[NIFL-HEALTH:3458] Re: Readability formulas

From: Christina Zarcadoolas (Christina_Zarcadoolas@brown.edu)
Date: Fri Nov 16 2001 - 11:17:10 EST


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From: Christina Zarcadoolas <Christina_Zarcadoolas@brown.edu>
To: Multiple recipients of list <nifl-health@literacy.nifl.gov>
Subject: [NIFL-HEALTH:3458] Re: Readability formulas
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At 10:59 AM 11/16/01 -0500, you wrote:
>At 09:50 AM 11/16/01 -0500, you wrote:
>
>Sorry,
>The quote I intended as a followup to Mark H's posting - didn't seem to
>post : I'll try again and forgive me.


cz

>


"The limitation of judging readability solely through surface structure 
elements is shown vividly by Gordon in his analysis of Plato's Parmenides 
(1980).  Using two popular readability formulas ( Dale-Chall 1948 and Fry 
1968) Gordon found that passages from the Plato work were falling between 
4th and 6th grade reading levels.  Gordon's warning about using criteria 
such as number of words, length and complexity of sentences and syllables, 
to judge readability is convincing and yet today, two decades later, goes 
undeeded ( Gordon 1980)

Gordon, Robert M.  "The readability of Unreadable Texts."  In English 
Journal.  March 1980, Vol. 89, No., 3, pp. 60-61.



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