The Integrity of "Good English"

By Kristina DeVoe on June 12, 2007 9:19 AM | | Comments (0)
In his recent article appearing in City Journal (and adapted from a speech given at Ursinus College), John Leto laments the state of language and prose on college campuses and asks how we can restore the integrity of good English.

Noting that academics themselves can be the ultimate "masters of gobbledygook," Leto also finds the euphemistic, evasive, and ambiguous prose that permeates advertising, political campaigns, and social movements to be just as unbearable. All around us, Leto claims, is language and prose that "bullies" readers into submission without conveying meaning.

Leto's answer to this seeming conundrum is Strunk & White-esque: 1) write with "candor, clarity, and sincerity," and 2) avoid "cliches, idioms, and rhythms of other people."

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This page contains a single entry by Kristina DeVoe published on June 12, 2007 9:19 AM.

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Kristina De Voe
English & Communications Librarian
Temple University Libraries