It should be emphasized that the use of short sentences, simple words, and
personal references does not automatically make the writing good. It merely
avoids one common way in which writing is bad. The highest score is not
always the best writing. A score of 100 would probably insult the readers of
scientific journals. A high score does not ensure that readers will enjoy what
you write or that you will enjoy writing it. But it goes a long way toward
ensuring that people can, if they must, answer questions about it.In summary, then, we can say that written communication can be made
more reliable (1) by educating the reader and (2) by simplifying the writing.
The two approaches together have much to contribute to the practical and
persistent problem of letting the people know.
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
| 1. | A man's speech is affected by the structure of the language he speaks, by the situation in which he is placed, and by personal reactions that depend upon his own particular past. Can any one of these aspects be studied without considering the others? |
| 2. | How would you devise a test to measure how effectively a person uses words in combinations? Would this test show a high correlation with an intelligence test that estimates the size of the person's vocabulary? |
| 3. | Could you devise scales to measure aspects of language other than difficulty? What aspects do you suggest? How would you proceed? |
| 4. | What statistical indices would you use to make a quantitative comparison of the verbal habits of psychotics and of the average person? |
| 5. | Are grammatical categories the best possible ones for the psychological analysis of language? Can they be used in modified forms, or would you attempt to create entirely new categories? |
SELECTED REFERENCES
| FLESCH R. The Art of Plain Talk. New York: Harper, 1946. A readable book that tells you how to write readable English. | |
| GRAY W. S., and B. E. LEARY. What Makes a Book Readable. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1935. This exploratory work provides a gold mine of information on verbal statistics and readability. | |
| SANFORD F. H. Speech and personality. Psychol. Bull., 1942, 39, 811-845. A thorough review of research on individual differences in verbal expression. |
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