Easy Language research

Abstract

The second issue of Volume 45 (autumn 2022) of the Nordic Journal of Linguistics will be a special issue devoted to Easy Language research. The issue will be edited by Camilla Lindholm, Tiina Onikki-Rantajääskö and Ulla Vanhatalo. The term EASY LANGUAGE (Germ. Leichte Sprache, Swe. lätt språk, Finn. selkokieli; earlier EASY-TO-READ LANGUAGE) refers to a modified variety of a natural language that has been adjusted so that it is easier to read and understand in terms of content, vocabulary and structure. Easy Language has been primarily targeted at people who have various difficulties in understanding standard forms of language, for example, due to learning disabilities or neurocognitive disorders. One can also see a connection between Easy Language and PLAIN LANGUAGE (see International Plain Language Federation, https://www.iplfederation.org/), both aiming at simplifying language. Although attempts to create understandable language have probably been around for a long time, the start of the Easy Language era in the European context can be dated back to the late 1960s, when the first easy-to-read Swedish materials were published. Significant milestones were reached in the 1990s, when the first recommendations for easy writing were published by The International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions (IFLA, https://www.ifla.org/) and Inclusion Europe. Since then, the target groups of Easy Language have been expanding, comprising people with various backgrounds and life situations. Ongoing changes in societies and legislation on accessibility are creating increasing need for Easy Language and research on the topic. Besides language studies, Easy Language is also of interest in many disciplines such as economics, health sciences, sociology and cognitive science. While Easy Languages have been used in Europe and especially in the Nordic countries for decades already, only little linguistic research has been done until the last few years. The development and use of Easy Languages have been built on experience gained from practical work done with the target groups (Wengelin 2015). More recently, especially interesting cases have been seen in Germany, where development and research are currently carried on a large scale (e.g. Bredel & Maaß 2016, Bock 2019, Maaß & Rink 2019, Hansen-Schirra & Maaß 2020). In this call for papers of NJL, we invite research papers which take a variety of linguistic approaches to Easy Language. First of all, we want to learn how Easy Nordic Journal of Linguistics (2021), page 1 of 2 doi:10.1017/S0332586521000019