This clarifies a lot of points and adds to my original posting/poll.in the Education section
I spotted the other so called "Book?" section and to me "Literature" is defined as a posh "Cover All" word for books, magazines ect. But there are many people(guests and Members) who come onto this site whose English Language skills are limited, they will surely look for Books or Magazines not this other word. "Plain English" does get results.
I am related (distantly) to a lady by the name of Chrissy Maher who started up the "Campaign for Plain English" in the UK, which in the time it has been in operation has changed some things in the English language which were taken for granted (certainly in the UK),Such as small print in forms which went on and on with a billion "wordy" get out clauses/rules and regulations (I'm sure more than 3/4's of the people that view sites like this know what I am going on about?) Still lots of places online "Microsoft" is one, which have not cut back the waffle (space filling)?
To return to the subject, The best way to hold a persons attention span when navigating through a site is to keep it simple without oversimplifying things (Not use Baby Words ect) or be patronising. I am put off many sites that forget to be "Direct" and "user friendly" they rarely rate a further visit.
I hope that there are more "Chrissy Maher's" out there? who use the expressions?:
Keep it short,Keep it sweet and "Tell them like it is (and what a friend of mine says: "Don't "Flower" (or Flour)?" it up!" say it to yourself (it does makes sense when it is said) ,It's worked for us Enthusiasts on Answerpoint and it can always be improved on.
Campaign for Plain English Chrissie Maher/profile

[This message was edited by bedstor on 03-21-04 at 02:18 PM.]

Although I agree that plain English is important, I don't agree that 'literature' and 'books' are completely synonymous. What, for example, about plays and poems? Often they are to be performed rather than read, so don't really fit into the category of 'books', but do fall into 'literature'.

Thanks Tefler for spotting my mistake in the other article,The definition of literature should have been anything do do with letters,writing,leaflets,manuscripts.ect and NOT books.(really easy to fall into the trap!)
So you are correct when you include poems and plays into the equation they are written.
Which bring an odd question to mind: If plays and poems are written and published(counts as literature),Then if you write a computer program and publish that,does that also qualify as literature?
Anyones thoughts on that?

[This message was edited by bedstor on 06-07-02 at 11:22 AM.]

I posted this in the very early days of AP (June 2002) and it has got lost under many postings(just rediscovered it)
With all the new members we have gained since when this went "underground" (over 1600!)some of the subsequent posters have raised this issue several times and I am reviving it to save me typing a similar answer (NOT A BUMP!)

[This message was edited by bedstor on 08-15-03 at 04:51 PM.]

Insofar as I can understand what you're saying, bedstor, in very "plain English" it seems to amount to "Say what you mean and mean what you say."

While it is hard to disagree with this as a desideratum where the merest exchange of "information" is concerned, could I point out that some of us, who love English literature, also think that a piece of literature, to be deserving of the name, ought to be anything but plain.?

Did Shakespeare use "plain" English? Or James Joyce? To Shakespeare, the word plain probably meant about the same thing as "unattractive," or even "ugly." There is, of course, a great deal to be said in favor of prose (or even poetry) which is not unduly contrived, ornate, or obscure. At the same time, it seems to me there is a lot to be said against prose which degenerates to the level of what Orwell called Newspeak, or even to that of what other, earlier exponents of the sort of language you seem to be advocating here called "Basic English."

I really don't think I'm following the intention of your question here, bedstor. Could you put it in plainer English? Or, as Joyce put it:

You that side your voise are almost inedible to me. Become a bitskin more wiseable, as if I were you.

Maiku the hyperlinks on my original posting above will do my explanation for me. QED?

And bedstor will appreciate having it pointed out that it's "etc," short for "et cetera."

You are welcome!

Catty

The Plain English Campaign has brought marked benefits and gets good publicity. The press are very keen to publicise and mock those examples of text which the organisation condemns and , equally,organisations such as insurance companies are eager to display their awards from that body. It is reassuring for potential customers to know that what they see means exactly what it seems to, that they know what they are getting, and that nothing is hidden by circomlocution or ambiguity.It may be a factor in deciding whether or not to sign.

(Incidentally it turns out that Shakespeare would probably not have used 'plain' for 'ugly'. That use of plain, says the OED, is from the mid-C18.)