Rock Blog

Plain Geology.

In my EOSC 311 course, I encourage students to get familiar with the terms of geology — all disciplines have their own language, and one of the benefits of taking a course in a technical field is learning new language. This article, written in 1921 by then USGS Director George Otis Smith, is a call for those in the discipline to use more plain language so that those outside the field can understand the importance of our work. Like the intro to the article says, this plea is just as valid today as it was in 1921….

One of my favorite parts of this paper:

It takes years for some geologists to break the fetters of this scholastic habit of using big words for small ideas. Probably every one of us has been guilty of sentences like the following, which appeared in a Survey manuscript. “The argillaceous character of the formation is very prominent in some localities, although it is usually subsidiary to the arenaceous phase.” On being translated this means: At some places the formation includes considerable clay, but generally it is made up chiefly of sand.

I think this writing can be generalized to all technical fields – out language is powerful, but we need to be able to express ourselves in plain language as well! The article also caused me to reflect on my current field — learning technology. When interacting with others, particularly faculty and students, the need for Plain Language — not computer speak is so important. The biggest sin in that field I see is acronym mania — man! “X-M-L R-P-C M-O-U-S-E”…

But I digress…

This article is an easy read, is humourous while making an excellent point that we can all learn from, I think.