Julian Burnside: Mind Your Language

Unhappily, many people for whom language is a central part of
their life’s work are a bit careless about the way they use it. Go into
any court or any parliament any day and see whether you find the
language inspiring, or even intelligible. If we were carpenters, we
would probably leave our hammer and saw in the rain. The point of
language is to convey meaning. Ideally, it should do so accurately. Not
all writers honour this ideal. The purpose of language may be betrayed
by carelessness, foolishness or malevolence, by representatives of big
business, bureaucrats and politicians.

Julian Burnside will speak about
each, and will finish with some recent reminders that language can be
used powerfully and effectively if only we take enough care.