The Importance of Style

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The Importance of Style

• PSC 202
• Fall 2006

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Elements of Style or Not

• "Trying to stop suiciders -- which we're doing a
  pretty good job of on occasion -- is difficult to
  do. And what the Iraqis are going to have to
  eventually do is convince those who are
  conducting suiciders who are not inspired by Al
  Qaeda, for example, to realize there's a peaceful
  tomorrow."

--George W. Bush, Washington, D.C., May 24, 2006
All Bush quotes from http//politicalhumor.about.c
om/od/bushquotes/a/topbushisms2005.htm
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Why Style Worry About Style?

• Its not just WHAT you say
• but HOW you say it
• that results in persuasive (or not!) writing and
  speaking

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The Meaning of Style

• Style as usage and form of words (technical
  structure of writing)
• Mood or impression
• Contextual fit
• Framing the argument

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Technical Usage

• The panda eats shoots and leaves.
• The panda eats, shoots, and leaves.

From Eats, Shoots Leaves by Lynne Truss
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Technical Usage 2

• A woman, without her man, is nothing.
• A woman without her, man is nothing.

From Eats, Shoots Leaves by Lynne Truss
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Technical Usage 3

• "I strongly believe what we're doing is the right
  thing. If I didn't believe it -- I'm going to
  repeat what I said before -- I'd pull the troops
  out, nor if I believed we could win, I would pull
  the troops out."

--George W. Bush, Charlotte, N.C., April 6, 2006
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Writing and the Spellchecker

• The Spelling Chequer (or poet tree without mist
  takes) 
• Eye have a spelling chequer  It came with my pea
  sea  It plainly marks four my revue  Miss
  steaks eye cannot see 
• Each thyme when I have struct the quays  Eye
  weight four it two say  If watt eye rote is
  wrong or rite  It shows me strait a weigh   

http//chiron.valdosta.edu/mawhatley/writing.htm
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Spellchecker 2

• As soon as a mist ache is maid  It nose bee fore
  too late  And eye can put the error rite  Eye
  really fined it grate 
• I've run this poem threw it  I'm sure your
  policed to no  It's letter perfect in its weigh 
  My chequer tolled me sew. 
•             - Author Unknown

http//chiron.valdosta.edu/mawhatley/writing.htm
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Writing Tips Online Prof. Whatley

• Avoid clichés like the plague. Now ain't that the
  pot calling the kettle black. 
• Do not be redundant do not use more words than
  necessary it is very excessive. 
• Like most people, one should never generalize.
• Be more or less specific.   

http//chiron.valdosta.edu/mawhatley/writing.htm
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Style as Mood or Identity

• Desirable Mood /Identity
• Presidential
• Strong
• Intellectual
• Inspiring
• Clever
• Arrogant
• Honest
• Feminine, masculine

• Less Desirable?
• Whining
• Angry
• Depressed
• Defeatist, weak
• Aggressive
• Arrogant
• Confused
• Feminine, masculine

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Mood Mistakes

• Howard Deans scream
• Michael Dukakiss photo-op on the tank

Dukakis in the tank - shorthand for
unsuccessful public relations opportunities
http//www.souptree.net/blog/images/dukakis_tank1.
jpg
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Sounding Presidential?

• "People don't need to worry about security. This
  deal wouldn't go forward if we were concerned
  about the security for the United States of
  America."

--George W. Bush, on the deal to hand over U.S.
port security to a company operated by the United
Arab Emirates, Washington, D.C., Feb. 23, 2006
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Study on Presidential Linguistic Style

• Study of linguistic style of 2004 candidates for
  President and VP
• Kerry - flip-flopper
• Bush - a cowboy
• Research supported these images

Slatcher et al., Winning Words, in J. of
Research in Personality, 2006
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Markers of Linguistic Style

• Word use can reflect
• Cognitive complexity
• Femininity
• Depression
• Aging
• Presidentiality
• Honesty

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Language of Older People

• With increasing age
• More positive emotion words
• Fewer negative emotion words
• More future tense words
• Fewer past tense words

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Language by Gender - Girly Men?

• Women tend to use
• More references to others
• More positive feeling words
• Fewer swear words
• Fewer references to money
• Fewer negations

• Study asking people to describe a good
  president
• 61 said masculine
• 0 said feminine
• Rest said undifferentiated or androgynous

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Findings of Study 1

• Cheney most cognitively complex consistent with
  public perception of him as capable leader, high
  intellectual capacity
• Edwards and Bush least cognitively complex
  plain-spoken and accessible
• Edwards language the most feminine
• Kerrys language most consistent with their
  measure of dishonesty

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Findings 2

• Kerry and Edwards used words associated with
  depression more than Bush and Cheney
• Previous research voters favor optimism
• Bushs language most similar to older person
• Previous research older-looking candidates
  judged to be more competent, do better than
  baby-faced candidates

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Context Matters

• All candidates used different language depending
  on context
• In interviews, compared to speeches, more
  depressive, younger and less presidential

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Style and Context/Audience

• Style as overall mode of writing that differs by
  context
• Context as field or discipline (norms)
• Context as particular characteristics of
  setting/sensitivity to particular audience

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Context by Field - Norms

• Journalism
• News article
• Column/editorial
• Letters to the editor
• Blogs
• Academia
• Hard science
• Social science
• Creative writing

• Personal communications
• Email
• AIM
• Letters
• Blogs
• Professional
• Business
• Government
• Job hunting

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Consider Your Audience

• Those gun control bleeding heart liberals are
  idiots
• The motivations behind the desire to control
  weapons is laudable, but the policy of gun
  control simply wont work (is unconstitutional
  is unreasonable)
• Gun control advocates want to take away our
  liberties. Theyll take our guns first and next
  theyll take our freedom to vote.

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A Context Mistake? Sensitivity to the Audience

• "As you can possibly see, I have an injury myself
  -- not here at the hospital, but in combat with a
  cedar. I eventually won. The cedar gave me a
  little scratch. As a matter of fact, the Colonel
  asked if I needed first aid when she first saw
  me. I was able to avoid any major surgical
  operations here, but thanks for your compassion,
  Colonel."

--George W. Bush, after visiting with wounded
veterans from the Amputee Care Center of Brooke
Army Medical Center, San Antonio, Texas, Jan. 1,
2006
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Style as Framing the Debate

• George Lakoff linguist UC Berkeley
• Analyzed language of democrats and republicans
  during 2004 campaign
• Key concept framing the argument

http//www.berkeley.edu/news/media/releases/2004/0
8/25_lakoff.shtml
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Framing

• A mental structure that we use in thinking
• Frames trump facts
• Tax relief what ideas are associated with the
  concept of relief?

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Dont Think of An Elephant

• How to get your audience to think about something
  activate a frame
• Famous framing mistake Nixon saying I am not a
  crook

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2004 Republican ConventionFraming the Issues

• The first prime-time speeches of the convention
• A global war on terror
• Bush as the strong leader, not flip-flopper Kerry

http//www.berkeley.edu/news/media/releases/2004/0
8/31_lakoff_gop1.shtml
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Framing also Defines What Is Excluded

• Republican convention first speeches, no mention
  of
• Osama Bin Laden
• Oil
• The economy
• The deficit
• Health care
• Education
• What does this imply?

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What Makes a Political Speech Compelling and
Persuasive

• Malcolm x
• Hirsi Ali
• Hitler
• Mairead Corrigan
• Kennedy
• Martin Luther King Jr.

http//darkwing.uoregon.edu/kevhat/Civil20Rights
20MLK.JPG
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The Thomas Confirmation Hearing Framing the
Actors
Anita Hill as an alle-gater