Plain English and Public Administration

Language is more than a means of oral or written communication. It shapes the way we think and it is through the lens of language that problems and issues are conceptualized. It is thus useful to analyze the language of government. Moreover, the language used by public administrators might be a source of the problems facing bureaucracy and the hostility the public feels for bureaucracy. What exists in government is an institutionalized misuse of language, comprised of jargon, abstractions, acronyms, and a confusing amalgamation of syntax and doublespeak. This article examines the language of ‘bureaucratese’ by identifying common elements of bureaucratese and the problems associated with its use.