Linguistics, Language Structure, Language Variation, and Plain Language John P. Broderick, Ph.D. Old Dominion University

Linguistics is an empirical science: It bases its claims on objective analysis of perceptible data (what speakers of a language say and write) and on what they know about what they say and write. Thus, linguists are interested in what you know about English. What do you know about English? First, you know what is not English... Second, you know what is English, to various degrees: For example, are the things that I am about to say English, yes or no?

Phonology/Pronunciation/Sounds Formal Categories: Sounds: about 3 dozen Consonants and Vowels, but not, e.g., German ach or French rue. Patterns of Arrangement into Syllables: (C) + (C) + V + (C) + (C) (smart, mart, art, mar, a, but not zbart, ngar) Flayber aybul shawd velery tay mordodon.

Morphology/Vocabulary/Words Formal Categories: Morphemes: numerous Prefixes, Roots, and Suffixes, e.g., holi, day, -s, crowd, -ed, train and -s. Patterns of Arrangement into Words: (P) + (R) + R + (S) (crowded, unbreakable but not edcrowd, ablebreakun) holidays the during crowded most are trains the

Syntax/Grammar/Sentences Formal Categories: Parts of Speech: numerous Articles (e.g., the) Adjectives (e.g., fast), Nouns (e.g., trains), etc. Patterns of Arrangement into Phrases, etc.: (Art) + (Adj) + N (the fast trains but not trains fast the) The trains are most crowded during the holidays.

{the train-es are most crowd-ed during the holy-day-es} /             /

Speakers of English (you) know more than its sounds, words, and sentences; you also know that certain sub-sets of sounds, words, and sentences are consistently associated with certain groups of speakers (dialects) or with certain communicative situations (styles). For example... British Regional Dialect: “The committee are studying worker attitudes concerning the cost of petrol for the plant’s lorries. I jolly-well haven’t time to meet with them directly, but if I must, I will do later.”

Standard Social Dialect: “I’m not going to tolerate any more corruption.” Versus... Vernacular Social Dialect: “I ain’t gonna put up wit no more ripoffs.” Dialects, regional and social, are defined by the groups of speakers who use them, and use them all the time. The group can live in or come from a specific geographic location (regional dialect) or can be members of a particular social class (social dialect).

Styles (versus dialects) are sub-sets of sounds, words, and sentences that are consistently associated with certain communicative situations. Speakers don’t use them all the time but shift from one style to another. Casual Spoken Style: “Ran into a guy at the Colonel’s yesterday. Walked up to me and said, ‘How about givin’ me a buck.’ He looked so down and out, I did.”... versus... Careful Spoken Style: “I met a man at a fast-food restaurant yesterday, who approached me and requested a dollar; he looked so destitute, I decided to give him one.”

Informal Written Style: “The fact that a girl can earn her own living and may leave her husband to do so, brings out respect. Half the working women are married, which makes them an economic asset, something they haven’t been since the days of the farm. Since they’re out, the husband helps with the housework, which leads toward equality. In a marriage, there’s either equality or the stronger personality takes over”... versus... Formal Written Style: “Today’s women are in a position unique in their history. For the first time, they are not shackled by marriage: they can go out and earn their own livelihood. This fact has enhanced progress toward sexual equality. With wives spending more time outside the home, husbands assume more of the household responsibilities, and the two roles in a marriage tend to equalize. Personality rather than sex, now determines who will be the dominant partner in a marriage”

Formal written style is the subject matter of middle- school, secondary-school, and college courses in “English Composition.” Such courses often instill more insecurity than skill:  Students learn that formal written style has a rather long list of special features (of spelling, word choice, grammar, paragraph structure, etc.).  But students do not tend to learn just what those special features of formal written style are or how to use them effectively.  As a result, much writing (especially in government) tends to exaggerate (or even seems to parody) what formal written style should be.  The plain language movement arose both to tone down those exaggerations and to help people learn the special features of formal written style and use them effectively.

Some Plain-Language Resources The Plain Language Action Network (part of the National Partnership for Reinventing Government – NPR): An enormous array of resources may be found at this web site: John P. Broderick’s home page at Old Dominion University: His paper on “Reinventing Government: The Role of Plain Language” and a number of documents from the above web site that might not be so obviously accessible upon first visiting that site (which has many links):