IETF Logo Mail Archive

Re: Another attempt at plain language

Michael Everson <everson@evertype.com> Sat, 12 September 2015 12:05 UTC

Return-Path: <everson@evertype.com>
X-Original-To: ietf-languages@alvestrand.no
Delivered-To: ietf-languages@alvestrand.no
Received: from localhost (localhost [127.0.0.1]) by mork.alvestrand.no (Postfix) with ESMTP id 3D5C57C59D1 for <ietf-languages@alvestrand.no>; Sat, 12 Sep 2015 14:05:24 +0200 (CEST)
X-Virus-Scanned: Debian amavisd-new at alvestrand.no
Received: from mork.alvestrand.no ([127.0.0.1]) by localhost (mork.alvestrand.no [127.0.0.1]) (amavisd-new, port 10024) with ESMTP id Py1teDCxUyrk for <ietf-languages@alvestrand.no>; Sat, 12 Sep 2015 14:05:22 +0200 (CEST)
X-Greylist: delayed 00:16:31 by SQLgrey-1.8.0
X-Greylist: from auto-whitelisted by SQLgrey-1.8.0
Received: from pechora4.lax.icann.org (pechora4.icann.org [IPv6:2620:0:2d0:201::1:74]) by mork.alvestrand.no (Postfix) with ESMTPS id DBA597C40CD for <ietf-languages@alvestrand.no>; Sat, 12 Sep 2015 14:05:21 +0200 (CEST)
Received: from ar-005-i190.relay.mailchannels.net (ar-005-i190.relay.mailchannels.net [162.253.144.72]) by pechora4.lax.icann.org (8.13.8/8.13.8) with ESMTP id t8CBmQxZ022573 for <ietf-languages@iana.org>; Sat, 12 Sep 2015 11:48:47 GMT
X-Sender-Id: letshost|x-authuser|everson+evertype.com@lh19.dnsireland.com
Received: from relay.mailchannels.net (localhost [127.0.0.1]) by relay.mailchannels.net (Postfix) with ESMTP id 430A94A42 for <ietf-languages@iana.org>; Sat, 12 Sep 2015 11:31:03 +0000 (UTC)
Received: from lh19.dnsireland.com (ip-10-220-9-73.us-west-2.compute.internal [10.220.9.73]) by relay.mailchannels.net (Postfix) with ESMTPA id 11B104496 for <ietf-languages@iana.org>; Sat, 12 Sep 2015 11:31:00 +0000 (UTC)
X-Sender-Id: letshost|x-authuser|everson+evertype.com@lh19.dnsireland.com
Received: from lh19.dnsireland.com (lh19.dnsireland.com [10.232.141.54]) (using TLSv1 with cipher DHE-RSA-AES256-SHA) by 0.0.0.0:2500 (trex/5.5.1); Sat, 12 Sep 2015 11:31:03 +0000
X-MC-Relay: Neutral
X-MailChannels-SenderId: letshost|x-authuser|everson+evertype.com@lh19.dnsireland.com
X-MailChannels-Auth-Id: letshost
X-MC-Loop-Signature: 1442057461855:145758672
X-MC-Ingress-Time: 1442057461855
Received: from [37.228.243.88] (port=34543 helo=[192.168.0.10]) by lh19.dnsireland.com with esmtpsa (TLSv1:DHE-RSA-AES256-SHA:256) (Exim 4.85) (envelope-from <everson@evertype.com>) id 1Zaj1D-0001Sk-FK for ietf-languages@iana.org; Sat, 12 Sep 2015 12:30:57 +0100
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"
Mime-Version: 1.0 (Mac OS X Mail 9.0 \(3094\))
Subject: Re: Another attempt at plain language
From: Michael Everson <everson@evertype.com>
In-Reply-To: <20150911114034.665a7a7059d7ee80bb4d670165c8327d.2d59df3fda.wbe@email03.secureserver.net>
Date: Sat, 12 Sep 2015 12:30:56 +0100
Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable
Message-Id: <14D8D8B5-2E16-4DFD-879B-1F7542649FA5@evertype.com>
References: <20150911114034.665a7a7059d7ee80bb4d670165c8327d.2d59df3fda.wbe@email03.secureserver.net>
To: ietflang IETF Languages Discussion <ietf-languages@iana.org>
X-Mailer: Apple Mail (2.3094)
X-AuthUser: everson+evertype.com@lh19.dnsireland.com
X-Greylist: Delayed for 00:17:21 by milter-greylist-4.0 (pechora4.lax.icann.org [192.0.33.74]); Sat, 12 Sep 2015 11:48:48 +0000 (UTC)
X-BeenThere: ietf-languages@alvestrand.no
X-Mailman-Version: 2.1.16
Precedence: list
List-Id: IETF Language tag discussions <ietf-languages.alvestrand.no>
List-Unsubscribe: <http://www.alvestrand.no/mailman/options/ietf-languages>, <mailto:ietf-languages-request@alvestrand.no?subject=unsubscribe>
List-Archive: <http://www.alvestrand.no/pipermail/ietf-languages/>
List-Post: <mailto:ietf-languages@alvestrand.no>
List-Help: <mailto:ietf-languages-request@alvestrand.no?subject=help>
List-Subscribe: <http://www.alvestrand.no/mailman/listinfo/ietf-languages>, <mailto:ietf-languages-request@alvestrand.no?subject=subscribe>
X-List-Received-Date: Sat, 12 Sep 2015 12:05:24 -0000

On 11 Sep 2015, at 19:40, Doug Ewell <doug@ewellic.org> wrote:
> 
> Shawn Steele <Shawn dot Steele at Microsoft dot com> wrote:
> 
>> Who wants to tag things in this way?  (Whatever the definition is?)
> 
> Tobias asked for this to be able to indicate that a web page is written
> to comply with W3C accessibility guidelines.

I think that making such compliance claims is outside the scope of what we are doing. 

> IMHO that points rather strongly toward "simple language" in the sense
> of being understandable by young, second-language, or less intelligent
> readers, not "plain language" in the sense of avoiding legalistic "party
> of the first part, party of the second part" jargon and circumlocution.

A subtag for dialect is one thing. A subtag for this vague and undefined discourse style is quite another. 

Michael Everson * http://www.evertype.com/

v2.23.0 | Report a Bug | By Email