Plain language begins with what a given audience needs and keeps technical terms readers know or can have defined. A controlled language, such as Basic English, begins with a preselected word list. When the two conflict, reader understanding outranks list conformity.
- Entry typeKey concept
- Category of its source unitCodes & Communication Systems
- DomainMeaning & Clarity
What these mean
Editorial orientation · Entry type
Key concept
Key concepts are the working vocabulary of the field: the terms that the models and tools rely on and that a decision about communication has to use precisely. Each entry defines the term and sends you to the brief or the self-guided audit where it is put to work.
Editorial orientation · Category
Codes & Communication Systems
Articulates signs and conventions through which information or meaning can be represented, recorded or transmitted. Interpretation depends on the relevant language, practices, users and context, not on a sign looking self-evident.