Saturday 25 February 2012

the queen’s english

The Economist has an absolutely brilliant (and embarrassing, because I wince at the realization that I have adopted many of these maligned phrases) essay and comprehensive style guide against the linguistic viruses of Americanisms, which have become entrenched in speech and writing. The ability to at least recognize, if not rage against, regional distinctions is important and more than a matter of pronunciation or diction. All language certainly admits invention and license but formal communication, ambassadorial and not limited to American audiences, has standards, and it is not a matter of style to formulate and substitute, unnecessarily, a turn-of-phrase that is less than initially transparent (though the meaning comes through with repetition) when there is already a perfectly good and clear way of saying it. No one is claiming absolute authority on word-smithing, but after one peruses the rather scathing introduction, one might think twice about enlisting what passes in the press or on television.