ABSTRACT
No research takes place in a vacuum, and research on forms is no exception: it breathes in the air of consumerism and its reformist ideology. Consumerism emerged as a political force in the developed world in the post-war period. One expression of this rising tide of consumerism was the growth of the ‘Plain English’ movement, seeking to reform bureaucratic and business writing practices that disadvantaged consumers and citizens. An example is a publication such as Plain English (Roberts, 1988).
