With recent and pending changes to how government agencies communicate to the public, scholars and critics question the utility of complex writing in academia.
The 2010 Plain Writing Act states that Government documents issued to the public must be written in clear, concise language to enhance audience understanding. A proposed bill, Plain Regulations Act of 2013, attempted to extend plain writing to government regulations, rather than solely public communication.
“As far as laws go, I like the idea of putting it in a really simple terminology because if we’re not going to be allowed to do something, people need to understand what that thing is,” sophomore Laine Weatherford said. “So, I think it was an effort to make sure that people from all walks of life could understand what the rules were and be held to the same standard.”
Senior Jasper Bawcom said the purpose of communication changes the language that is used, especially with government agencies.
“Their obligation is to be able to communicate something to a lot of different people and they’re serving those people,” Bawcom said. “I think sometimes people will try to manipulate language and make it overly complex so people don’t understand it and they can get bills passed. … That’s unethical in that case, I think, because they’re violating the right of the person that they’re trying to help to understand it.”
In an article by The Atlantic, Victoria Clayton said clear writing extends beyond government into academia, where an obscure writing style is a “protected tradition.”
“At the student level, it’s sometimes seen as more complex and high-minded, if you will, just because of the nature of what we’re talking about, but also because there’s a certain format that we’re encouraged to write in,” Bawcom said. “Complexity in and of itself doesn’t really make an article scholarly, I don’t think.”
Weatherford said clear, concise writing in academics is not as clear-cut as in government communication.
“I think we walk a really fine line when we start telling people how they can communicate,” Weatherford said. “I also think within certain circles, more sophisticated means of communication are necessary and useful. … Good writing can be complex and still be clear.”
Weatherford said the written word has the ability to enact change.
“You know, Martin Luther King was a lot of things, but he was a great writer and so he could be a great speaker,” Weatherford said. “So, I feel like his speeches would have been a lot less effective if ‘I have a Dream’ was more like, ‘Hey, y’all let’s be friends.’ I think if you can say something powerfully, you have the opportunity to use it to enact change.”
Complex writing in academia also teaches critical thinking, according to Weatherford.
“It’s good for students that are studying work to have to think about it and have to figure out exactly what they’re saying,” Weatherford said. “There’s critical thinking that happens that works really well in that system.”
Weatherford said critical thinking occurs when scholars take published information and contribute a different element to the conversation.
“The more specific your language is, the more specific you can be about the point you’re trying to make, which is a really big deal in academic writing because you’re trying to write for an audience that doesn’t know you and you’re trying to explain something that they’ve never thought about before,” Weatherford said.
Bawcom said complex writing causes personal growth as well.
“If you want to understand that topic better, then you’re going to have to bring yourself to that level,” Bawcom said. “So, I think complex writing can teach us humility, which I don’t think is ever a bad thing. It shows where we need to improve and where we’re trying to get to, I think.”
Weatherford said teaching students to write at higher levels enables them to write at any level.
“I think you are always able to write on different levels, but it’s harder to write to a level that you’ve never been taught to write to before,” Weatherford said. “So, if you teach that, then you’re able to write on levels all the way down for whatever audience you’re trying to communicate to.”
Bawcom said the Plain Writing Acts remind him of 1984 by George Orwell, where the government enforces a method of speech to control the citizens.
“It’s interesting to look at how what we say and the actual configuration of words shapes how we view the world,” Bawcom said. “For instance, using simpler words to communicate more complex ideas, in a sense, could be seen as disrespecting the intelligence of the readership. But, at the same time, it’s useful because the readership, in the case of a government document, will transcend class, education and all sorts of other boundaries.”
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