Re: Clear writing and testability

Hi Slatin,

I do agree. Language clarity can't be machine tested, but it can be
evaluated though some linguistics metrics.

I am out from my usual place and have no my references to check
documentation, but there are some aspects that can be tested and verified
like:
- standard language usage (in each language there is a core dictionary of
easy and well understand words, so if we refer to that standard language we
can work on a basis if easy and clear words) - if there are substandard
words explain them properly using standard words
- preference for SOV / SVO structures (according to the language structure)
- preference for parataxis than Hypotaxis
- usage of abbr and alt elements in order to clarify the meanings of
substandard and superstandard words not considered the core vocabulary.

I have recently told that the Sweden government have just presented a
version of it's site for dislessic and cognitive impaired people,
unfortunately the link is in Swedish and I have no chance to do any
Linguistic analysis, but there are some sociolinguistics studies dome by
Berruto in Italy about this topic.

I can look for more details as soon as i get back in Italy defenitevly.

M2p -- Pat


Da: "John M Slatin" <john_slatin@austin.utexas.edu>
Data: Fri, 24 Oct 2003 15:23:55 -0500
A: <w3c-wai-gl@w3.org>
Oggetto: Clear writing and testability
Rinvio da: w3c-wai-gl@w3.org
Data rinvio: Fri, 24 Oct 2003 16:31:09 -0400 (EDT)


Gregg said on this afternoon's joint call with ATAG that "Write clearly"
isn't testable.  I beg to differ. Clarity isn't *machine-testable.( However,
it *is* possible to achieve a high degree of inter-rater reliability for
written work.  In the US, the Educational Testing Service (ETS) trains teams
of people to score high-stakes examinations that can determine whether
students are or are not admitted to university.  These evaluators read and
score student essays, and achieve enough inter-rater reliability for their
results to be accepted by many coleges and universities.  Teachers using the
Learning Record (a portfolio-based learning assessment tool) achieve
inter-rater reliability ratings of 89% last time I heard the statistics.
 
The key is in Gregg's phrase about raters "who know what they're talking
about."  I would argue that it's possible to train people to read Web
content and make informed judgments about its clarity.
 
John
 

"Good design is accessible design."
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John Slatin, Ph.D.
Director, Accessibility Institute
University of Texas at Austin
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email jslatin@mail.utexas.edu
web http://www.utexas.edu/research/accessibility/