The Goofy Roots of the Plain Language Movement: Reconsidering the Rhetorical Hedonism of ‘Gobbledygook Has Gotta Go’

Abstract

Plain language guidelines are commonly deployed across professional writing disciplines. In pursuit of wide public audiences, contemporary guidelines often written using the style they prescribe: through unadorned presentation lacking in stylistic flair. This was not always the case. This article explores the humor and personality of one of the most popular early examples of plain language guidelines. In noting this stylistic incongruity between the past and present, the author argues for the value and difficulty of adding these stylized elements.