Strictly Speaking: Will America be the Death of English? - Softcover

"It is incumbent upon every individual to read Strictly Speaking at this point in time and in the context of where we are trending word wise. Ed Newman--scholar, wit, raconteur, and stylist--has written a brilliant, curmudgeonly book. It may even be viable." --Tom Wicker, columnist, The New York Times "I have been of the opinion that the English language in America would disintegrate some Sunday afternoon between the beginning of 'Meet the Press' and the end of 'Issues and Answers' in a presidential election year and during the professional football season. Nothing would be left but a heap of unrelated adjectives and adverbs. On reading Edwin Newman, I am convinced that death and disintegration could come at any time in any place." --Eugene J. McCarthy, former U.S. Senator, Adlai E. Stevenson Professor of Political Science, New School for Social Research -It is incumbent upon every individual to read Strictly Speaking at this point in time and in the context of where we are trending word wise. Ed Newman--scholar, wit, raconteur, and stylist--has written a brilliant, curmudgeonly book. It may even be viable.- --Tom Wicker, columnist, The New York Times -I have been of the opinion that the English language in America would disintegrate some Sunday afternoon between the beginning of 'Meet the Press' and the end of 'Issues and Answers' in a presidential election year and during the professional football season. Nothing would be left but a heap of unrelated adjectives and adverbs. On reading Edwin Newman, I am convinced that death and disintegration could come at any time in any place.- --Eugene J. McCarthy, former U.S. Senator, Adlai E. Stevenson Professor of Political Science, New School for Social Research "It is incumbent upon every individual to read Strictly Speaking at this point in time and in the context of where we are trending word wise. Ed Newman--scholar, wit, raconteur, and stylist--has written a brilliant, curmudgeonly book. It may even be viable." --Tom Wicker, columnist, The New York Times "I have been of the opinion that the English language in America would disintegrate some Sunday afternoon between the beginning of 'Meet the Press' and the end of 'Issues and Answers' in a presidential election year and during the professional football season. Nothing would be left but a heap of unrelated adjectives and adverbs. On reading Edwin Newman, I am convinced that death and disintegration could come at any time in any place." --Eugene J. McCarthy, former U.S. Senator, Adlai E. Stevenson Professor of Political Science, New School for Social Research

Admiring colleagues have called Edwin Newman an anti-pollutant, sensibly sardonic, a rare bird, and a genial intellect. Here, in his first book, these qualities are joined. Newman focuses on the sorry state of the English language as a reflection of society. He skewers stereotypes, cliches, errors, and jargon used by presidents, diplomats, pollsters, convention nominators, corporation executives, newsmen, social scientists, youth, etc. If words are devalued, he argues, so are ideas and so are human beings. Drawing upon his wealth of experience in newspapers, radio, and television, Newman contends with headwind components, game plans, bottom lines, confidence factors, unsightly bulges, and such. He deflates the pompous, the grandiose, the stilted, and the hollow. He rejoices in language that is lucid, graceful, direct, civilized.