Guide to explain modern terms in Ireland launched

A new plain English guide aims to explain clearly words and terms used in modern Irish society.

The Plain English Guide to Active Citizenship was launched to mark the beginning of National Adult Literacy Week yesterday and contains almost 400 "citizenship" terms.

Produced by the National Adult Literacy Agency, it is aimed at people working in government, political organisations and the voluntary sector to help them produce documents that are accessible to the public, including the 500,000 people in Ireland who have literacy and numeracy difficulties.

The 36-page guide is also aimed at members of the public who wish to understand the jargon used by the media, official reports and promotional documents dealing with citizenship in Ireland. The definitions are designed to make ideas and concepts clear and are not legal definitions.

A spokesman said the guide was not a complete dictionary of all citizenship phrases in use in Ireland and was intended to be an evolving publication.

Among the definitions included are two for the word spin - "public relations activity that sometimes focuses exclusively on the positive and is used as a weapon against a political opponent or the opposition party. Or when information is interpreted in a particular way or with particular emphasis, sometimes to enhance the public image of, or to minimise political damage to, a politician."

The guide is available from the National Adult Literacy Agency free of charge and can also be downloaded from the organisation's website, www.nala.ie