Pride Parades, Pride Weeks, and other LGBTQ celebrations are now so regular, noncontroversial, and popular that promoters need just the word "pride" to imply that they're about the LGBTQ community.
Read More »Language Matters
Language Matters in Life – and on Broadway: ‘Hamilton’ and the Triumph of the Tongue
The astounding part of the 'Hamilton' phenomenon has been the tremendous popular success of such a language-heavy show. In a cultural and political environment of violence and hollering, it's easy to forget that poetry and rhetoric – words – still matter. A lot.
Read More »Language Matters in Life and Business: Redundancy
The worst thing about redundancies is they aren't effective in the way people seem to think they are. "Last and final" isn't a stronger call to action than just "last" or just "final." Either one is sufficient.
Read More »Language Matters in Life and Business: Language Prejudice, Language Paranoia
Southwest Airlines pulled a passenger off a plane for the 'crime' of speaking Arabic, then added insult to injury by abusing the English language in its response.
Read More »Language Matters in Life and Business: Plain Language Matters
The Al Jazeera news network described its recently announced layoffs as "a workforce optimisation initiative," trying to smooth over the sting with fancy-sounding words.
Read More »Language Matters in Life and Business: Yes Means Yes in the Age of Consent
One reason campus sexual assault is such a tough issue to address is that it's so hard to come up with clear, effective language.
Read More »Language Matters in Life and Business: Downton Abbey Talk
Talk to the organ-grinder.
Read More »Language Matters in Life and Business: Year-End Language Gripes
"To gift" or not "to gift?"
Read More »Language Matters in Life and Business: Right-Wing Casino Magnate Sheldon Adelson Buys Control of Nevada Newspaper
The change in ownership of a locally influential but definitely local paper is big news, even in the age of the decline of newspapers, because of the vast sums of money its new owner spends in the political arena.
Read More »Language Matters in Life and Business: Gun Rhetoric Control
In sloganeering, clarity must come first.
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