How to Be Good with Words - Paperback

by Don Lepan (Author), Laura Buzzard (Author), Maureen Okun (Author)

A handy, thoughtful guide to politically and ethically appropriate language.

Back Jacket

In recent decades, the contested areas of English usage have grown both larger and more numerous. English speakers argue about whether we should say man or humanity, fisher or fisherman; whether we ought to speak of people as being disabled, or challenged, or differently abled; whether it is acceptable to say that's so gay. More generally, we ask, 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 ask such questions with appropriate seriousness while remaining open-minded--and while retaining our sense of humor? To all these questions this concise and user-friendly guide answers yes, while offering clear-headed discussions of many of the key issues.

Author Biography

Maureen Okun is Professor of English and of Liberal Studies at Vancouver Island University; she has edited Sir Thomas Malory's Le Morte Darthur: Selections (2014) and is co-author of The Broadview Guide to Writing (sixth edition 2017) and The Broadview Pocket Guide to Citation and Documentation (second edition 2016).