About this Research Topic
It is a truism that no natural language is simpler than any other. Yet there is often a practical need to simplify language in many settings: for foreign language learning, for the developmentally challenged, in language contact, trade language, situations where technical vocabulary needs to be tightly controlled for international cooperation (e.g. http://www.asd-ste100.org), and to assist lay people in dealing with medical, legal, and similar jargon, to name just a few.
Information and communication play a central role in our modern daily lives. An abundance of language-based information is available to us through the internet, media (including newspapers, radio, and television), books, signage, and face-to-face interactions. However, this information may not be equally accessible to everyone. For individuals with cognitive disabilities, for example, coping with written or spoken information may pose a considerable challenge, as they often experience difficulties in understanding and responding to language presented in these modalities. For the elderly, meanwhile, the information architecture of mobile phones, web pages, touchscreens and other such interfaces is often bewildering. People need to get information in an accessible manner in order to understand it and act accordingly—the lack of accessible information therefore forms a major barrier to full participation in the community and independent functioning in everyday life (Yalon-Chamovitz, 2009, Collier, Blackstone and Taylor, 2012). Other populations, such as second-language learners, children, immigrants, and elderly people may also benefit from more accessible information. Movements for “plain English” or “plain language” more generally also seek to make content accessible beyond specific disciplines (e.g. removing legalese and jargon from documents).
By simple/simplified language we mean any form of written, signed, or spoken communication that is kept within bounds that are significantly smaller than generally seen in linguistic communication. Reduced vocabulary (only a few hundred to a few thousand items), simplified morphology and syntax, iconicity, and broad reliance on common sense theories (Gordon and Hobbs 2017) are obvious markers of simplification, but we recognize that in many cases (e.g. in spelling reform) no such trivial markers exist.
The present Research Topic in Frontiers in Communication seeks to address the question of Simple and Simplified Languages from a range of perspectives, including its psycholinguistic, sociolinguistic, computational, lexicographic, information-theoretic, and (machine) translation-related aspects. We are interested in contributions addressing any aspect of the use, adaptation, measurement, and theory of simple and simplified languages, including, but not limited to, computational measures of the complexity of language, investigation of pidginization/creolization processes, studies of grammatical or structural simplification, experimental studies examining simplification guidelines, best practices, and communication aides. We particularly welcome papers dealing with natural systems that evolve through language contact, trade, or pedagogical/remedial settings rather than those addressing artificial languages and systems such as Morse code or fingerspelling that rely on a non-simplified host language. The planned focus is on empirical work both in (second) language acquisition and in accessibility improvements that compare expectations to reality; normative approaches, especially in isolation, are considered less relevant, as we consider it an open question whether language use by children and simplified languages work on the same, or very similar, principles.
We welcome review articles, comparative studies, formal models, and scholarly research pertaining to philosophical, social, and legal aspects of accessibility, inclusion and equality in this domain as relating to diverse populations. We particularly welcome studies looking beyond English.
The overarching aim of the Research Topic is to clearly present the range of current research interests and trends in this fascinating and multifaceted interdisciplinary field of study. We aim to enrich knowledge of the field, provide a more accurate, up-to-date definition of language simplification, identify directions for future research and ways of sharing knowledge across disciplines, and arouse the interest of new researchers.
Information and communication play a central role in our modern daily lives. An abundance of language-based information is available to us through the internet, media (including newspapers, radio, and television), books, signage, and face-to-face interactions. However, this information may not be equally accessible to everyone. For individuals with cognitive disabilities, for example, coping with written or spoken information may pose a considerable challenge, as they often experience difficulties in understanding and responding to language presented in these modalities. For the elderly, meanwhile, the information architecture of mobile phones, web pages, touchscreens and other such interfaces is often bewildering. People need to get information in an accessible manner in order to understand it and act accordingly—the lack of accessible information therefore forms a major barrier to full participation in the community and independent functioning in everyday life (Yalon-Chamovitz, 2009, Collier, Blackstone and Taylor, 2012). Other populations, such as second-language learners, children, immigrants, and elderly people may also benefit from more accessible information. Movements for “plain English” or “plain language” more generally also seek to make content accessible beyond specific disciplines (e.g. removing legalese and jargon from documents).
By simple/simplified language we mean any form of written, signed, or spoken communication that is kept within bounds that are significantly smaller than generally seen in linguistic communication. Reduced vocabulary (only a few hundred to a few thousand items), simplified morphology and syntax, iconicity, and broad reliance on common sense theories (Gordon and Hobbs 2017) are obvious markers of simplification, but we recognize that in many cases (e.g. in spelling reform) no such trivial markers exist.
The present Research Topic in Frontiers in Communication seeks to address the question of Simple and Simplified Languages from a range of perspectives, including its psycholinguistic, sociolinguistic, computational, lexicographic, information-theoretic, and (machine) translation-related aspects. We are interested in contributions addressing any aspect of the use, adaptation, measurement, and theory of simple and simplified languages, including, but not limited to, computational measures of the complexity of language, investigation of pidginization/creolization processes, studies of grammatical or structural simplification, experimental studies examining simplification guidelines, best practices, and communication aides. We particularly welcome papers dealing with natural systems that evolve through language contact, trade, or pedagogical/remedial settings rather than those addressing artificial languages and systems such as Morse code or fingerspelling that rely on a non-simplified host language. The planned focus is on empirical work both in (second) language acquisition and in accessibility improvements that compare expectations to reality; normative approaches, especially in isolation, are considered less relevant, as we consider it an open question whether language use by children and simplified languages work on the same, or very similar, principles.
We welcome review articles, comparative studies, formal models, and scholarly research pertaining to philosophical, social, and legal aspects of accessibility, inclusion and equality in this domain as relating to diverse populations. We particularly welcome studies looking beyond English.
The overarching aim of the Research Topic is to clearly present the range of current research interests and trends in this fascinating and multifaceted interdisciplinary field of study. We aim to enrich knowledge of the field, provide a more accurate, up-to-date definition of language simplification, identify directions for future research and ways of sharing knowledge across disciplines, and arouse the interest of new researchers.
Keywords: Basic vocabulary, simplification, accessibility, intelligibility, pidgins and creoles, L2 acquisition, "plain language", iconic communication
Important Note: All contributions to this Research Topic must be within the scope of the section and journal to which they are submitted, as defined in their mission statements. Frontiers reserves the right to guide an out-of-scope manuscript to a more suitable section or journal at any stage of peer review.
