"? I define it as the idiomatic and grammatical use of language that most effectively presents ideas to the reader. By that definition, plain language may be, in some sense, unplain. Who would call Kant's categorical imperative plain, despite the seeming simplicity of the words? "Act as if the maxim on which you act were to become, through your will, a universal law." On the other hand, who would volunteer to simplify it?

Most of us, when writing, are not framing Dantian thoughts. We should stick to a plain approach. Our age prefers it... Your readers are the ones, finally, who matter: You have invited them to attend your words, you seek their precious time, and you may even expect to be paid for your efforts. Courtesy requires that you show your readers some grace and consideration.

Definition 2 -- The Minister of Multiculturalism and Citizenship

The Office of the Minister of Multiculturalism and Citizenship of Canada says, in Plain Language: Clear and Simple:

"Plain language writing is a technique of organizing information in ways that make sense to the reader. It uses straightforward, concrete, familiar words. You can use these techniques to adapt what you have to say to the reading abilities of the people who are likely to read your document. Using plain language to explain concepts and procedures involves using examples that relate to your reader's experience..."

Plain language:

• Reaches people who cannot read well.
• Helps all readers understand information.
• Avoids misunderstandings and errors.
• Saves time, because it gets the job done well the first time.

Definition 3 -- Cathy Chapman

Cathy Chapman was Director of the National Literacy Secretariat and was a key person in the Canadian government's plain language implementation program. At the Just Language Conference in Vancouver, she offered this definition:

"Plain language is a technique of organizing information in ways that make sense to the reader, and thinking about your reader first and foremost and using language that is appropriate for your audience's reading skills."

In its annual report for 1991-1992, the Plain Language Institute of British Columbia stated:

"When we first tell people that we promote the use of plain language in legal documents, most breathe a sigh of relief. They think they will never again have to wade through Latin, archaic English, or incomprehensible legal terms. But when you work with the language of law or government, you quickly realize that the challenge of plain language goes far beyond vocabulary. You also have to think about how words are used, sentences constructed, documents designed, and how people infer meaning from words."

But even well-organized sentences that use commonly understood words can be presented on the page in a way that makes the message hard to understand. Organizations such as the Communications Research Institute in Australia and the American Document Design Centre (now the Information Design Center) have done a great deal of work to understand how design affects readability. They have helped create a body of knowledge about almost every aspect of how words appear on paper.

Despite all that we have learned, defining what is "plain" remains elusive. What is completely understandable to one reader may be beyond another's comprehension. Mark Vale, a specialist in clear language and information management, points our that words are merely symbols, and have no inherent meaning.

Meaning exists in the minds of people. If they wish to communicate with one another, they must choose symbols which mean similar things to both writer and reader. But how do we know what meaning a reader will give to any particular word symbol? Our task is made even more difficult, and more critical, with the knowledge that more than one in three Canadian adults have some difficulty reading.

Reading theorists point out that people receive meaning from text by reading a sentence and inferring the author's meaning from it. The ability to make the correct inference depends on, and varies with, the knowledge each reader has of the world in general and the specific concepts which the writer addressed. Asking "What does my reader know and understand?" can help the writer choose appropriate words to deliver a message.

The best way to know how readers will interpret words is to ask them. Plain language means testing documents. Many people fear document testing is an expensive and time-consuming process. But there are many ways to test a document that need not be a vacuum for money and time. For certain critical and widely distributed documents, even expensive tests are cheaper than the economic, social and personal costs that result when people are unable to understand the documents important to their lives.

Plain language is not, as some suggest, "sending Dick and Jane to court." Nor is it a false art of rendering English down to a small monosyllabic vocabulary. It is the appropriate and correct use of the full vocabulary in well-structured sentences, following established rules of grammar. It is language that is free of jargon and chosen with sensitivity to the needs and prior knowledge of the intended reader.

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