Vocabulary Expands, Need for Clarity Remains the Same

The English language has undergone immense change from when it was first introduced to the British Isles in the 5th Century by three Germanic tribes -- Angles, Saxons, and Jutes -- through its transformation into Middle English at the time of the Norman invasion of 1066, to the present day (Mother Tongue, Bill Bryson). Our language is still in flux as vocabulary continues to expand.  The folks at Merriam-Webster have added at least one hundred words to their dictionary each year since 2006.  An example of this expansion can be found at TBO.com, where the 2008 additions are discussed. What remains the same in the midst of these changes is the skill necessary to be clear and communicate intended meaning when writing.

Although I have been writing throughout my adult life, I have still managed to accumulate a number of text books and handbooks explaining the common errors made in English and how they should be corrected. From The Technique of Composition (Taft, et al.) published in 1960 to A Writer's Reference (Diana Hacker) which appeared in 2003, the topics remain the same: writing mechanics, sentence structure, grammar, punctuation, research techniques, and spelling. I believe tools for clear writing should be available to everyone, and not just English students and writers. These skills need to be made relevant to everyday life and not just a list of rules in some obscure textbook. 

My first job out of college was as a corporate newsletter editor and "information specialist." My boss's favorite saying? "Abjure obfuscation." Brevity combined with clarity became my ever-present goal, and he taught me more about writing than any English teacher. What about today's students? Are they receiving instruction that helps them write clearly? I suspect that some of the rules get drilled into the cerebral cortex but with little relevance. Students deserve to know why they must learn these skills.

The National Commission on Writing for America's Schools, Families, and Colleges, identified writing as "The Neglected 'R'" in a study published in 2003.  Have we given this crucial subject any more attention since then?  If writing assessment scores are an accurate measurement, then it does not seem we have made much progress.  Where do we go from here?  How do we make real improvements?

Illiteracy Definitions Vary, May Understate Problem in U.S.

Today, when I was posting my first tweet, I found a new website called Room to Read (http://www.roomtoread.org).  This non-profit organization builds libraries and promotes literacy in countries around the world. I was impressed with the group's accomplishments and noble and beneficent efforts, but what are the U.S. illiteracy rates? What about adults?

I discovered that the meaning of literacy -- and conversely illiteracy -- is as varied as the organizations dealing with the issue.  The United Nations defines illiteracy as "the inability to read and write a simple message in any language."  When this standard is applied, the illiteracy rate in the US is only 1%, according to an article on the infoplease.com website.  Too good to be true? I think the definition is deceivingly simplistic and misleading.

Statistics from a 2003 study published by The U.S. Dept.of  Education, and included in a January 2009 article on livescience.com by Robert Roy Britt, show that 14% of adults lack "basic prose literacy skill" that renders them unable to "read a newspaper or the instruction on a bottle of pills."


According to literacy.org, the site for the University of Pennsylvania's Graduate School of Education, there 40 million illiterate and low-literate adults in this country.  That translates to 13% of the population, given a figure of 312 million. However, I found no definition on their site or other details that back up the

The National Assessment of Adult Literacy (NAAL) provides this definition:  "Literacy is the ability to use printed and written information to function in society, to achieve one's goals, and to develop one's knowledge and potential."  Their 2003 assessment showed that 30 million -- or 14% -- of the adult population had only the very basic level of literary skills.

After researching, I finally find two sources that agree.  The remaining question, though, is what do we do to improve the 14% adult illiteracy rate in our country?