This document provides an overview of Plain Language 2.0 strategies. It discusses considering the audience's needs and context through strategies like Active Passive Voice, Text Flow using sections and structure, and Text Content focusing on parsing and coherence. The history and evolution of plain language is reviewed, noting its origins in citizen information and consumer needs. Motivations for plain language include accessibility, compliance, and productivity. Key figures who advanced plain language are also mentioned.

1. Plain
Language 2.0
ROMINA MARAZZATO SPARANO

2. Plain Language Australia

3. Gobbledygook
Literacy
& Diversity
 Science
Communication
& Policymaking
 Research &
Development
Plain Language 1.0
Citizen
Information
Service
Access
Consumer
Needs
Plain Language 2.0
Government
Bureaucracy
Legal
Jargon
Corporate
Filler

4. T-9 Agenda
1. Definition
2. Strategies
3. Motivation
4. History
Why?
How?
Who?

5. Bureaucracy
vs.
Needs

6.  Locating
 Understanding
 Acting upon
… relevant
information
Plain Language is about…

7. the idiomatic
and grammatical
use of language
that most effectively
presents ideas
to the reader

8. Strategies
How?

9. Plain Language
Strategies
PL Text ::
APT3
Text Content
Purpose
Text Design
Text Flow

10. Consider your reader
 questions, interests, needs
Beware the Curse of Knowledge!
 contextualize appropriately
How?

11. *Overcoming Textbook Fatigue
by ReLeah Cossett Lent
 Provide context with your readers’
prior knowledge in mind

12.  Address your readers needs
from their point of view

Children, Disabilities,
2nd Language

General Public

Specialists

13. HERD IMMUNITY

Context
for
kids
Hey guys – I don’t even feel
any rain! Why are you doing
this again? Just put down the
stupid umbrellas—they’re
bad for your arms anyway.

14. Purpose
Lead with your topic
 scaffolding for learning & action
Plan a clear destination
 set goals & expectations
How?

15. The Blue Book by TARSHI http://www.tarshi.net/For Teenagers 15+
Purpose
 Your topic is the primary lifeline
to your readers prior knowledge

16. Purpose
 Scaffolding for learning and action
> familiarity eases parallel processing
To get started, a newspaper is better than a magazine. After this, a
seashore is a better place than a street. One needs lots of room. At first, it
is better to run than to walk. Also, you may have to try several times. It
takes some skill but it's easy to learn. Once successful, complications are
minimal. Birds seldom get too close. And rain soaks in very fast. Too many
people doing the same thing can also cause problems. But if there are no
complications, it can be very peaceful. A rock will serve as an anchor if you
need to rest. If things break loose, however, you will not get a second
chance.

17. Original Bransford & Johnson Text
The procedure is actually quite simple. First, you arrange things into different
groups. Of course, one pile may be sufficient depending on how much there is to
do. If you have to go somewhere else due to lack of facilities, that is the next step;
otherwise, you are pretty well set. It is important not to overdo things. That is, it is
better to do too few things at once than too many. In the short run, this may not
seem important but complications can easily arise. A mistake can be expensive as
well. At first, the whole procedure will seem complicated. Soon, however, it will
become just another fact of life. It is difficult to foresee any end to the necessity
for this task in the immediate future, but then one can never tell. After the
procedure is completed one arranges the materials into different groups again.
Then they can be put into their appropriate places. Eventually, they will be used
once more, and the whole cycle will then have to be repeated. However, that is
part of life.
Purpose

18. Include only the details
your readers need
Pupose Purpose
 Create a road map with clear destinations

19. Purpose
learningfundamentals.com.au

20. Text Flow
Organize your information
 headlines, sections, lists …
Structure your ideas
 hierarchy, sequence, Q&A …
How?

21. Flow
 Break it up!
Use sections, headlines, lists

22. Sequence Timeline
Cause
Effect
Question
Answer
Hierarchy
Flow
 Which text structure?

23. Flow

24. Text Content
Use grammar sense!
 length, word order, parsing
Build your discourse
 cohesion, coherence
How?

25. Content
 Use active voice & SVO order
for the right reasons!
Subject means aboutness, not agency
A reminder will be sent to the patient.
You will receive a reminder.
PROCESS
USER
My dog died.

26. #
ROLE
1 Participant
Intransitive
2 Participants
Transitive
‘doer’
Subject +
ACTIVE VOICE
The storm raged on.
‘doer’
Subject +
ACTIVE VOICE + Object
The storm destroyed the city.
‘doer’ ‘done-to’
‘done-to’
Subject +
ACTIVE VOICE
The city collapsed.
‘done-to’
Subject +
PASSIVE VOICE (+ Compl.)
The city was destroyed
‘done-to’ (by the storm.)
‘doer’
Unaccusative
Unergative Transitive
Transitive

27. The baby, Jack tells his wife, had been brought to the
hospital by a fireman, who had been dissuaded from
adopting the child himself.
Content
 In defense of the passive
‘Doer’ is
Unknown
Relevant to ‘done-to’ view
Heavy and new!

28. This is a grammatically correct sequence.
Grammar
Rules!
Content
 Avoid noun piling & garden paths
Parsing is nested!

29. Content
We convinced her students have the maturity to talk about
difficult subjects.
Steel knives are made from is often high-carbon steel.
that / RELATIVE CLAUSE
ACCUSATIVE +SUBORDINATE
Garden Paths

30. Name Piling
Buried cable technician
Gamma-aminobutiric acid
Content

31.  Cohesion: use of connectivity devices
> markers, referencing, concept-families
Content
Police Report (uses 3rd person!)
When the suspect walked into the store, he was wearing a
stocking mask.
*When he walked into the store, the suspect was wearing a
stocking mask.

32. T1 R1
T1 R2
Constant
T1 R1
Ta R2 Tb R3
Tc R4
DerivedLinear
T1 R1
T2 R2
Content
 Coherence: Logical message progression
given before new
Story-telling
THEME RHEME

33. A hurricane is a huge storm that swirls around a
low-pressure center of mostly calm weather.
The low-pressure center of the storm is known as the eye of the
hurricane
Content
.
In the eye, winds are light and precipitation low.
Above the eye, skies are usually clear.
Around the eye, a thick ring of towering thunderstorms
form the wall of the hurricane…

34. Content
.
A hurricane is a huge storm.
Hurricanes rotate in a counter-clockwise direction around
an "eye" in the Northern Hemisphere.
The center of the storm or "eye" is the calmest part.
When they come onto land, the heavy rain, strong winds
and large waves can damage buildings , trees, and cars.




35.  Text 1
Content
A hurricane is a huge storm that swirls around a low- pressure
center of mostly calm weather. The center of the storm is
known as the eye of the hurricane. In the eye, winds are light
and precipitation low. Above the eye, skies are usually clear.
Around the eye, a thick ring of towering thunderstorms forms
the wall of the hurricane. This is where winds are strongest and
rain is heaviest. Outside the wall, swirls of clouds and rain form
orbiting thunderstorms and tornadoes. These are called rain
bands and usually stretch out for hundreds of miles.

36. A hurricane is a huge storm that can be up to 600 miles across
and have strong winds. Hurricanes gather heat and energy
through contact with warm ocean waters. Each hurricane usually
lasts for over a week, moving 10-20 miles per hour. Evaporation
from the seawater increases their power. Hurricanes rotate in a
counter-clockwise direction around an "eye" in the Northern
Hemisphere. The center of the storm or "eye" is the calmest part.
When they come onto land, the heavy rain, strong winds, and
large waves can damage buildings, trees, and cars.
Content



 Text 2

37. The peregrine falcon was brought back from the brink of
extinction by a ban on DDT, but also by a peregrine-falcon mating
hat invented by an ornithologist at Cornell University. If you can’t
buy this, Google it. Female falcons had grown dangerously
scarce...
The peregrine falcon was brought back from the brink of
extinction by a ban on DDT, but also by a peregrine-falcon
mating hat invented by an ornithologist at Cornell University. If
you can’t buy this, Google it. Female falcons had grown
dangerously scarce. A few wistful males nevertheless
maintained a sort of sexual loitering ground…

38. Text DesignText Design
Catch your readers’ eye
 Formatting, space, visual elements
Use data visualization
 Infographics, pattern libraries

39. Design

40. Patient
instructions
Design

41. Recap
 Definition
 Strategies: APT3
 Audience: … Needs & Context
 Purpose: … Topic & Relevance
 Text Flow: … Sections & Structure
 Text Content: … Parsing & Coherence
 Text Design … Formatting & Data Visualization
Purpose
Text Flow
Text Content
Text Design

42. Motivations
Why?

43. Written Language & the Brain
Why?
The brain constructs the message
differently for reading and listening

44. Subject Matter
Why?
Writers
Readers
LegaleseLearning
Disabilities
I
Immigration &
2nd language
AcademeseLimited
Schooling
Bureaucratese

45. JUDGE: The charge here is theft of frozen chickens.
Are you the defendant?
DEFENDANT: No, sir, I'm the guy who stole the chickens.*
Why?
•preponderance of the evidence =
“slow and careful pondering of the evidence”
•speculate = ? burden of proof = ?
*Disorder in the Coutroom, Sevilla.

46. Why?
Locating information | Low level Inference | High-level Inference
verbatim | | & Interpretation
TOMATO SOUP
$1.15
Weight: 3.5 oz
Packaged on:
5/17/12
ORANGE JUICE
$2.99
Weight: 64 oz
Packaged on:
11/8/12
BEEF JERKY
$6.29
Weight: 16 oz
Packaged on:
2/24/12
PEANUT
BUTTER
$3.36
Weight: 28 oz
Packaged on:
3/24/12

47. Plain Language in the Sciences?
 25% of adults do not understand Earth orbit
 30% of adults do not understand how science works
 50% of major bills have a major scientific component
 66% of reporters cannot interpret scientific results
 Juries evaluate technical evidence (DNA-based, etc.)
 Scientists do not reach one another
 73% more citations if reported by The New York Times
 Taxpayers do not have access to publicly funded research
1 year
Why?
From National Science Foundation, National Center for Biotechnology Information& Pew Research

48.  Plain Language
… does it work?
 Satisfaction
 Safety
 Savings & Productivity
 Access
 Compliance

49. Before
After
FDA

50. LongVersion
ShortVersion

51. History
Who? When? Where?

52. Chrissie
Maher
1971
1979
Who?

53. Help British Aerospace
1st lease for $180 M
6 months > 25 days!
redraft lease contract > 1/3 length!
Who?

54. 1969 NYC
Consumer Affairs
197
3
Bess
Myerson
Who?

55. No failure or delay on the part of the Bank in exercising, and
no failure to file or otherwise enforce the Bank’s security
interest in or with respect to any Collateral, shall operate as a
waiver of any right or remedy hereunder or release any of the
undersigned, and the Obligation of the undersigned may be
extended or waived by the Bank, any contract or other
agreement evidencing or relating to any Obligation or any
Collateral may be amended and any Collateral exchanged,
surrendered or otherwise dealt with in accordance with any
agreement relative thereto, all without affecting the liability of
any of the undersigned.
You can delay enforcing any of your rights
under this note without losing them.
Who?

56. U.S.. Department of Interior,
Bureau of Land Management
John O’Hayre
1966
Maury Maverick
1944
Who?

57. Quintilian
~70 CE
Henry V
~1420 CE
Alphonse X
~1250 CE
You should put the reader
in such a position
that he can not
misunderstand you.
Who?

58. It’s the Law!
Who?

59. PL Action & Information Network
Who?

60. Kathryn Catania
Katherine Spivey
Who?

61. Center for Health
Literacy
UARK
How to Talk to Your
Doctor HANDbook
Who?

62. Who?

63. Who?

64. Who?
“Brexit means Brexit and we’re going to make a
Titanic success of it.”
British Politician

65. Summary T-9 Agenda
► Definition
► Strategies
► Motivation
► History & Evolution

66. Summary  Locate
 Understand
 Use
… relevant info
 Needs
 Context
 Parsing
 Coherence
Text Content
 Formatting
 Data Visualization
Text Design
 Sections
 Logical Structure
Text Flow
 Readers:
 Needs & Interests
 Writers:
 Jargon & Logic
 Topic
 Relevance
Purpose

67. Diversity &
Science
Citizen
Access
GobbledygookClarity Fuels Progress APT3
Strategies
Clear & Elegant
Prose

68. Thank you!!!
romina at languagecompass dot com
In the event of trials and tribulations with this
presentations, please do no hesitate to approach the
speaker. She will gladly engage in dialog with you!
Λ
Questions? Just ask!

69. References
Adams, Keneth (2014) “Banishing Shall From Business Contracts: throwing the baby out with the bathwater.” In: The
Australian Corporate Lawyer. Vole 24 Issue 3– September.12-13.
https://www.scribd.com/document/360474965/Banishing-Shall-From-Business-Contracts-ACLA
Asprey, Michèle M. (2010): Plain Language for Lawyers (4th edition). Annandale, NSW Federation Press.
Asprey, Michèlle. (2005 ) “Plain Language Around the World.”
http://www.federationpress.com.au/PDFs/AspreyCh4Exp.pdf
Bransford, J.D., & Johnson, M.K. (1972). “Contextual prerequisites for understanding: Some investigations of
comprehension and recall.” In: Journal of Verbal Learning and Verbal Behavior, 11, 717-726.
Butt, Peter & Castle, Richard (2013): Modern Legal Drafting: A Guide to Using Clearer Language (3rd edition).
Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Dejica, Daniel & Cozma, Mihaela (2014). Using Theme-Rheme Analysis for Improving Coherence and Cohesion in
Target-Texts: A Methodological Approach. Procedia - Social and Behavioral Sciences. 84. https://ac.els-
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Duncan, David. (2008) “Cherish This Ectasy.” In: The Sun, July. https://www.thesunmagazine.org/issues/391/cherish-
this-ecstasy

70. Duncan A. MacDonald. (2015) “How Miss America Changed City Bank.”
https://www.americanbanker.com/opinion/how-miss-america-changed-citibank-part-i
Giordano, Michela (2014): “Crystal Mark, Clear Mark and Write Mark: assessing websites’ clarity and usability
across three English-speaking cultures.” ESP Across Cultures 11: 75-93.
Lemens, Chris and Kenneth A. Adams (2015): “Fixing your contracts: what training in contract
drafting can and can’t do.” Docket 22 September 2015.
http://www.accdocket.com/articles/fixing-your-contracts.cfm
Monteiro, Claudia. Linguagem Clara. “A brief review of ‘Plain English’ and ‘Português Claro’ (Plain Portuguese)
campaigns.” https://prezi.com/ifgaah3di647/linguagem-clara/
O’Hare, John (1966): Gobbledygook Has Gotta Go. Washington D.C.. U.S. Government Printing Office.
http://www.governmentattic.org/15docs/Gobbledygook_Has_Gotta_Go_1966.pdf
OECD Literacy in the Information Age FINAL REPORT OF THE INTERNATIONAL ADULT LITERACY SURVEY
https://www.oecd.org/edu/skills-beyond-school/41529765.pdf
Pinker, Steven. (2014 )The Sense of Style. New York. Penguin.

71. Plain English Campaign (Maher, Chrissie, et al.) 1997. Born to crusade: One woman’s battle to wipe out
gobbledygook and legalese. New Mills, High Peak.
http://www.plainenglish.co.uk/files/born_to_crusade.pdf
SEC. A Plain English Handbook: How to Create Clear SEC Disclosure Documents. (1999)
https://www.sec.gov/pdf/handbook.pdf
Sevilla, Charles.(1999) Disorder in the Court: Great Fractured Moments in Courtroom History. W. W. Norton &
Company.
Tiersma, Peter. “The Plain English Movement.” http://www.languageandlaw.org/PLAINENGLISH.HTM
Williams, Christopher (2005). Tradition and Change in Legal English: Verbal Constructions in Prescriptive Texts.
Bern: Peter Lang.
Williams, Christopher (2015). “Changing with the Times: The Evolution of Plain Language in the Legal Sphere.
Alicante Journal of English Studies 28 (2015): 183-203. University of Foggia. Italy.
https://rua.ua.es/dspace/bitstream/10045/54185/1/RAEI_28_10.pdf

72. Lenguaje Claro en la Justicia Argentina: https://www.argentina.gob.ar/noticias/lenguaje-claro-
en-la-justicia
Comisión de Lenguaje Claro del Poder Judicial de Chile: http://www.pjud.cl/primer-concurso-
de-sentencias-con-lenguaje-claro
Australian Office of Parliamentary Counsel: http://www.opc.gov.au/plain/index.htm
Good law initiative in the UK: https://www.gov.uk/good-law
Government of Canada call for plain language: http://www.btb.termiumplus.gc.ca/tcdnstyl-
chap?lang=eng&lettr=chapsect13&info0
Klarsprak, Language Council in Sweden:
http://www.sprakochfolkminnen.se/sprak/klarsprak.html
Kotus, Institute for the Languages of Finland https://www.kotus.fi
Manual de Lenguaje Claro de México:
https://www.gob.mx/cms/uploads/attachment/file/7260/Manual_Lenguaje_Claro.pdf
Government Initiatives

73. New Zealand Office of Parliamentary Counsel ‘Principles of clear drafting’:
http://www.pco.parliament.govt.nz/clear-drafting/
Office of the Scottish Parliamentary Counsel on drafting legislation in plain language:
http://www.gov.scot/Publications/2006/02/17093804/0
Sprakradet, Language Council in Norway: http://www.sprakradet.no
US Plain Writing Act of 2010. https://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/BILLS-111hr946enr/pdf/BILLS-
111hr946enr.pdf
US Federal Government Plain Language Action and Information Network:
http://www.plainlanguage.gov/

74. Claro Portugal: http://www.claro.pt/
Clarity International in Canada: http://www.clarity-international.net
Communication Research Institute in Australia: http://communication.org.au
Lenguaje Jurídico de Chile http://www.lenguajejuridico.com/lenguaje-claro-chile/
Plain English Campaign in the UK (Crystal Mark provider): http://www.plainenglish.co.uk/
Plain Language Commission in the UK: http://www.clearest.co.uk/pages/home
Plain Language Association International (PLAIN): http://www.plainlanguagenetwork.org/
Plain Language Australia: http://www.plainlanguageaustralia.com/
Scribes: The American Society for Legal Writers in the US: http://www.scribes.org
Writemark Plain English Standard in New Zealand: http://www.writemark.co.nz/
Organizations & Plain Language Providers

75. https://tremary.deviantart.com/art/How-dare-you-to-change-Wondy-272890827
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https://www.123rf.com/profile_macrovector
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https://www.123rf.com/profile_studiostoks
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77. Unknown Author is licensed under CC BY-NC-SA
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http://www.loc.gov/pictures/item/2017693169/
Photo: DON HOGAN CHARLES / New York Times
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All Logos and Trademarks and the property of their respective owners and are used
in this presentation for educational purposes
https://www.nationalgeographic.com/content/dam/environment/photos/000/002/200.ng
sversion.1491444014261.adapt.1900.1.jpg