Update on the linguist post
That last post, about the bogus linguist?
Apparently Andrew Sullivan got to it to, linking to an article by A REAL LINGUIST who finds that Kathleen Parker and the pseudo-analysis of Obama's language she relies on are both ... well, bunk. Parker finds it "feminine" that Obama used the passive voice so much. Based on this she wrote a column claiming Obama as our first female president (coming from a female, this is hilarious on more levels than you might suppose)..
But I did just make a quick analysis of president George W. Bush's post-Katrina address to the nation. I count 142 sentences, 25 of which contained one or more passive-voice tensed verb constructions. That's 17.6%. Doing the same thing with Barack Obama's post-oil-spill address, I count 135 sentences, 15 of which contain one or more passive-voice tensed verb constructions. That's 11.1%.
Which would make George a .... woman? Well, I have to admit, that is one thing I never supposed he was.
where is a world analyst when we need one?
Labels: linguistics, malicious twits, political class
posted by Clemens @ 7:41 PM
8 comments
8 Comments:
The passive voice is for wusses. And anyone else trying avoid responsibility. I'd fail 'em both.
Are you calling mathematicians wussies? A large number of mathematical papers use the passive voice disproportionately.
If you are, well, okay. Just wonderin'. ;-)
If a mathematician were to write a history paper in my class using too much passive voice, than yes. You need agency in history. Otherwise:
America was discovered
The was was fought
Dredd Scott was owned
the Roman Empire was risen
In history, you need to explain whodunit. Was America discovered by Columbus? The Vikings? Ancestors of Native Americans crossing a land bridge from Asia?
Plus, as I temped my way through grad school, I got very tired of hearing "the printer is broken" from the very eejit who broke it.
When used very judiciously, the passive voice is a tool like any other (shhh; don't tell my students). But it's rarely used as it should be -- when there is no agent, or the agent is unknown. I have no objection to "the universe was born ~13 billion years ago."
I don't know about mathematicians, but I think she just insulted the entire Spanish speaking world.
America was discovered by the nomadic tribes of Asia. The war was fought by men of great valor but questionable judgment. Dred Scott was owned by a white man.
I confess myself at a loss with "the Roman empire was risen."
That said, I meant it as a joke. I personally strive to change from passive to active voice as often as possible. But, as with most of the curious things I do, it's basically a drop of water in a great big sea of passivity (in this case). I think it's the consequence of academic English being an international language.
Yes, Spanish loves the passive voice. Actually, it's entirely acceptable in UK-standard written and spoken English. But we are a direct people in America, so active voice it is.
but Presidents don't write their speeches
so are they employing women or girly men to write their speeches?
Girly men? Among the political elite inside the beltway?
Yes. That's true.
Post a Comment
<< Home