Florida: More on plain English: Wherefore...and what?!

[Harold F. Schiffman]

Jimbalaya

Wherefore  and what?!

By JIM HARRINGTON

Gov. Crist brought some more light on government with his plan to make
state-level government speak to its residents in English, or plain
language, without all the wherefores, whereas and heretofores that pile up
in everything from letters to agendas at public meetings. As reported in
both Tampa Bay daily newspapers and by the governors own office, the Plain
Talk Initiative is his first executive order to ensure clear, common
language is used in government documents and information is presented in a
logical sequence. The new standards require short sentences written in
active voice and a visually clear layout design. The deadline for review
of existing communications, publications and other documents is April 2,
2007.

You hear people throw out these acronyms, Crist said in the Times. Its
very difficult to understand, and Ive always sort of had this sense that
theres an arrogance about that. My only wish is that the governor had some
sway over business communication. You know, stuff you get from the bank.
Pursuant to our previously discussed agreement, I am enclosing two notices
that require your authorization before they can be executed. How about Per
our conversation, Im asking you to sign these two forms.? Along those
lines, the Securities and Exchange Commission issued A Plain English
Handbook to help make certain documents are a little easier to read and
understand. The author of that book, William Lutz, wrote a great book that
Ive checked out from the library a few times. Its titled Double-Speak From
Revenue Enhancement to Terminal Living.

Lutz defines double-speak, the antithesis of which is the notable aim of
the plain-language policy, as language that pretends to communicate but
really doesnt. It is language that makes the bad seem good, the negative
appear positive, the unpleasant appear attractive or at least tolerable. I
understand the predicament that government clerks face when they write an
agenda. I just wish that one day I could see the words looking for bids,
instead of the usual request for proposal, or RFP. Even request for bids
sounds better. Im not proposing to the government.  Im married. Heres
another one I dont like. BOLO, which is police-speak for be on the
lookout. A typical news release from the police might read like this. The
police chief has issued a BOLO for a tall, dark-haired Caucasian male who
was last seen in the immediate vicinity of Wood Lane and Mayberry Road.
How about shortening that down to this? The police chief wants his
officers and the public to watch out for a tall, white male with dark hair
who was last seen by Wood Lane and Mayberry Road.

Then theres CIP, which stands for Capital Improvement Plan. How about
long-term budget? Its nice to see government embracing common sense. With
any luck, businesses will catch up and drop the pretentious lingo.

Jim Harrington is the editor of the Largo Leader, Clearwater Citizen.
Article published on Wednesday, Jan. 31, 2007 Copyright Tampa Bay
Newspapers: All rights reserved.

http://www.tbnweekly.com/editorial/viewpoints/content_articles/013107_vpt-03.txt

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