TechWhirl (TECHWR-L) is a resource for technical writing and technical communications professionals of all experience levels and in all industries to share their experiences and acquire information.
For two decades, technical communicators have turned to TechWhirl to ask and answer questions about the always-changing world of technical communications, such as tools, skills, career paths, methodologies, and emerging industries. The TechWhirl Archives and magazine, created for, by and about technical writers, offer a wealth of knowledge to everyone with an interest in any aspect of technical communications.
I was wondering if Simplified English would raise it's head in this thread.
I really like the concept, and I've been trying to get my company which has
subsidiaries in every hemisphere and on every continent but Africa to start
using a controlled language like Simplified English (In fact my specific
proposal was to adopt SE, but that's another story.)
I think it's a useful tool, but I would hardly call it "Global English" by
any stretch of the imagination, especially since it isn't the only
controlled language out there. (Caterpillar invented the first Controlled
Language back in the 60's).
I also find it funny that people are saying that "American English" is
standard in many places. What is "American English"? Someone from the
North East corner of the US uses many different colloquialisms that someone
from the South East corner of country might have problems figuring out the
what's being said. Add someone from the Mid-West and you're going to have
an argument whether a carbonated beverage is a "soda" or a "pop".
"Global English" is just as much an illusion as "Pure English"
Now, this is not to say that a standard isn't useful. Simplified English is
an amazing accomplishment becasue an *entire industry* agreed on that
standard. On the other hand, since what's good for the goose isn't always
good for the goat, I'm hesitant to say that adapting a single standard for
everyone anywhere is a good idea.
-botgrrrl
"Now that's a piping bag I can love." -Alton Brown
RoboHelp for FrameMaker is a NEW online publishing tool for FrameMaker that
lets you easily single-source content to online Help, intranet, and Web.
The interface is designed for FrameMaker users, so there is little or no
learning curve and no macro language required! Call 800-718-4407 for
competitive pricing or download a trial at: http://www.ehelp.com/techwr-l4
---
You are currently subscribed to techwr-l as:
archive -at- raycomm -dot- com
To unsubscribe send a blank email to leave-techwr-l-obscured -at- lists -dot- raycomm -dot- com
Send administrative questions to ejray -at- raycomm -dot- com -dot- Visit http://www.raycomm.com/techwhirl/ for more resources and info.
