Return-Path: <nifl-health@literacy.nifl.gov> Received: from literacy (localhost [127.0.0.1]) by literacy.nifl.gov (8.9.3/8.9.0.Beta5/980425bjb) with SMTP id OAA15105; Fri, 28 Jan 2000 14:26:18 -0500 (EST) Date: Fri, 28 Jan 2000 14:26:18 -0500 (EST) Message-Id: <20000128172528.26205.qmail@web905.mail.yahoo.com> Errors-To: listowner@literacy.nifl.gov Reply-To: nifl-health@literacy.nifl.gov Originator: nifl-health@literacy.nifl.gov Sender: nifl-health@literacy.nifl.gov Precedence: bulk From: Jan Stotts <jdstotts@yahoo.com> To: Multiple recipients of list <nifl-health@literacy.nifl.gov> Subject: [NIFL-HEALTH:2156] Re: Word Contractions X-Listprocessor-Version: 6.0c -- ListProcessor by Anastasios Kotsikonas Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii Status: OR This is a fascinating discussion. Written language is always more formal than spoken language and therefore most style books frown on contractions. The question of readability is more difficult. Although we use a lot of contractions in everyday speech, we don't always pronouce the end of the contraction. This can make it very confusing for foreign students and probably for low literacy folks. For example, ESL classes have a hard time learning English tenses for many reasons, but one of them is that people either don't pronounce the 's or 've or change it to the schwa or uh sound as in "I should uh gone home". Many low literacy students don't use have or has when writing present perfect tense because they don't use it when speaking. Oh well, who said simplifying English was easy. Jan Stotts --- Roger Pebody <roger_pebody@hotmail.com> wrote: > Interesting one... The principle of mirroring spoken > language seems a sound > one, but I remember reviewing a colleague's draft > text recently and I argued > that it should be re-written with a contraction > spelled out. (Note that the > text wasn't specifically for a low literacy > population, but readability was > an issue). > > The original draft included: > "It's not just a case of how he'd feel if I infected > him with HIV.... How do > you think I'd feel?" > > I suggested that the sense would be a lot clearer if > it was "he would" and > "I would" because a lot of meaning is loaded on the > word "would" - the idea > of conditionality, the idea of something not having > actually happened but > being a possibility. When it is contracted, the eye > can skip over the word > very quickly, and perhaps miss the meaning. > > This was all just my intuition, and I'd be happy to > have it contadicted by > research, or others' experience! What do people > think? > > Also, this may well be an exceptional case. Other > contractions such as > "don't" or "he's" are used so commonly that the same > principle may not > apply. > > > >From: Plnenglish@aol.com > >Reply-To: nifl-health@literacy.nifl.gov > >To: Multiple recipients of list > <nifl-health@literacy.nifl.gov> > >Subject: [NIFL-HEALTH:2154] Re: Word Contractions > >Date: Fri, 28 Jan 2000 04:47:32 -0500 (EST) > > > >Dear Sonia, > > > >I recommend that we do use contractions because > they represent the way we > >talk in normal conversation. The more closely > printed text represents the > >spoken language of the reader, the easier it is to > decode. What do others > >think? I can't remember seeing any hard research on > this particular > >question. > > > > > ><< Does anyone have any information on using word > contractions with > > > low literacy populations? Are they more > difficult or easier to read > >and/or > >understand? >> > > > >Audrey Riffenburgh > >President, Riffenburgh and Associates & > >Partner, PLCL Group (Specialists in Plain Language, > Culture and Literacy) > >1606 Central SE Suite 201 > >Albuquerque, New Mexico 87106 USA > >Phone: (505) 242-5808 > >Fax: (505) 246-9164 > >E-mail: plnenglish@aol.com > > ______________________________________________________ > Get Your Private, Free Email at > http://www.hotmail.com > > __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Talk to your friends online with Yahoo! Messenger. http://im.yahoo.com
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