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Living Section of the San Bernardino SUN April 4, 2004 Issue 
Talking Correctly For Success: A Practical Guide to Sounding 'Right' for Business, Professional and Social Success By James A Fisher Doing Away with the Dilbertspeak How many times many of us have found ourselves in social situations, or have sat through meetings and speeches, wincing or stifling a laugh every time someone mutilated the English language by using absurd jargon of the type frequently satirized in the Dilbert comic? " The situation is further impacted... " "We are referencing all the data..." "They need to dialog to resolve the issue..." People speaking like this have the arrogance to believe that they exude power and authority. Instead they are making fools of themselves. According to "Talking Correctly for Success: A Practical Guide to Sounding 'Right'' for Business, Professional and Social Success," by James A. Fisher, the spread of incorrect language use is due to several factors. The teaching of grammar has been on the wane for decades. Once out of the classroom, people seldom verify pronunciation and word usage. Instead they try to emulate others they've heard speak who appear impressive because they are in a position of authority and power and have advanced professional degrees. In my view, the high specialization of advanced degrees and their focus on profession rather then discipline, has produced a crop of professionals with advanced degrees for which grammar, proper language use, or a foreign language were not requirements. Hence, the ridiculous jargon. The revised edition of "Talking Correctly" is just the book for all those who want to be truly impressive and authoritative when they speak or when just expressing opinions in professional or social situations. Using the advice in this book as constructive criticism would make a difference in how a person is perceived - as a functionary and a bureaucrat or as a thinker who inspires and motivates. The beauty of "Talking Correctly for Success" is in its simplicity and ease of use. It starts out with a few words of advice about diction: "You must first become aware of then understand what is correct and acceptable, then practice (preferably aloud)," advises the author. To that end the book is divided into sections - "Usage," "Pronunciation," "Foreign Words," and "Test Yourself." In "Usage" the author takes us in alphabetical order from the correct use of "A/AN" through the use of "access" as a verb (only when referring to electronic data or information), of "administrate" ("there is no such word"), of "irregardless" ("there is no such word"), of the use of "impact" as a verb (it is not a verb) and the difference between the oft misused favorites such as "imminent/eminent," "historic/historical," "good/well," "parameter/perimeter," "optimum/optimal." In this chapter the author also cautions against using redundancies such as "9:30 a. m. in the morning," oxymora and the misuse of past participles. Of the "-ize" words, Fisher says that they "are typical supposedly 'high-tech' talk to create the air of big business. In actuality, they are a giveaway, revealing the speaker as one who is trying to impress. He does impress, but in most cases, negatively." According to Fisher there are no such words as "finalize," "personalize," etc. A common mistake made by many is to add "-wise" to just about any word. It does make one wince hearing someone talk about "saleswise" or "managementwise." And of course, the misuse of "who/whom" and "would of (totally wrong) and "would have" betray the most one's lack of learning and knowledge. The parts "Pronunciation" and "Foreign Words" (also with pronunciations) are imperative for everyone. The section "Foreign Words" also includes a very helpful list of menu items that a person in a position of power and authority would undoubtedly encounter sometime. In the last part, "Now Test Yourself" the author recommends that the test be read aloud, "preferably with someone else listening." "Talking Correctly for Success" is just one more book reminding us of the woeful state of education today. In the days of old, the purpose of a university education was to create cultivated and learned individuals. But now we need books like "Talking Correctly for Success" to fill some of the vacuum left by today's college education. Ophelia Georgiev Roop Library Director San Bernardino Public Library |
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