Apologies, this post will upset anyone who hates Lynne Truss and her campaign against poor punctuation and other crimes against English...
We've got the Bank of England's monetary policy committee to tackle price inflation - the way prices creep up while you're not looking. It's time to bring in a language policy committee to do something about word inflation: people and organisations using two words or more when one would do the job perfectly.
Train companies insist on telling us we're arriving into Leeds, which will be our next station stop. (We wouldn't get out if the train didn't stop...) E.ON's chief executive tells the BBC his company is closing out old coal power stations. Other executives talk of building out their presence in new markets. And don't get me started about heading up...
No doubt most people don't notice or care. But this kind of language is ugly and verbose. It's an example of how jargon numbs the senses: it's a barrier to communication. Anyone who communicates for a living should do better. Time to join the language policy committee...
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