William D. Lutz (/lʌts/; born December 12, 1940) is an American linguist who specializes in the use of plain language and the avoidance of doublespeak (deceptive language). He wrote a famous essay The World of Doublespeak on this subject as well as the book Doublespeak [1] His original essay and the book described the four different types of doublespeak (euphemism, jargon, gobbledygook, and inflated language) and the social dangers of doublespeak.
William D. Lutz | |
|---|---|
| Born | December 12, 1940 |
| Alma mater | Dominican College of Racine, Marquette University, University of Nevada, Reno |
| Scientific career | |
| Fields | Linguistics |
| Institutions | Rutgers University-Camden |
Biography
editIn 1962, Lutz received his bachelor's degree from the Dominican College of Racine (which closed its doors in 1974). He received his master's degree in English from Marquette University in 1963 and his doctorate in 1971 from the University of Nevada, Reno. Lutz began teaching English at Rutgers University-Camden in 1971, and was made a full professor in 1991. He retired from teaching in 2006.[2]
From 1980 to 1994, Lutz edited the now defunct Quarterly Review of Doublespeak.[3][4] He worked as a consultant with a number of corporations and the United States government to promote the use of 'plain language'. For example, he was a significant contributor to the SEC's Plain English Handbook.[5]
Selected publications
edit| External videos | |
|---|---|
 Booknotes interview with Lutz on Doublespeak, December 31, 1989, C-SPAN | |
| Presentation by Lutz on The New Doublespeak, August 6, 1996, C-SPAN |
- (1974) The Age of Communication [6]
- (1989) Doublespeak: From "Revenue Enhancement" to "Terminal Living" [1]
- (1994) The Cambridge Thesaurus of American English [7]
- (1996) The New Doublespeak: Why No One Knows What Anyone's Saying Anymore
- (1999) Doublespeak Defined: Cut Through the Bull**** and Get the Point
References
edit- ^ a b Lutz, William D. (1989) Doublespeak: From "Revenue Enhancement" to "Terminal Living": How Government, Business, Advertisers, and Others Use Language to Deceive You Harper & Row, New York, ISBN 0-06-016134-5
- ^ ""Retirements of Marie Cornelia and Robert Ryan" The Phoenix Spring 2006, page 1" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on May 16, 2008. Retrieved December 22, 2008.
- ^ ""Magazine Reviews:Quarterly Review of Doublespeak" Chip's Closet Cleaner". Archived from the original on July 8, 2011. Retrieved December 22, 2008.
- ^ "William D. Lutz" NNDB
- ^ United States Securities and Exchange Commission (1998) A plain English handbook: how to create clear SEC disclosure documents Office of Investor Education and Assistance, United States. Securities and Exchange Commission, Washington, DC, OCLC 36595293
- ^ Lutz, William D. (1974) The Age of Communication Goodyear Pub. Co., Pacific Palisades, California, ISBN 0-87620-013-7
- ^ Lutz, William D. (1994) The Cambridge Thesaurus of American English Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, UK, ISBN 0-521-41427-X
Further reading
edit- (1978) Contemporary Authors: A bio-bibliographical guide to current writers in fiction, general nonfiction, poetry, journalism, drama, motion pictures, television, and other fields volumes 33–36, 1st revision, Gale Research, Detroit,
External links
edit- Business Doublespeak A short essay on Doublespeak by Willian Lutz.
- Appearances on C-SPAN
- "SEC seeks to "blow up" forms-based system" IR Web Report 25 June 2008 has photograph of William D. Lutz, as "Bill Lutz", accessed December 22, 2008