{"product_id":"political-correctness-isbn-9781405152785","title":"Political Correctness","description":"Political Correctness \u003cp\u003e“Geoffrey Hughes has brought together with great panache the very many manifestations of political correctness, both absurd and vicious, and shown how they express a single collective mind-set. His book establishes beyond doubt that there is such a phenomenon, that it has become dominant in our culture, and that it represents a growing tendency to censor public debate and to prevent people from questioning orthodoxies which we all know to be false.”\u003cbr\u003e Roger Scruton, \u003ci\u003eAmerican Enterprise Institute\u003c\/i\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“What a joy this book is! Hughes’ study traces, with unflagging zest, the modern history of PC. Sumptuous in data, in judgment precise, this is the latest and fullest of Hughes’ series on the social history of language.”\u003cbr\u003e Walter Nash, \u003ci\u003eProfessor Emeritus, University of Nottingham\u003c\/i\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003ci\u003ePolitical Correctness \u003c\/i\u003eis now an everyday phrase and part of the modern mindset. Everyone thinks they know what it means, but its own meaning constantly shifts. Its surprising origins have led to it becoming integrated into contemporary culture in ways that are both idealistic and ridiculous. Originally grounded in respect for difference and sensitivity to suffering, it has often become a distraction and even a silencer of genuine issues, provoking satire and parody. In this carefully researched, thought-provoking book, Geoffrey Hughes examines the trajectory of political correctness and its impact on public life. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eExploring the origins, progress, content, and style of PC, Hughes’ journey leads us through authors as diverse as Chaucer, Shakespeare and Swift; Philip Larkin, David Mamet, and J.M. Coetzee; from nursery rhymes to Spike Lee films. Focusing on the historical, semantic, and cultural aspects of political correctness, this outstanding and unique work will intrigue anyone interested in this ongoing debate.  \u003ci\u003ePreface\u003c\/i\u003e viii  \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003ci\u003eAcknowledgments\u003c\/i\u003e xii\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003ci\u003eEpigraphs\u003c\/i\u003e xiii\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003ePart I Political Correctness and its Origins\u003c\/b\u003e 1\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eChapter 1 Defining Political Correctness 3\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eChapter 2 The Origins and the Debate 60\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003ePart II The Semantic Aspect\u003c\/b\u003e 85\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eChapter 3 Words and Authorities: Dictionaries and Lexicographers 87\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eChapter 4 The Evolution of the Word Field 106\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003ePart III Zones of Controversy\u003c\/b\u003e 113\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eChapter 5 Issues of Race, Nationality, and Difference 115\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eChapter 6 Agendas Old and New 178\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003ePart IV Cultural and Historical Issues\u003c\/b\u003e 215\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eChapter 7 Political Correctness in the Past 217\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eChapter 8 Culture 236\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eConclusion: The Right Thing to Do? Progressive Orthodoxy, Empty Convention or Double Standard? 283\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003ci\u003eBibliography\u003c\/i\u003e 298\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003ci\u003eAuthor and Subject Index\u003c\/i\u003e 309\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003ci\u003eWord Index\u003c\/i\u003e 317\u003c\/p\u003e  \"Prof. Hughes' \u003ci\u003ePolitical Correctness\u003c\/i\u003e deals with both its history and its use at present. And he deals with both aspects in a masterly fashion. Consequently, this book is highly recommendable because of what it says as well as, what is probably more important, because of the multitude of suggestions and questions it inspires.\" (\u003ci\u003eAustralian Journal of Linguistics,\u003c\/i\u003e February 2011)\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e  \"Some books are written to be read, and other books are reference works. \u003ci\u003ePolitical Correctness: A History of Semantics and Culture\u003c\/i\u003e is unusual in that it is both jam-packed with detailed information and yet makes for a good read. Everyone should read this book and also keep it on the shelf as an excellent reference work. This informative and well written book covers more than just the notion of \u003ci\u003epolitical correctness\u003c\/i\u003e (PC) in the narrow sense. It encompasses far more than the problem of increased, PC kinds of concerns, as discussed in Part I, Political Correctness and Its Origins.\" (\u003ci\u003ePsycCritiques\u003c\/i\u003e, August 2010)  \u003cp\u003e\"Hughes ultimately comes down against artificiality, suggesting that political correctness is a form of social engineering that arises from good intentions coupled with Puritanism. A useful book for anyone interested in language and culture.\" (CHOICE, June 2010)\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e“Hughes' book provides a wide-ranging examination of a phenomenon that has had an immense influence on our culture, for both good and ill. \u003ci\u003ePolitical Correctness: A History of Semantics and Culture\u003c\/i\u003e is an entertaining, thought-provoking foray into an interesting and important area.  Hughes focuses mainly on the effect of P.C. in contemporary Britain, America and South Africa, but he looks at earlier historical periods (such as the Reformation) too.  This is the best book written on the subject, and that by some distance.  It is an essential study, rigorous and critical and absolutely indispensable.” (\u003ci\u003eCompulsive Reader\u003c\/i\u003e, April 2010)\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e“Focusing on the historical, semantic, and cultural aspects of political correctness, this brilliant and unique work will intrigue anyone interested in this ongoing debate.” ( \u003ci\u003eLavoisier\u003c\/i\u003e, November 2009)\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e\"One must maintain a sense of humour when entering this arena, where voices of the global cultural elite sometimes present themselves as brave and daring for taking potshots at the sidelined or powerless. An emeritus 'historian of the English language', Hughes knows a lot about dictionaries of every stripe, whether orthodox or slang. He can provide the history of innumerable words, enabling readers to follow semantic changes, neologisms and other evolutions in the 'word field.'\"  (\u003ci\u003eTimes Higher Education\u003c\/i\u003e, November 2009)\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cb\u003eGeoffrey Hughes\u003c\/b\u003e graduated from Oxford, was an Honorary Research Associate at Harvard, and is Emeritus Professor of the History of the English Language at the University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg. He is the author of \u003ci\u003eAn Encyclopedia of Swearing\u003c\/i\u003e (2006), \u003ci\u003eA History of English Words\u003c\/i\u003e (Wiley-Blackwell, 2000), \u003ci\u003eSwearing: A Social History\u003c\/i\u003e \u003ci\u003eof Foul Language, Oaths and Profanity in English\u003c\/i\u003e (1998), and \u003ci\u003eWords in Time\u003c\/i\u003e (1988). He is currently Honorary Research Associate at the University of Cape Town.  Political Correctness is now an everyday phrase and part of the modern mindset. Everyone thinks they know what it means, but its own meaning constantly shifts. Its surprising origins have led to it becoming integrated into contemporary culture in ways that are both idealistic and ridiculous. Originally grounded in respect for difference and sensitivity to suffering, it has often become a distraction and even a silencer of genuine issues, provoking satire and parody. In this carefully researched, thought-provoking book, Geoffrey Hughes examines the trajectory of political correctness and its impact on public life.   \u003cp\u003eExploring the origins, progress, content, and style of PC, Hughes’ journey leads us through authors as diverse as Chaucer, Shakespeare and Swift; Philip Larkin, David Mamet, and J.M. Coetzee; from nursery rhymes to Spike Lee films. Focusing on the historical, semantic, and cultural aspects of political correctness, this outstanding and unique work will intrigue anyone interested in this ongoing debate.\u003c\/p\u003e  \"Geoffrey Hughes has brought together with great panache the very many manifestations of political correctness, both absurd and vicious, and shown how they express a single collective mind-set. His book establishes beyond doubt that there is such a phenomenon, that it has become dominant in our culture, and that it represents a growing tendency to censor public debate and to prevent people from questioning orthodoxies which we all know to be false.\"\u003cbr\u003e —\u003ci\u003e\u003cb\u003eRoger Scruton\u003c\/b\u003e, American Enterprise Institute\u003c\/i\u003e  \u003cp\u003e\"What a joy this book is! Hughes´ study traces, with unflagging zest, the modern history of PC.Sumptuous in data, in judgment precise, this is the latest and fullest of Hughes’ series on the social history of language.\"\u003cbr\u003e —\u003ci\u003e\u003cb\u003eWalter Nash\u003c\/b\u003e, Professor Emeritus, University of Nottingham\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Wiley-Blackwell","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47989804204261,"sku":"NP9781405152785","price":129.95,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1842\/7735\/files\/9781405152785.jpg?v=1761785531","url":"https:\/\/k12savings.com\/products\/political-correctness-isbn-9781405152785","provider":"K12savings","version":"1.0","type":"link"}