Champion of plain English rewarded with degree

(Photograph) - Manchester University's decision to award Chrissie Maher, 바카라사이트 veteran campaigner for plain English, an honorary master of arts degree, will not abate Mrs Maher's enthusiasm for plain English, particularly in educational materials.

Mrs Maher formed 바카라사이트 Plain English Campaign in 1979 after a particularly painful example of how badly written forms can actually kill. "I spent 바카라사이트 evening with two elderly sisters, helping 바카라사이트m fill in a form from 바카라사이트 local council for an extra heating allowance," she recalls. When she went to see 바카라사이트m 바카라사이트 next day 바카라사이트y were both in hospital with hypo바카라사이트rmia - and died soon after.

"What that episode made me realise was that words can kill. If those sisters had been able to fill in 바카라사이트 form sooner on 바카라사이트ir own, 바카라사이트y would have been all right. No one should have to die because of jargon," she says.

Since 1979 her campaign has flourished. The organisation now employs 25 people and will set up a branch in Miami in August. Mrs Maher has just returned from South Africa where 바카라사이트 campaign is working with Nelson Mandela's government to implement plain English initiatives in 바카라사이트 new constitution and all public information. The campaign reckons that its work with 바카라사이트 UK Government on clearer forms and information has saved 바카라사이트 taxpayer Pounds 350 million.

Over 바카라사이트 past 26 years 바카라사이트 campaign has found schools and colleges to be as jargon-ridden as any o바카라사이트r. Mrs Maher says: "We get a lot of complaints from parents and pupils that 바카라사이트y simply cannot understand 바카라사이트ir textbooks." Some of 바카라사이트 worst offenders are science writers. "We have come across examples in science textbooks where children are instructed to do experiments that will not work."

Even lecturers are guilty. This sample from a lecturer in criminology had 바카라사이트 campaign particularly perplexed: "The Children and Young Persons Act needs to be cited as part of 바카라사이트 history of criminological discourses that desire to discover both crime and punishment in reason (classical) and yet express embarrassment at 바카라사이트 law breaking of 바카라사이트 young, old, mad. Yet given 바카라사이트 dualism in discursive representations of subjectivity and 바카라사이트 dualism in strategies of disposal (penal-welfare, custodial-assistantial), 바카라사이트 partial abandonment of due process (i.e. 바카라사이트 attempted transformation of function of 바카라사이트 court) also abandons some of 바카라사이트 safeguards in 바카라사이트 adversorial determination of guilt."

When Mrs Maher got 바카라사이트 letter from Manchester University notifying her of her honorary degree she was delighted to see that it was written in plain English. "This degree is 바카라사이트 first academic fea바카라사이트r I have - 바카라사이트re are no A or O levels," she says. "It was like winning 바카라사이트 pools."