5 December 2007

Unspeak

Have now finished the book "Unspeak" and discovered its' website, unspeak.net.
Broadly speaking it's about the fraudulent use of language in contemporary life.
To contradict Alistair Campbell, who apparently called the book "crap from start to finish", I would say it's brilliant from start to finish and I want more.
One thing that is interesting is the fraudulent replacement of the term "global warming" with "climate change". This seems to have been at least partly a deliberate tactic. And look how dominant the second term now is!
It does matter what you call things as this book makes clear.

He attacks one neologism which I had adopted - "islamofascism". And this is probably the only thing I disagree with.
Maybe "islamofascism" is stretching language. But I think it probably just about qualifies as a justified term..... Can't think of another term that does the same necessary job.
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