A plain language guide to grammar, punctuation and writing well
This is worth sharing. White Debt is a new book by Thomas Harding about a slave uprising on sugar plantations in what was the British territory of Demerara. Harding is a careful writer. This Guardian review of the book highlights his subtle ability to unsettle complacent ways of thinking: He replaces “slave” with “enslaved men… Continue reading Abolitionists not rebels
Flippant? Oxford Dictionaries? Who said so? Oh, Oxford Dictionaries. Just for the record, here’s Oxford Dictionaries’ definition of ‘flippant’: 'Not showing a serious or respectful attitude' And here’s why (as reported in the Guardian today) Oxford Dictionaries fessed up to such undictionary-like behaviour: A Canadian anthropologist, Michael Oman-Reagan, tweeted Oxford Dictionaries last week to ask… Continue reading Rabid sexism… Oxford Dictionaries says sorry
Others have expressed the usual ‘this is political correctness gone mad’ argument in response to criticism of Cameron’s remark. A lovely catch-all rebuttal which attracts much vigorous nodding and saves the bother of having to explain why it’s OK to insult someone by comparing them to a person who has an inherited neurogical condition.
Is it only me who’s finding the Mail‘s coverage of this story about sexism among highly paid sports commentators (knock me down with a feather) more interesting than the story itself (and definitely funnier)?
The definition of ‘garrulous’ in the Oxford Dictionary of English is to ‘talk excessively, especially on trivial matters’. It includes this example of its use:
A garrulous woman who liked to chat about eggs
Naturally, it's a woman doing the excessive talking.
This reads like the commentary of a wildlife documentary film from the 1950s. These days, we do not personify Nature as some kind of Hollywood Homeric goddess whose business is to lay on mesmerising spectacles for the amusement and edification of the human race.
Hmmm. I don't know about you, but I mostly disagree with Guy. Does the caption suggest the personification of nature? And even if it does, does it additionally suggest that the business of nature is to 'lay on mesmerising spectacles' for us?
Sometimes I get quite hopeful. The way we use language does slowly change to become more inclusive.
Full marks to both the Telegraph and Guardian newspapers which both used a variety of inclusive terms such as ‘ancient Britons’; ‘early humans’; ‘our ancestors’; and (revolutionary) ‘people’.
Wordwatch Towers 