Technological jargon and the abbreviations used in text messages pose a new threat to clear language, the Plain English Campaign has warned on its 30th anniversary.

The Plain English Campaign is 30 years old.

The organisation says incomprehensible instruction manuals and the ‘text speak’ associated with mobile phones and the internet can be as hard to understand as the legal language of ‘small print’.

Chrissie Maher, the veteran campaigner who began the war on waffle on this day in 1979, said the increasing acceptance of street slang could prevent younger generations from benefiting from clearer communication.

The 71-year-old said: “Youngsters have their own jargon and that’s all very well in its place but if they aren’t taught plain English it will hold them back when it comes to applying for jobs, signing hospital forms or applying for credit in a shop.

“Technology has brought benefits but also a lot of jargon and poor language that is not easily understood. With mobile phones it is so easy to slip back into text language and then suddenly you have used ‘woz’ instead of ‘was’ in a formal letter without even realising.”

Research shows three-quarters of school pupils believe it is acceptable to use abbreviations such as ‘lol’ in academic assignments, and exam boards including the Scottish Qualifications Authority have admitted answers containing text message language are given some marks as long as they are correct (…).

Author: Alastair Jamieson

See: Telegraph.co.uk