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Rudolf Flesch

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	Topics Rudolf Flesch Topic Home Rudolf Flesch was an authorAuthor An author is the person who creates a written work, such as a book, story, article, or the like, whether short or long, fict... , readabilityReadability In Science In the sciences, readability is a measure of an instruments ability to display incremental changes in its output... expert, and writing consultant who was an early and vigorous proponent of plain EnglishPlain English Plain English focuses on being a flexible and efficient writing style that readers can understand in one reading.... in the United StatesUnited States Overview The United States of America, also known as the United States, the U.S., the U.S.A., and America, is... . He created the Flesch Reading Ease test and was co-creator of the Flesch-Kincaid Readability TestFlesch-Kincaid Readability Test The Flesch/Flesch-Kincaid Readability Tests are readability tests designed to indicate how difficult a reading passage is t... . He was raised in AustriaAustria Austria is a landlocked country in central Europe.... and finished university there, studying law. He then moved to the United States and entered a graduate program at Columbia UniversityColumbia University Columbia University is a private university whose main campus lies in the Morningside Heights neighborhood of the Borough of... , where he earned a Ph.D in English. Not long after finishing his degree, he wrote what became his most famous book, Why Johnny Can't Read, in 1955. The book was a focused critique of the then-trendy movement to teach reading by sight, often called the "look-say" method. The flaw of this approach, according to Flesch, was that it required learners to memorize words by sight. When confronted with an unknown word, the learner was stumped. Flesch advocated a return to phonicsPhonics Phonics is the study of the way in which spellings represent the sounds that make up words.... , the teaching of reading by teaching learners to sound out words. Flesch flourished as a writing teacher, plain-EnglishPlain English Plain English focuses on being a flexible and efficient writing style that readers can understand in one reading.... consultant, and author. He wrote many books on the subject of clear, effective communication: How to Test Readability (1951), How to Write Better (1951), The Art of Plain Talk (1946), The Art of Readable Writing (1962), The ABC of Style: A Guide to Plain English (1964), and Rudolf Flesch on Business Communications: How to Say What You Mean in Plain English (1972). Flesch produced three other books of note: In The Art of Clear Thinking (1951), Flesch consolidates research data and then-recent findings from the fields of psychologyPsychology Psychology is an academic and applied field involving the study of the human mind, brain, and behavior.... and education, and suggests how his readers can apply that information in their daily life. As he writes in his introduction, "It would be impudent to tell intelligent, grown up people how to think. All I have tried to do here is to assemble certain known facts about the human mind and put them in plain English." In Lite English (1983), Flesch advocated the use of many colloquial and informal words. The subtitle of the book reveals his bias: Popular Words That Are OK to Use No Matter What William SafireWilliam Safire William L. Safire is an American author, semi-retired columnist, and former journalist and presidential speechwriter.... , John SimonFacts About John Simon (critic) John Simon is a Serbian-American author and literary, theater, and film critic.... , Edwin NewmanEdwin Newman Edwin Newman is a journalist and writer.... , and the Other Purists Say! And in 1979, Flesch published a book he had produced while working as a communication and writing consultant to the Federal Communications Commission: How to Write Plain English: A Book for Lawyers and Consumers. This book was and is a "how to" for writing rules and regulations that must be read and understood by the general public. Flesch practiced what he preached. His writing is clear, vigorous, and plain; his style is direct and energizing. Those who read How to Write Plain English often comment that his writing motivates them to write more plainly. For example, here is Flesch on clearing up legalese: "Well, it's been my experience that lawyers are apt to use Plain English right up to the point where the going gets tough. Then they'll say, This idea is too complex—it can't be put into Plain English no matter how hard you try. . . . On that theory, you would draft a legal document, and just when the poor layman needed special help in understanding it, you would leave him in the lurch." How to Write Plain English at 3. Bibliography The Art of Plain Talk - 1946 How to Write Better - 1951 The Art of Clear Thinking - 1951 How to Test Readability - 1951 Why Johnny Can't Read - 1955 The Art of Readable Writing - 1962 The ABC of Style: A guide to Plain English - 1964 Rudolf Flesch on Business Communications: How to Say What You Mean in Plain English - 1972 How to Write Plain English: A Book for Lawyers and Consumers - 1979 Lite English: Popular Words That Are OK to Use No Matter What William Safire, John Simon, Edwin Newman, and the Other Purists Say! - 1983 See also Flesch-Kincaid Readability TestFlesch-Kincaid Readability Test The Flesch/Flesch-Kincaid Readability Tests are readability tests designed to indicate how difficult a reading passage is t...