Inventing new words is one of the most rebellious things you can do. We
all live under a set of prescribed social assumptions, which are
embedded into our words. If you want to think outside your social
conditioning, you will need a new word to do it.
Every word is a
suitcase, into which we pack an idea, and then hand it to someone else.
No suitcase: no handoff. Our society is changing, fast, and we need new
words to describe it.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/culture/2013/mar/11/why-we-need-invent-new-words
Monday, March 11, 2013
Friday, March 01, 2013
Monday, February 11, 2013
Orwell and plain language
 |
| George Orwell |
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/plainlanguage/message/18770
Thursday, January 24, 2013
Sunday, December 16, 2012
A Legal Writing Carol
A Legal Writing Carol a xmas story about plain language in times past, present and future
Thursday, December 01, 2011
MONTAIGNE ON SPEECH
I am well disposed towards Michel de Montaigne (1533 – 1592) as a thinker. He had a refreshing outlook. But I am not so well disposed towards his writing style. His sentences and paragraphs are too long and his text needs signposting.
In the following extract from the Gutenberg ebook, I have signposted, paragraphed, made bullet lists, and accentuated some key words.
CHAPTER X - OF QUICK OR SLOW SPEECH
http://www.gutenberg.org/files/3600/3600-h/3600-h.htm#2HCH0008
["All graces were never yet given to any one man."
— A verse in one of La Brebis' Sonnets.]
THE GIFT OF ELOQUENCE TAKES TWO FORMS
So we see in the gift of eloquence, wherein some
• have such a facility and promptness, and that which we call a present wit so easy, that they are ever ready upon all occasions, and never to be surprised; and
• others more heavy and slow, never venture to utter anything but what they have long premeditated, and taken great care and pains to fit and prepare.
PEOPLE SHOULD PLAY TO THEIR STRENGTHS
Now, as we teach young ladies those sports and exercises which are most proper to set out the grace and beauty of those parts wherein their chiefest ornament and perfection lie, so it should be in these two advantages of eloquence, to which the lawyers and preachers of our age seem principally to pretend.
THE PULPIT AND THE BAR
If I were worthy to advise, the slow speaker, methinks, should be more proper for the pulpit, and the other for the bar: and that because
• the employment of the first does naturally allow him all the leisure he can desire to prepare himself, and besides, his career is performed in an even and unintermitted line, without stop or interruption;
• whereas the pleader's business and interest compels him to enter the lists upon all occasions, and the unexpected objections and replies of his adverse party jostle him out of his course, and put him, upon the instant, to pump for new and extempore answers and defences.
SWITCHING FORMS
Yet, at the interview betwixt Pope Clement and King Francis at Marseilles, it happened, quite contrary, that Monsieur Poyet, a man bred up all his life at the bar, and in the highest repute for eloquence, having the charge of making the harangue to the Pope committed to him, and having so long meditated on it beforehand, as, so they said, to have brought it ready made along with him from Paris;
the very day it was to have been pronounced, the Pope, fearing something might be said that might give offence to the other princes' ambassadors who were there attending on him, sent to acquaint the King with the argument which he conceived most suiting to the time and place, but, by chance, quite another thing to that Monsieur de Poyet had taken so much pains about:
so that the fine speech he had prepared was of no use, and he was upon the instant to contrive another; which finding himself unable to do, Cardinal du Bellay was constrained to perform that office.
THE PLEADER’S WIT AND THE PREACHER’S JUDGMENT
The pleader's part is, doubtless, much harder than that of the preacher; and yet, in my opinion, we see more passable lawyers than preachers, at all events in France.
It should seem that the nature of wit is to have its operation prompt and sudden, and that of judgment to have it more deliberate and more slow.
But he who remains totally silent, for want of leisure to prepare himself to speak well, and he also whom leisure does noways benefit to better speaking, are equally unhappy.
QUICK AND SLOW – FACILITY AND FLOW
'Tis said of Severus Cassius that
• he spoke best extempore, that
• he stood more obliged to fortune than to his own diligence; that
• it was an advantage to him to be interrupted in speaking, and that
• his adversaries were afraid to nettle him, lest his anger should redouble his eloquence.
I know, experimentally, the disposition of nature so impatient of tedious and elaborate premeditation, that if it do not go frankly and gaily to work, it can perform nothing to purpose.
We say of some compositions that they stink of oil and of the lamp, by reason of a certain rough harshness that laborious handling imprints upon those where it has been employed.
But besides this, the solicitude of doing well, and a certain striving and contending of a mind too far strained and overbent upon its undertaking, breaks and hinders itself like water that by force of its own pressing violence and abundance, cannot find a ready issue through the neck of a bottle or a narrow sluice.
In this condition of nature, of which I am now speaking, there is this also, that
• it would not be disordered and stimulated with such passions as the fury of Cassius (for such a motion would be too violent and rude);
• it would not be jostled, but solicited;
• it would be roused and heated by unexpected, sudden, and accidental occasions.
THE MIND HAS A MIND OF ITS OWN
If it be left to itself, it flags and languishes; agitation only gives it grace and vigour. I am always worst in my own possession, and when wholly at my own disposition: accident has more title to anything that comes from me than I; occasion, company, and even the very rising and falling of my own voice, extract more from my fancy than I can find, when I sound and employ it by myself. By which means, the things I say are better than those I write, if either were to be preferred, where neither is worth anything.
This, also, befalls me, that I do not find myself where I seek myself, and I light upon things more by chance than by any inquisition of my own judgment. I perhaps sometimes hit upon something when I write, that seems quaint and sprightly to me, though it will appear dull and heavy to another.
But let us leave these fine compliments; every one talks thus of himself according to his talent. But when I come to speak, I am already so lost that I know not what I was about to say, and in such cases a stranger often finds it out before me.
If I should make erasure so often as this inconvenience befalls me, I should make clean work; occasion will, at some other time, lay it as visible to me as the light, and make me wonder what I should stick at.
In the following extract from the Gutenberg ebook, I have signposted, paragraphed, made bullet lists, and accentuated some key words.
CHAPTER X - OF QUICK OR SLOW SPEECH
http://www.gutenberg.org/files/3600/3600-h/3600-h.htm#2HCH0008
["All graces were never yet given to any one man."
— A verse in one of La Brebis' Sonnets.]
THE GIFT OF ELOQUENCE TAKES TWO FORMS
So we see in the gift of eloquence, wherein some
• have such a facility and promptness, and that which we call a present wit so easy, that they are ever ready upon all occasions, and never to be surprised; and
• others more heavy and slow, never venture to utter anything but what they have long premeditated, and taken great care and pains to fit and prepare.
PEOPLE SHOULD PLAY TO THEIR STRENGTHS
Now, as we teach young ladies those sports and exercises which are most proper to set out the grace and beauty of those parts wherein their chiefest ornament and perfection lie, so it should be in these two advantages of eloquence, to which the lawyers and preachers of our age seem principally to pretend.
THE PULPIT AND THE BAR
If I were worthy to advise, the slow speaker, methinks, should be more proper for the pulpit, and the other for the bar: and that because
• the employment of the first does naturally allow him all the leisure he can desire to prepare himself, and besides, his career is performed in an even and unintermitted line, without stop or interruption;
• whereas the pleader's business and interest compels him to enter the lists upon all occasions, and the unexpected objections and replies of his adverse party jostle him out of his course, and put him, upon the instant, to pump for new and extempore answers and defences.
SWITCHING FORMS
Yet, at the interview betwixt Pope Clement and King Francis at Marseilles, it happened, quite contrary, that Monsieur Poyet, a man bred up all his life at the bar, and in the highest repute for eloquence, having the charge of making the harangue to the Pope committed to him, and having so long meditated on it beforehand, as, so they said, to have brought it ready made along with him from Paris;
the very day it was to have been pronounced, the Pope, fearing something might be said that might give offence to the other princes' ambassadors who were there attending on him, sent to acquaint the King with the argument which he conceived most suiting to the time and place, but, by chance, quite another thing to that Monsieur de Poyet had taken so much pains about:
so that the fine speech he had prepared was of no use, and he was upon the instant to contrive another; which finding himself unable to do, Cardinal du Bellay was constrained to perform that office.
THE PLEADER’S WIT AND THE PREACHER’S JUDGMENT
The pleader's part is, doubtless, much harder than that of the preacher; and yet, in my opinion, we see more passable lawyers than preachers, at all events in France.
It should seem that the nature of wit is to have its operation prompt and sudden, and that of judgment to have it more deliberate and more slow.
But he who remains totally silent, for want of leisure to prepare himself to speak well, and he also whom leisure does noways benefit to better speaking, are equally unhappy.
QUICK AND SLOW – FACILITY AND FLOW
'Tis said of Severus Cassius that
• he spoke best extempore, that
• he stood more obliged to fortune than to his own diligence; that
• it was an advantage to him to be interrupted in speaking, and that
• his adversaries were afraid to nettle him, lest his anger should redouble his eloquence.
I know, experimentally, the disposition of nature so impatient of tedious and elaborate premeditation, that if it do not go frankly and gaily to work, it can perform nothing to purpose.
We say of some compositions that they stink of oil and of the lamp, by reason of a certain rough harshness that laborious handling imprints upon those where it has been employed.
But besides this, the solicitude of doing well, and a certain striving and contending of a mind too far strained and overbent upon its undertaking, breaks and hinders itself like water that by force of its own pressing violence and abundance, cannot find a ready issue through the neck of a bottle or a narrow sluice.
In this condition of nature, of which I am now speaking, there is this also, that
• it would not be disordered and stimulated with such passions as the fury of Cassius (for such a motion would be too violent and rude);
• it would not be jostled, but solicited;
• it would be roused and heated by unexpected, sudden, and accidental occasions.
THE MIND HAS A MIND OF ITS OWN
If it be left to itself, it flags and languishes; agitation only gives it grace and vigour. I am always worst in my own possession, and when wholly at my own disposition: accident has more title to anything that comes from me than I; occasion, company, and even the very rising and falling of my own voice, extract more from my fancy than I can find, when I sound and employ it by myself. By which means, the things I say are better than those I write, if either were to be preferred, where neither is worth anything.
This, also, befalls me, that I do not find myself where I seek myself, and I light upon things more by chance than by any inquisition of my own judgment. I perhaps sometimes hit upon something when I write, that seems quaint and sprightly to me, though it will appear dull and heavy to another.
But let us leave these fine compliments; every one talks thus of himself according to his talent. But when I come to speak, I am already so lost that I know not what I was about to say, and in such cases a stranger often finds it out before me.
If I should make erasure so often as this inconvenience befalls me, I should make clean work; occasion will, at some other time, lay it as visible to me as the light, and make me wonder what I should stick at.
Tuesday, October 04, 2011
Monday, September 05, 2011
Saturday, August 06, 2011
Friday, August 05, 2011
Tuesday, August 02, 2011
Thursday, June 16, 2011
Thursday, May 26, 2011
Thursday, March 10, 2011
Wednesday, January 19, 2011
Monday, January 17, 2011
Thursday, December 09, 2010
Sunday, October 03, 2010
Friday, September 10, 2010
Friday, August 13, 2010
Monday, July 19, 2010
Wednesday, July 07, 2010
Tuesday, July 06, 2010
Sunday, June 20, 2010
Thursday, May 20, 2010
Friday, April 23, 2010
Center for Plain Language
Center for Plain Language: "A communication is in plain language if the people who are the audience for that communication can quickly and easily
* find what they need
* understand what they find
* act appropriately on that understanding"
* find what they need
* understand what they find
* act appropriately on that understanding"
Sunday, March 28, 2010
Alan Siegel: Let's simplify legal jargon! | Video on TED.com
Alan Siegel: Let's simplify legal jargon! | Video on TED.com: "Tax forms, credit agreements, healthcare legislation: They're crammed with gobbledygook, says Alan Siegel, and incomprehensibly long. He calls for a simple, sensible redesign -- and plain English -- to make legal paperwork intelligible to the rest of us."
Sunday, March 07, 2010
Thursday, February 25, 2010
10 Sure-Fire Headline Formulas That Work | Copyblogger
10 Sure-Fire Headline Formulas That Work | Copyblogger: "10 Sure-Fire Headline Formulas That Work"
Saturday, February 20, 2010
Ten rules for writing fiction | Books | guardian.co.uk
Ten rules for writing fiction | Books | guardian.co.uk: "Get an accountant, abstain from sex and similes, cut, rewrite, then cut and rewrite again – if all else fails, pray. Inspired by Elmore Leonard's 10 Rules of Writing, we asked authors for their personal dos and don'ts"
Tuesday, January 05, 2010
Thursday, December 03, 2009
Wes Nisker
Dharma teacher and stand up comic (biology flavour)
Audio talks at http://dharmaseed.org/teacher/191/
Dharma teacher and stand up comic (biology flavour)
Audio talks at http://dharmaseed.org/teacher/191/
Wednesday, November 25, 2009
100 Free Web Tools That Will Make You a Better Writer | Online College Degree
100 Free Web Tools That Will Make You a Better Writer | Online College Degree: "100 Free Web Tools That Will Make You a Better Writer"
Friday, November 13, 2009
Monday, December 08, 2008
Holt Uncensored � The Ten Mistakes
Holt Uncensored � The Ten Mistakes: "Ten Mistakes Writers Don’t See (But Can Easily Fix When They Do)"
Monday, October 13, 2008
Copy editing - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Copy editing - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia: "The “Five Cs” summarize the copy editor's job: make the copy (i) clear, (ii) correct, (iii) concise, (iv) comprehensible, and (v) consistent; that is: make it say what it means, and mean what it says. Typically, copy editing involves correcting spelling, punctuation, grammar, terminology and semantics; ensuring that the typescript adheres to the publisher's house style; and adding headlines and standardized headers, footers, etc."
Friday, September 26, 2008
Saturday, August 23, 2008
Wednesday, August 20, 2008
Thursday, August 07, 2008
Tuesday, July 29, 2008
Improve Your Writing - Table of Contents
Improve Your Writing - Table of Contents
University of Bristol online tutorial
University of Bristol online tutorial
Monday, July 28, 2008
Saturday, July 26, 2008
What is a style guide and why do I need one
What is a style guide and why do I need one: "What is a Style Guide and Why Would I Need One?"
Thursday, July 24, 2008
Tuesday, July 15, 2008
Tuesday, July 08, 2008
Wednesday, July 02, 2008
Tuesday, July 01, 2008
Sunday, June 29, 2008
Friday, June 27, 2008
Wednesday, June 04, 2008
Saturday, March 15, 2008
Saturday, January 26, 2008
A scrupulous writer, in every sentence that he writes, will ask himself at least four questions, thus:
1. What am I trying to say?
2. What words will express it?
3. What image or idiom will make it clearer?
4. Is this image fresh enough to have an effect?
2. What words will express it?
3. What image or idiom will make it clearer?
4. Is this image fresh enough to have an effect?
And he will probably ask himself two more:
1. Could I put it more shortly?
2. Have I said anything that is avoidably ugly?
2. Have I said anything that is avoidably ugly?
Source: George Orwell http://www.resort.com/%7Eprime8/Orwell/patee.html
belly rumbles and beyond
Belly rumbles and beyond
George G Clark, 26 January 2008
Martin Amis is a famous novelist and journalist. The University of Manchester is buying his services for £3000 per hour. The wages of wordsmithery catches up with fabulous football! So what is so valuable about stringing words together?
There are those of whom it might be said, "They open their mouths and let their bellies rumble". These are the neurotic motor-mouths who are an endless, flowing source of trivia and gossip. They are the chatter boxes who verbalise the dynamic churn of thoughts and feelings in their brain and who jump quickly from one topic to another. They are afflicted with verbal diarrhoea. Friends and family might be excused for wondering, "Do they never shut up".
In contrast there are those of whom it might be said, "I could listen to them all day". These are life's natural story tellers - the entertaining raconteurs who have a way with words. The finest of them are our poets, novelists, journalists and stand up comedians. The chosen few become well known as media talking heads. They have the gift of selecting items from the dynamic churn and making them into stories with a beginning, middle, end, and a tantalising twist.
Then there are the silent types of whom people wonder 'if the cat has got their tongue'. There are two flavours. Some are introverted and shy – the blushing wallflowers and shrinking violets. Given a supportive environment they might morph into the other categories.
But there are also those of whom it might be said, "Still waters run deep". These are the silent, peaceful people who appear "comfortable in their own skin". They have mastered the art of stillness; they 'let go' their passing thoughts and feelings. These quiet souls appreciate that "the reality which can be described is not the real reality". They embody the ancient view that, "Those who speak do not know, and those who know do not speak". Quietly smiling.
So there are chatterboxes, story-tellers and quiet-souls. The University of Manchester's creative writing department has put a high price on the story-teller. What price the chatter box and the quiet-soul?
"Look wise, say nothing, and grunt. Speech was given to conceal thought." - Sir William Osler
Thursday, September 20, 2007
Tuesday, September 04, 2007
Tuesday, March 06, 2007
Tuesday, January 23, 2007
Tuesday, November 28, 2006
Saturday, November 04, 2006
Monday, September 11, 2006
Friday, September 08, 2006
Tuesday, September 05, 2006
Wednesday, August 30, 2006
Monday, August 28, 2006
Tuesday, August 08, 2006
Wednesday, May 31, 2006
Friday, April 21, 2006
Monday, April 03, 2006
Friday, March 17, 2006
Thursday, March 09, 2006
Monday, February 20, 2006
Thursday, February 16, 2006
Thursday, February 09, 2006
Friday, January 27, 2006
Thursday, January 26, 2006
Tuesday, January 24, 2006
Sunday, January 15, 2006
Ten Simple, Yet Highly Effective Tips to Improve Your Online Lead Generation and Generate More Sales Leads from Your Website: "Ten Simple, Yet Highly Effective Tips to Improve Your Online Lead Generation and Generate More Sales Leads from Your Website"
Monday, January 02, 2006
Scotsman.com News - Politics - Ministers reject call to write in plain English: "Ministers reject call to write in plain English"
Wednesday, November 23, 2005
Sunday, November 20, 2005
Fight the Bull - Why Business People Speak Like Idiots: "Learn more about Why Business People Speak Like Idiots and its authors. "
Wednesday, November 02, 2005
Monday, October 31, 2005
Saturday, October 15, 2005
Thursday, October 13, 2005
Welcome to the Center for Plain Language: "The Center for Plain Language supports the goal of improving communications using the principles of plain language.
"
"
George Orwell on Politics and the English Language: "Politics and the English Language
by George Orwell"
by George Orwell"
Sunday, October 09, 2005
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