William D. Lutz
William D. Lutz | |
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Born | Rutgers University-Camden | December 12, 1940
William D. Lutz (/lʌts/; born December 12, 1940) is an American linguist who specializes in the use of plain language and the avoidance of doublespeak (deceptive language). He wrote a famous essay The World of Doublespeak on this subject as well as the book Doublespeak [1] His original essay and the book described the four different types of doublespeak (euphemism, jargon, gobbledygook, and inflated language) and the social dangers of doublespeak.
Biography
In 1962, Lutz received his
From 1980 to 1994, Lutz edited the now defunct Quarterly Review of Doublespeak.[3][4] He worked as a consultant with a number of corporations and the United States government to promote the use of 'plain language'. For example, he was a significant contributor to the SEC's Plain English Handbook.[5]
Selected publications
External videos | |
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Booknotes interview with Lutz on Doublespeak, December 31, 1989, C-SPAN | |
Presentation by Lutz on The New Doublespeak, August 6, 1996, C-SPAN |
- (1974) The Age of Communication [6]
- (1989) Doublespeak: From "Revenue Enhancement" to "Terminal Living" [1]
- (1994) The Cambridge Thesaurus of American English [7]
- (1996) The New Doublespeak: Why No One Knows What Anyone's Saying Anymore
- (1999) Doublespeak Defined: Cut Through the Bull**** and Get the Point
References
- ^ ISBN 0-06-016134-5
- ^ ""Retirements of Marie Cornelia and Robert Ryan" The Phoenix Spring 2006, page 1" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2008-05-16. Retrieved 2008-12-22.
- ^ ""Magazine Reviews:Quarterly Review of Doublespeak" Chip's Closet Cleaner". Archived from the original on 2011-07-08. Retrieved 2008-12-22.
- ^ "William D. Lutz" NNDB
- OCLC 36595293
- ISBN 0-87620-013-7
- ISBN 0-521-41427-X
Further reading
- (1978) Contemporary Authors: A bio-bibliographical guide to current writers in fiction, general nonfiction, poetry, journalism, drama, motion pictures, television, and other fields volumes 33–36, 1st revision, Gale Research, Detroit,
External links
- Business Doublespeak A short essay on Doublespeak by Willian Lutz.
- Appearances on C-SPAN
- "SEC seeks to "blow up" forms-based system" IR Web Report 25 June 2008 has photograph of William D. Lutz, as "Bill Lutz", accessed 22 December 2008