Whether you're headed to a jet, a jetty or a Jet Ski this summer, toss one — or more! — of these nifty books about words and language into your tote bag.
Bound for England? Take along Lynne Murphy's delightful romp "The Prodigal Tongue — The Love-Hate Relationship Between British and American English" (Penguin, $17). You'll learn that the Brits abhor the American "term"-ites infesting their language: "touch base," "leverage," "24/7." Blimey!
We Yanks, on the other hand, who seem to suffer from a verbal inferiority complex, think everything the Brits say is swanky, so we eagerly parrot their parlance: "queue," "sell-by date," "baby bump."
As Murphy points out, Colonials and Redcoats have been engaging in this friendly linguistic food fight for centuries, joyfully catapulting verbal cantaloupes at each other across the pond.
Some of those cantaloupes might be swear words, of course, and that's fine with Emma Byrne. According to her well-researched book "Swearing Is Good for You — The Amazing Science of Bad Language" (Norton, $25.95), cursing can actually bring humans together.
She cites studies showing that swearing can reduce physical pain, help stroke victims recover their language ability, and forge camaraderie among groups under stress. Byrnes notes that a person who's swearing is less apt to resort to violence; so, as we say to petulant toddlers who are acting out, "Use your words."
Another phrase we sometimes say to kids is "Cut It Out!" That's the straightforward title of Laura Swart's new book (Brush Education, $14.95). Subtitled "Ten Simple Steps for Tight Writing and Better Sentences," this handy guide will help you craft prose that's clean and clear.
A Canadian writing coach, Swart swats the bloated sentences, weak verbs and pesky strings of little words that can clutter and clog writing. Using a step-by-step approach, she shows you how to trim down overgrown sentences, and then turns the hedge clippers over to you.
Remember how our parents chided us for inserting "um," "hmm" and "uh-huh" into our speech? But "How We Talk — The Inner Workings of Conversation" (Basic Books, $27) by N. J. Enfield suggests that these seemingly meaningless fillers are actually essential lubricants of conversation.
Enfield, a linguist at the University of Sydney, notes that the much-derided "um" quickly conveys to your listener that you're thinking, that you need to pause, and that you're not finished. All of which is, um, good to know.
Rob Kyff, a teacher and writer in West Hartford, Conn., invites your language sightings. Send your reports of misuse and abuse, as well as examples of good writing, via e-mail to Wordguy@aol.com or by regular mail to Rob Kyff, Creators Syndicate, 737 3rd Street, Hermosa Beach, CA 90254.
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