5.25.2011

Being Constructive

I've been commenting on some articles from Bikeportland recently, and of course it's about language. Here are my comments below, but I really enjoyed the article which you can read here.

David K May 25, 2011 at 2:27 pm

I've often heard that these types of language shifts be defined as "people-first" changes. Instead of "bicyclists," we say "people who bicycle" and in that way stress the similarity, not the difference.

I find that the phrase "people-first" is a succinct way of guiding authors in their writing, something we can all benefit from and remember easily.


David K May 25, 2011 at 2:57 pm

I actually really value "people who drive" and "people who choose multimodal transport." It seems like so often it's described as "bicyclists," "pedestrians," and "cars." Which does separate the active user of those vehicles from the mode of transport they have chosen.

In a sense, writing which puts the person first puts cyclists, pedestrians, and drivers of vehicles on the same level. I also think it's necessary to throw in more categories to these lists in which parallel structure plays a role. I've always like "people who choose multi-modal transport" as a fourth category which admits that some people choose different means of transportation at different times.

No comments: