LANGUAGE SIMPLIFIED
AT A RECENT meeting of members of the Chartered Institute of Journalists there were complaints about how babbling language and ever-increasing use of technical words and phrases were making comprehension far more difficult. A speaker harked back to the days of ‘Basic English’, devised in the mid-war years by Cambridge graduate Charles Kay Ogden and adopted by BBC newsreaders for decades.
Radio listeners would tune in to: “Here is the six o’clock news being read in Basic English by Alvar Liddell.” Charles Kay Ogden’s book ‘Basic English: A General Introduction’ had been the starting point. He was a journalist and regarded as being somewhat eccentric.
During his time at Cambridge he helped found the Heretics Society which questioned authority and religion. Speakers at its debates included Rupert Brooke, G K Chesterton, Bertrand Russell, George Bernard Shaw and Virginia Woolf.
After Cambridge, Ogden worked as an editor of several learned publications and was a busy translator. He built up an impressive library of books, mainly about philosophy.
LEARNING ENGLISH
Above all, Ogden concentrated on his Basic English. The aim was to simplify the language, while keeping it as normal-sounding as possible, initially to help foreign students who were learning English.
He restricted grammar severely. He allowed a vocabulary of just 850 words that included 18 verbs. This basic word list could be supplemented with affixes and personal terms, minimally. The rules of Basic English are like ordinary English, but far simpler.
It was employed enthusiastically by the BBC and emulated in French schools, but its limitations soon became apparent. Various attempts were made to adapt and extend it. Basic English took a battering but there were no knock-out blows.
Rather, the principles have been developed to reduce ambiguity, make technical writing clearer and assist people whose first language is other than English. The Plain English Campaign, for instance, has edited and rewritten over 22,000 documents worldwide, in order to make them coherent.
The rise of global communications and international media require simple structures if they are to be understood far and wide.
UNFATHOMABLE
Regrettably, English has been prostituted in many spheres and its use can be over-complicated at best, unfathomable at worst. There is no need to be verbose, obscure or misleading. Almost anything can be written in straightforward English, without being simplistic or patronising.
Plain English is faster to write and easier to read. You will convey your messages in a friendlier yet more penetrating way. Write with the reader in mind. Be clear and concise. Most long sentences can be broken up. Stick to including one main idea in any sentence, perhaps with another entirely related point.
Use words that are appropriate for the audience. Say exactly what you mean, using the simplest words that fit. Avoid using jargon, unless you are communicating with people who will understand the phrases and terms. Don’t try to be trendy by deliberately breaking grammatical rules.
We need more champions of transparent language. Then, we’ll have more readers and listeners who feel involved, welcoming the writers as being considerate and approachable.
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