Overview

In recent decades the contested areas of English usage have grown both larger and more numerous. We may argue rather less frequently than was once the case over issues of grammar and usage. But we argue more frequently than ever overwhether to use man or humanity, fisher or fisherman; whether to say Indians or Native Peoples (or First Nations, or Chippewa or Cree or Snuneymuxw, as the case may be); whether to speak of a person being disabled, or challenged, or differently abled; whether it's acceptable to say that's so gay. These are all issues that some would lump together as controversies of political correctness (itself in some ways a problematic expression). Certainly they are all issues that involve ethics as well as the conventions of grammar or of English usage - though they are often intimately intertwined with those conventions. This volume offers a concise and user-friendly guide to these large issues. Can we use language in ways that avoid giving expression to prejudices embedded within it? Can the words we use help us point a way towards a better world? Can we take these issues with appropriate seriousness while remaining open-minded - and still retaining our sense of humor? To all these questions this little book answers yes, while offering clear-headed discussions of many of the key issues.

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9781554813254

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Reviews

To model being 'good with words, ' LePan, Buzzard, and Okun do not simply demonize some locutions and canonize others. They provide background information to clarify why it's problematic to use the term 'illegal immigrant, ' for example, or 'lone wolf killer'; they explain when it's okay to call someone a 'tranny, ' or an 'Eskimo'--and when it isn't; they invite readers to judge cases that admit reasonable arguments on more than one side, such as whether Princeton should remove Woodrow Wilson's honorifics because of his racism. I realized when I read this book that my own attitudes about how to be good with words have been formed over decades of self-scrutiny and dialogue, a history I couldn't duplicate for students who wonder why I am uneasy about some of their word choices--but now this book's nuanced discussions recover that history and help them consider their choices more deeply. -- <strong>Patricia Bizzell, Distinguished Professor of English, College of the Holy Cross</strong> </p> Language proficiency includes much more than correct grammar. This innovative textbook will fuel animated discussion and encourage thoughtful language choices in our rapidly changing social landscape. The student-directed internet research exercises are an amazing plus. <strong>-- Margery Fee, University of British Columbia</strong> </p>

To model being 'good with words, ' LePan, Buzzard, and Okun do not simply demonize some locutions and canonize others. They provide background information to clarify why it's problematic to use the term 'illegal immigrant, ' for example, or 'lone wolf killer'; they explain when it's okay to call someone a 'tranny, ' or an 'Eskimo'--and when it isn't; they invite readers to judge cases that admit reasonable arguments on more than one side, such as whether Princeton should remove Woodrow Wilson's honorifics because of his racism. I realized when I read this book that my own attitudes about how to be good with words have been formed over decades of self-scrutiny and dialogue, a history I couldn't duplicate for students who wonder why I am uneasy about some of their word choices--but now this book's nuanced discussions recover that history and help them consider their choices more deeply. -- Patricia Bizzell, Distinguished Professor of English, College of the Holy Cross Language proficiency includes much more than correct grammar. This innovative textbook will fuel animated discussion and encourage thoughtful language choices in our rapidly changing social landscape. The student-directed internet research exercises are an amazing plus. -- Margery Fee, University of British Columbia How to Be Good with Words is not just a list of words to use and words to avoid. Rather, it takes as its starting point the basic question: what is the most humane, accurate and rhetorically appropriate way to talk about something? Examining each question in terms of both its historical background and its current context and presenting closely reasoned analyses and solid support for preferred options, this clear and well-organized text gives readers the information they need to make their own thoughtful and responsible choices. How to Be Good with Words is valuable both as a reference text for experienced writers and editors and as a textbook in courses dealing with professional writing or public communication. -- Linda Coleman, University of Maryland I had never thought I would enjoy a book on language, but How to Be Good with Words changed my mind. This is actually a book on language, ethics, and politics specifically designed to help us think about language use as a way to help make the world a better place. Acknowledging that none of us will ever be perfectly free of bias or prejudice, the authors not only present examples of inappropriate usage and how to correct them, but also discuss the philosophical arguments for why certain language constructions are considered inappropriate. If you want to know about the use of the singular 'they'; about the difference between 'transsexual' and 'transgender'; whether or not it is ok to refer to someone as a 'dick, ' 'pussy, ' 'slut, ' or 'tranny'; whether or not 'black' should be capitalized; what the difference is between 'Black Lives Matter' and 'All Lives Matter'; what the difference is between 'anti-Semitic' and 'anti-Jewish'; why 'Islamic extremist' or 'radical Islam' are problematic terms; what the difference is between 'genderfluid' and 'genderqueer'; or what the difference is between 'is' and 'has' when talking about someone with a disability, this is the book for you to read. It is timely, well-written, and important. -- Pancho Savery, Reed College I've really been enjoying reading through How to Be Good with Words. This is the most thorough reference I've seen for dealing with usage issues around 'politically correct' language. I particularly value the thought-provoking rationales and examples; this would make a fantastic principal text for a first-year Composition special topic on civic discourse ... Civic and civil discourse is a vital matter for discussion in the current political climate ... I hope I find an opportunity to use this text in a course soon! -- Deborah L. Miller, Associate Director First-year Composition, University of Georgia The authors of How To Be Good With Words encourage students not only to use their words with sensitivity and precision, but also, perhaps more importantly, to listen to each other. ... A powerful aspect of the text is the way the authors provide examples of their own differing perspectives on the complex issues they discuss. ... Communication becomes, in this context, part of a valuable lesson in the ways we learn about the lives of other people and how to treat them with the same dignity and respect we wish to receive ourselves. ... The examples provided further enhance this effect. Discussions of contemporary subjects students know and care about deeply, such as that of the 'Black Lives Matter' movement in the chapter on Race, allow students to better see how and why concerns about language are both important and relevant in their own lives. ... Suggested exercises involving the Oxford English Dictionary and Ngram viewer provide students with useful means of working through the ideas they encounter in the text on their own, giving them a greater sense of agency, as well as a way of engaging with language outside of the confines of the classroom or even a particular course. ... A text like How To Be Good With Words is particularly valuable at this historical moment. --Shelby Richardson, University of New Orleans A unique, extraordinary, thoroughly 'user friendly' study, How to Be Good with Words should be considered a 'must read' for any and all aspiring writers, and a core addition to both community and academic library Writing/Publishing instructional resource collections. --Midwest Book Review

Author Information

Don LePan is a co-author of The Broadview Guide to Writing (sixth edition 2015) and of The Broadview Pocket Glossary of Literary Terms (2013); his second novel, Rising Stories, was published in 2015. Laura Buzzard is co-author of The Broadview Pocket Glossary of Literary Terms and co-editor of The Broadview Anthology of Expository Prose (second edition 2011). Maureen Okun is the editor of Sir Thomas Malory's Le Morte Darthur: Selections (2014) and a co-author of The Broadview Guide to Writing.

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