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.
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]
(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
^ abLutz, William D. (1989) Doublespeak: From "Revenue Enhancement" to "Terminal Living": How Government, Business, Advertisers, and Others Use Language to Deceive YouHarper & Row, New York, ISBN0-06-016134-5
^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, OCLC36595293
^Lutz, William D. (1974) The Age of Communication Goodyear Pub. Co., Pacific Palisades, California, ISBN0-87620-013-7
^Lutz, William D. (1994) The Cambridge Thesaurus of American English Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, UK, ISBN0-521-41427-X
Further reading
(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,