On "Niggardly"
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Mike at Crime & Federalism, responding to this post at another blog, thinks lawyers should never use the word "niggardly" in a brief:
Taking too many words out of the dictionary is double-plus ungood.
Suggested Reading:
Words like "niggardly" are a distraction. Yes, I know the etymology of the word. But when I see it, it distracts me. It sounds like the n-word. As a legal writer, you do not want to distract the reader. You want him focused on your arguments.I respectfully dissent. Here's the comment I left at his blog:
What about the rule that one always writes for one's target audience? Briefs are read by judges — judges who happen to hold the client's well-being in their hands. I would think that: (a) they know the meaning of "niggardly" and (b) they would be pleased to know that I know that they know its true meaning.Banishing the n-word from our language is a perfectly understandable and probably wise idea. But there is no reason to idly accept linguistic collateral damage, or to insult people's intelligence or vocabulary skills, merely for the sake of "sensitivity."
Taking too many words out of the dictionary is double-plus ungood.
Suggested Reading:
Posted by Kip on
7 July 2005
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