tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-180069184626464868.post8095766016259229827..comments2023-08-03T08:10:44.885-04:00Comments on Angular Unconformities: Where have all the colors gone?Unknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger1125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-180069184626464868.post-12014227485531298002010-12-20T09:22:21.139-05:002010-12-20T09:22:21.139-05:00I think the trend away from monosyllabic words wa...I think the trend away from monosyllabic words was because publishers were trying to satisfy their audience, who in the mid-twentieth century was well well-educated and well-to-do. Common folk could get books out of libraries, or be entertained by the radio or television. As the book-buying audience declined with the use of computers, cable, and movie rentals and such, publishers decided to broaden the appeal of their books by writing more easily read books. My brother-in-law was responsible for writing Macintosh computer instruction manuals about 25 years ago - and he was told to write them for a 4th grade reading level. SAT scores were renormed about 12 years ago - lowering the expected reading level. Red and yellow are colors we all know. Fuschia and magenta are not. Who wants to read a book where you have to look up every other word? For beginning readers, a book which has 5 or more unfamiliar words on the page is considered too difficult. Today's book publishers don't want their product to be inaccessible to the masses.Heidinoreply@blogger.com