[Sussex] Do we confuse you?

[Steve Dobson]

John

On Fri, Apr 08, 2005 at 01:03:59PM +0100, John D. wrote:
<snip>
> As I say Geoff, I like plain english. It's also helpful for other
> reasons, I suspect that if someone writes a "doc" about whatever aspect
> of IT in plain english (possibly even "crystal marked") we'd be more
> likely to get a good/reasonably copy when "it's" been shoved through a
> piece of translation software so that others, who have english as a
> first language, can also benefit (and the same example in reverse,
> because I doubt it's just english speakers who "suffer" from this).
<snip>

Could you please define what it is you mean by "plain english".  By
using the common noun word "english" rather than the proper noun
word "English" you must be referring to the American term for, what we
here in England call, "spin".  I thought that a "plain" shoot in Snooker
was one where no "spin" was applied to the cue ball when struck with 
the cue.

Okay, I am being deliberately obtuse here (don't flame me please) to
make a point.  At the risk of putting words into John's mouth he is
asking for us to reduce the vocabulary that we use to communicate so
that more people can understand and follow what is discussed.  While
this sounds reasonable, be careful for what you ask - you just might get
it.

I reject the accusation that jargon is used to exclude the general
public from a specialisation or profession.  This list is a good
example of why I reject it, because anyone asking "what do you mean
by?" will normally get a full explanation, sometimes overly full.

So, if we are not trying to exclude, why do we use jargon?  I think
the answer is clear: to be precise.  At least that why I do it, and 
I expect the other "experts" on this list do to.  Within the context
that the jargon is used it has a very narrow meaning, and what would
otherwise take a sentence, maybe even a paragraph, can be expressed
using a word or two.

So when John asks for "plain [E]nglish" that says to me that John
wishes me to "dumb down" my English because he is too lazy to:

  1). Look the word up in a dictionary.  You might be surprised
      how many jargon words are in a good, upto date dictionary.

  2). If you can't find the word in a dictionary then google for it.
      "google" can be found on page 746 of the Oxford Dictionary of
      English" (second edition) published in 2003.

  3). Ask.  If I don't reply it is because someone else has beaten
      me to it.

I don't like this current trend of "dumbing down".  I think it 
degrades all concerned.  I know John, so I know that he won't mind
me picking on him[1] as I rant on about a tread in society that I
don't like.  I believe it is better to educate people up, to assume
that everyone is capable of more than they currently are.  It is 
more respectful for a start, and for a second it doesn't require that
we ask the question of how low should we set the bar.

So I will close with this thought.  If you ask a question of me on
this list I will give you the answer, if I can, at no cost, but it
isn't for free.  I expect you to pay my price, and my price is to
learn my language.  If you don't want to pay that price then you
are free not to, but at the same time I am free not to talk to you
either.  So if you want "plain English" you may get it not because
experts "dumb down" there talk, but because they stop talking to 
you.

Steve

[1]
Weather I am correct in that assumption is a different matter.  :-)