Zinsser makes his point comparing George Orwell’s version of Ecclesiastes with the Bible’s version, but having worked as a technical writer a number of years, I am certain that Orwell’s version would get the OK from higher-ups, and the Bible’s version would not. If a business writer turned in something like the Biblical version, he or she would (a) have to rewrite it and (b) be in serious trouble.
The “flabby nouns with generalized meanings” that Zinsser cites have meaning to the business people who use them. The meaning is not a precise definition, but a shared feeling about how to communicate appropriately in a business setting. If you substituted a strong, precise term, you’d be making waves and putting a different spin on communications.
I recall that when he was vice president, Al Gore created a No Gobbledygook Award to recognize “federal employees who use plain language in creative ways.” It looks like the award is no longer given out, probably because there’s no more gobbledygook in government. 🙂
{ 2 } Comments