Death Sentences: How Cliches, Weasel Words and Management-Speak Are Strangling Public Language

by Don Watson

Book Overview

A brilliant and scathing polemic about the sorry state of the English Language and what we can?and must?do about it.When was the last time you heard a politician use words that rang with truth and meaning? Do your eyes glaze over when you read a letter from your bank or insurance company addressing you as a valued customer? Does your mind shut down when your employer starts talking about making a commitment going forwardor enhancing your key competencies?...

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1592401406
• ISBN13: 9781592401406
• Release Date: May 2005
• Publisher: Gotham Books
• Length: 173 Pages
• Weight: 0.75 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.9" x 5.5" x 8.4"

Customer Reviews

Takes the Tux off the bull

Clear writing takes the Tux off the bull and reveals it for what it is. No one can say that often enough.

Death Sentences

Anyone whose job requires that they write clearly and compellingly should read this book.

A lively, intriguing collection of ads, ironic language, and assessments of modern language misuse a

The English language is in a sorry state, with clichés, bad wording, and doublespeak phrases abounding. From businesses to politicians and the news media, there are numerous popular sources of such clichés, and consumers are daily bombarded with buzzwords and newspeak. Death Sentences received rave reviews in Australia where it first appeared in 2003: American readers will find it a lively, intriguing collection of ads, ironic language, and assessments of modern language misuse and corruption.

Fighting Spinspeak

Don Watson's book makes a significant contribution to fighting one of the great intellectual plagues of our time: the corruption of language by spinspeak and the resultant undermining of rational thought. A major antidote to the mnemonic poison manufactured daily by the spindocs throughout our society is sunlight. Watson helps spread that with dozens of outrageous examples.

Speaking Without Communicating

It's too bad that this book didn't come out a few months ago when we were in the midst of the political silly season. Rarely have I heard so many words spoken that had so little meaning. All of those guys were truly expert in answering questions with a bunch of words that said nothing that could possibly offend. It is unlikely that this book will change the way they talk. Politicians, corporations, news media and the rest have learned how to talk without communicating. After all, if you say anything, it cna't help but offend someone. Taken out of the context in which they were intend, it is certainly funny to see the words that the author uses to illustrate his points. One point that he doesn't mention is the growth of paper written by non-English speakers. You see this often in instructions on products made in the far East. How can anyone plan to sell a product in the English speaking world and not convert the writing from Chinglish or Japlish. Perhaps that can be his next book.