Microsoft Notation

Over the years C and C++ programmers have devised many ways of making their writing clearer. As a result program are much more readable than ever before. I've often wondered if the lessons learned by programming could be applied to English as well.

Take Microsoft notation (aka. Hungarian notation) for example. It puts a prefix on each variable name telling us what the type of the variable. Wouldn't English be much clearer if we identified each verb with "v", each noun with "n" and so on.

pAfter avAll aMany nEnglish nWords vCan vHave aMore cThan nOne nMeaning. pFor nExample "mall" vIs prBoth aA nVerb cAnd aA nNoun. pWith pnOur aNew nNotation pYou vCan vWrite nSomething aLike, "aThere vWas aSuch aA nCrowd pAt arThe nMall aThat pnWe vWere vMalled" cAnd nPeople vCan aEasily vUnderstand pYou.

avNext pnWe vTurn pnOur nAttention pTo nSentence vGrouping. pIn nC pnWe vUse avCurly nBraces "{}" pTo vGroup nStatements. pIn nEnglish pnWe vUse arThe nParagraph. aA nStart pOf nParagraph vIs vIndicated pBy aA aBlank nLine cOr aA nIndent. aBut pnThis nConstruct vIs aRather vLimited cAnd vConfusing.

{

}
{
    aNow vLet's vTackle nSentence nStructure.  aGood vProgramming nC nStyle
    vTells pUs pTo nStart aEach nStatement pOn aA nLine pOf pnIt's aOwn.

    avWell aWhat's aGood aEnough 
	pFor nC vIs aGood aEnough pFor nEnglish.

    aBut aWhat vHappens aWhen aA nSentence vGets avToo 
	aLong pFor aA aSingle nLine?

    pnWe'll vDo aLike nC cAnd nLine avUp aSimilar nOperators.

    vHave pYou avEver vRead 
	    aA aLong nSentence 		cAnd
	pnIt vSeemed aThat pnIt 
	    vHad aA nLot pOf nWords	cAnd
	aMany nClauses vStrung 
	    avTogether pBy "cAnd"	cAnd
	vWasn't pnIt aHard pTo vRead	cAnd
	aDifficult pTo vRead		cAnd
	vConfusing			cAnd
	nTroublesome.

    avWell, vUsing C nStatement aStructuring nConventions
	pnWe vEliminate aSuch nProblems pWith aLong nSentences.
}

{
   /* 
    * The next sentences how comment can help understanding
    *   our new English.
    */
   arThe aOnly nProblem pWith pnOur aNew nSentence nStructure
       nEnglish vIs aThat pnIt nMight vBe aA nBit vConfusing pTo
       pnThose pnWho vAre aNot vUsed pTo pnIt.  

   arThe nAnswer vIs pTo
       vAdd nComments pTo arThe nText vEnclosed pIn "/* */".
       pIn aOld nEnglish vExplaining pnWhat pnWe vAre vDoing
       pIn pnOur nStructured nEnglish.

   /*
    * The next sentence explains the usefulness of comments
    */
   pnThis vAllows pnUs pTo vUse nEnglish pTo vExplain pnOur nEnglish.

   /*
    * This paragraph details the conclusion of this
    * column.
    */
   aSo pBy vBringing pnOur nKnowledge pOf nProgramming pTo vWriting
      pnWe vHave aNow vMade vReading nEnglish avAs nClear cAnd aEasy
      avAs vReading nC nCode.
}