William Lutz

This page, from Rutgers University where Lutz teaches, contains some information about Lutz's teaching interests, publications, and awards and honors.

This page, from a conference given by the Plain Language Association, has a photo of Lutz along with some information about his life and work. If you had to pick between this bio, and the one above, which would you choose, and why?

Lutz has come up with a set of rules, more specifically: "Rules for Writing Plain English: How You Can Write Plain Language by Just Following These 39 Steps." Take a look. (By the way, have you heard the phrase "The 39 Steps" anywhere else? Is there a connection?)

Here's an excerpt from a follow-up book with the colorful title Doublespeak Defined: Cut through the Bull****. Read it to find out what this author has updated. What's the main nature of the changes?

This page contains a quote by Lutz. Find it and see what you think.

This page, from the University of Adelaide, has a link to George Orwell's classic essay "Politics and the English Language." Read it and see what links you can make to Lutz's piece. What are the major differences?

This is the homepage of a website with the address doublespeak.com. What's the slant of this site, and how does it compare to Lutz's notion of "doublespeak"?

Check out the "Doublespeak Awards (1975-2002)," handed out by the Committee on Public Doublespeak of the National Council of Teachers of English.

How many hits do you think you'd get if you typed "doublespeak" into a search engine like Google.com? Make a guess before you do it. Okay, now go there and give it a try. Are you surprised? Explain.