Newswise — When's the last time you were happy to hear the phrases "some assembly required" or "your call is important to us?" And for that matter, what exactly is an economic adjustment, a broad abstraction or sound science?
According to Dr. Paul Wasserman, professor emeritus and founding dean of the College of Information Studies at the University of Maryland, these deceptive phrases are good examples of what can be called doublespeak, weasel words, or even gobbledygook.
Wasserman says we are bombarded daily with examples of doublespeak, ranging from the politically correct to the downright annoying, from corporations, the media and politicians.
He has parlayed his interest in gobbledygook into a new book co-authored with Don Hausrath, who also has ties to the University as a former adjunct faculty member at the College of Information Studies. Wasserman and Hausrath have translated over 1,200 examples of doublespeak in "Weasel Words: The Dictionary of American Doublespeak," scheduled for release by Capital Books in November (2005).
Please contact the publisher directly for a review copy by calling (703)-661-1571 (Jennifer Hughes).
Newsdesk recently had a chance to talk with Prof. Wasserman about his interest in words and phrases designed to deceive:
Q - How did you become an expert on the art of deceptive language?
It was simply a passion that developed after listening to this gobbledygook. I'm not an authority on this, no one is. We just got used to people obfuscating the truth. My colleagues and I have been annoyed for eons about this.
Q - How did you go about compiling examples of "doublespeak?"
They're all around us. You find them in the media, on the air, in newspapers, in political speeches, in education, in the military. Academia is a wonderful place for double talk. Examples of doubletalk are all around us.
Q - Why is this confusing and often misleading language so common in our society?
Because we live in a time where people are trying to con and deceive either other. It's so pervasive that it has become objectionable. People have become grossly annoyed with the asinine comments they hear. When you get put on hold and hear "your call is important to us," but you hear the music playing and they leave you waiting. They're not interested in you, they care about their bottom line.
Q - Who are the biggest offenders when it comes to using these terms?
The military, politicians, educators, talk show hosts. It's all around us.
Q - What is the antidote to "doublespeak"? How should savvy conversationalists respond to this verbal garbage?
If enough of us become annoyed, maybe we'll affect the consciences of the people that are perpetrating this on us. If people voice their disgust, it could change. That's why the book is there, because Don and I had enough.
Q - Do you think that "doublespeak" is ever warranted, as a good way to communicate something diplomatically?
No. I think honesty is the best thing. Truth is the best thing.
Some examples from:Weasel Words: The Dictionary of American Doublespeak
-amicable, often followed by agreement, meaning both sides were mutually disgruntled by the outcome.-economically disadvantaged for poor.-encore TV broadcast for the rerun ad nausem of previously broadcast television programs. -episode as a bureaucratic term, used by governments and power companies to indicate a hazardous condition resulting in illness and death due to excessive pollution or radiation leaks. -mild irregularity for the last unmentionable on TV, constipation. -negative economic growth for recession. -mobile home community for trailer park. -o.g.a for "other government agency," used by the military at overseas interrogation sites to indicate the Central Intelligence Agency .-sound science for anti-environmental policies that ignore scientific evidence. -broad abstractions for unacceptable ideas -preemptive counterattack for an attack on another country when U.S. allies might not agree with our policy.
Professor Wasserman's Maryland home page is at: http://www.clis.umd.edu/faculty/wasserman/ and includes an interesting interview.
See the web release at: http://www.newsdesk.umd.edu/culture/release.cfm?ArticleID=1147
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