If you are an English Champion that is attracted to linguistics and literacy studies, this week offered some interesting data. According to Vocativ, Tuesday’s State of the Union address was written at one of the lowest levels in the history of these yearly speeches. According to the Flesch-Kincaid readability test, President Obama’s remarks scored between a ninth and tenth grade reading level, which places his average scores over the years as the second lowest in presidential history. Does this indicate that Mr. Obama isn’t quite as bright as everyone thinks he is, or does it point to the president’s purposeful adjustment for an American public that has become less intelligent? Before anyone gets upset that the president or the American people are being made fun of, a former speechwriter for President Clinton says there is another, more plausible, explanation:
“This doesn't mean Obama is dumbing-it-down for his audience, nor does it mean that Americans are less intelligent than they were in the past. Rather, it can be construed as a sign of progress and democratic outreach; Obama is reaching out to a wider audience, including those who may not be highly educated, have learning disabilities, or for whom English is a second language.”
I’m not sure if that is true, but it makes sense. Let's not ignore other potential explanations, though. While there is overwhelming evidence that shows academic learning among the public has actually decreased in recent decades, one could also likely find research on diminished attention spans of the public, the preference for “sound bite” writing over fully developed ideas, or the effect of alternative media on messaging. Who knows?
The other interesting thing about analyzing the SOTU with these kinds of tests is that we see Mr. Obama’s technique toward a less intellectual rhetoric is not abnormal for presidents across time. Speeches used to be written at very high levels, but their complexity has been decreasing for quite a while now. Check out some cool charts and graphs that show this historical decline here, here, and here. For you teachers out there, The Guardian also includes short, written samples from past presidents that you can have students read and compare.
The opportunities for studying language are everywhere. As always, it’s up to us to seek them out and learn from them.
“This doesn't mean Obama is dumbing-it-down for his audience, nor does it mean that Americans are less intelligent than they were in the past. Rather, it can be construed as a sign of progress and democratic outreach; Obama is reaching out to a wider audience, including those who may not be highly educated, have learning disabilities, or for whom English is a second language.”
I’m not sure if that is true, but it makes sense. Let's not ignore other potential explanations, though. While there is overwhelming evidence that shows academic learning among the public has actually decreased in recent decades, one could also likely find research on diminished attention spans of the public, the preference for “sound bite” writing over fully developed ideas, or the effect of alternative media on messaging. Who knows?
The other interesting thing about analyzing the SOTU with these kinds of tests is that we see Mr. Obama’s technique toward a less intellectual rhetoric is not abnormal for presidents across time. Speeches used to be written at very high levels, but their complexity has been decreasing for quite a while now. Check out some cool charts and graphs that show this historical decline here, here, and here. For you teachers out there, The Guardian also includes short, written samples from past presidents that you can have students read and compare.
The opportunities for studying language are everywhere. As always, it’s up to us to seek them out and learn from them.