Who is the author of Says Who??

The author of Says Who? is Anne Curzan.

Personal Development

Says Who? Book Summary - Says Who? Book explained in key points

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Says Who? summary

Name: Says Who?
Rating: 4 (29 reviews)
Author: Anne Curzan

Anne Curzan

A Kinder, Funner Usage Guide for Everyone Who Cares About Words

4 (29 ratings)

17 mins

Brief summary

Says Who? delves into the dynamic nature of language, examining how societal norms and individual usage shape and transform linguistic rules over time. Anne Curzan provides compelling insights into the evolving landscape of English.

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Table of Contents

Says Who?
Summary of 7 key ideas

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Key idea 1 of 7

What’s in it for me? Develop a nuanced approach to evaluating speech and writing.

If you care about words –⁠ and you probably do, if you’ve made your way to this Blink –⁠ you’ve probably at some point cringed when someone said “irregardless” or pronounced “nuclear” like “nucular”. You might find yourself struggling to silence this inner grammando – that persnickety inner voice that constantly corrects other people’s linguistic mistakes. At the same time, you probably also have an inner wordie –⁠ someone who’s fascinated and delighted by language and its evolution.

The good news is that there’s a middle ground between grammando and wordie –⁠ and that’s exactly the territory this Blink explores. In it, we’ll dive into the historical contexts and social forces that shape usage, empowering us to make informed linguistic choices instead of just deferring to a prescriptive set of rules.

Are the rules really the rules?

Among linguists, the word “impact” is deeply controversial. “Only teeth can be impacted”, a newspaper editor once insisted to the author. But, undoubtedly, we’ve all seen news articles where “impact” was used as a verb to describe how various factors affect the economy. So what’s wrong with it?

Well, many grammarians and usage guides claim that “impact” as a verb is a nonsensical and unacceptable new usage.

However, this argument is based on a false premise. In fact, “impact” has been a verb in English longer than it’s been a noun. In the early seventeenth century, it meant “to press closely into something.” The noun “impact” only arose in the late eighteenth century to refer to the collision of two bodies. Within a few decades, it began to be used figuratively to talk about effects or influences.

Grammandos caught on to the growing figurative use and decided to clamp down on it. The largest professional association in the humanities, the Modern Language Association, still asserts that “impact” can’t be used in the figurative sense. Likewise, in 2001, 81 percent of the Usage Panel of the American Heritage Dictionary voted that the use of the verb “impact” to mean “to have an effect” is unacceptable.

There are signs that these usage organizations are loosening up, though. By 2015, only 50 percent of the American Heritage Dictionary Usage Panel disapproved of this use of “impact”.

So is “impact” as a verb okay or not? The answer might be: it depends. Groups like the Usage Panel –⁠ which was actually disbanded in 2018 –⁠ do play an important role in determining which linguistic usages are acceptable in formal, edited contexts.

However, their judgments are far from objective. They’re invariably influenced by the particular linguistic sensibilities and ideological leanings of their members. In other words, their votes don’t make any usage universally right or wrong. Maybe avoid the figurative “impact” in formal writing –⁠ but otherwise, go ahead.

“Political correctness” versus inclusive language

Some examples of “politically correct” language can feel excessive –⁠ just take “vertically challenged” as a replacement for “short”. Critics are quick to reference these examples to denounce political correctness as silly or equate it with censorship. But these folks are missing the bigger picture.

What’s really involved in discussions of “pc” language are questions surrounding the benefits and drawbacks of using inclusive language. Do attempts to promote respectful, inclusive terminology inappropriately limit free speech, as some claim? Or do they give voice to marginalized groups and help everyone feel respected?

Fun, funner, funnest

Some words just rub people the wrong way. Take “funner”. Saying this one out loud might cause a grimace. But why does it sound so weird? As it turns out, the explanation is surprisingly complex and fascinating.

Believe it or not, there are people who think “fun” shouldn't even be used as an adjective –⁠ that it should only be a noun, as in “I'm having fun”. This argument stems from the fact that for the first hundred years or so of its history, “fun” was only a noun and a verb, not an adjective. “Fun” only took on adjectival duties in the mid-twentieth century, and now we can say things like, “That was a really fun party.”

Whom did you tell the secret to?

As an English professor, the author finds herself in a conundrum when it comes to using “who” versus “whom” in her emails. On the one hand, “whom” sounds overly formal and stuffy. But “who” often gets people in a fuss because it makes them think she doesn’t know proper grammar! So should she say “I wasn’t sure to whom to send this message” or “I wasn’t sure who to send this message to?”

The traditional grammatical rule is that “who” should be used as the subject of a sentence, while “whom” should be used as the object. So, you’d say, “Who invited you to the party?” because “who” is the subject. Conversely, you would ask, “Whom did you tell the secret to?” because “you” is the subject and “whom” is the object.

“This book is dedicated to my parents, Ayn Rand and God”

If you’ve spent any time around internet word nerds, you’ve undoubtedly come across the debate about the infamous Oxford comma. In case you haven’t, that's the comma that comes before the “and” in a list, as in “eggs, milk, and cheese”. The Oxford comma can clarify ambiguous lists, such as in the famous example: “This book is dedicated to my parents, Ayn Rand and God.” Without the Oxford comma, it seems like the speaker’s parents are . . . well, Ayn Rand and God.

But these kinds of examples are fairly infrequent, and research shows that Americans are heavily divided over whether to use the Oxford comma. Many copy editors would tell you it’s not so important which choice you make –⁠ what matters is that you’re consistent. But is consistency really that important? To answer this question, let’s take a historical detour to explore the history of punctuation more generally.

When writing flows

Writing that “flows” is often touted as a hallmark of good prose. But what does it actually mean for writing to “flow” –⁠ or, conversely, to be “choppy”? And how do you make it not choppy?

In general, a choppy piece of writing is one where the connections between sentences aren’t clear. It’s when readers’ expectations about where the writing is headed are not being met, which makes for a jarring reading experience.

And so we began with conjunctions

Many of us grow up learning the “rule” that you shouldn’t start sentences with words like “and” or “but”. But, as it turns out, this is far from a hard-and-fast rule. All the way back in the 1920s, notorious grammarian H. W. Fowler called the idea that you can’t start a sentence with “and” a “faintly lingering superstition”.

The origins of this supposed “rule” can probably be traced back to English teachers trying to encourage kids to write in a more formal, less colloquial style. They wanted to steer them away from stringing together too many short, simple sentences using “and”, which would be their natural tendency when speaking. Interestingly, the preference for more formal sentence structures is a relatively recent development in the English language. In Old English, written text often mirrored the grammar of speech, with fewer restrictions on how to begin sentences.

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What is Says Who? about?

Says Who? (2024) is an insightful examination of the complex and ever-evolving nature of language. It explores how perceptions, norms, and social forces shape the way we use and understand language, and how these dynamics impact communication across various contexts. Ultimately, it challenges readers to reexamine their assumptions about “correct” language and consider the nuanced role language plays in shaping identity, culture, and society.

Says Who? Review

Says Who? (2017) by Anne Curzan delves into the fascinating world of language and the way it evolves over time. Here's why this book is a great choice for language enthusiasts:

Explores the intriguing origins of common phrases and words, shedding light on the ever-changing English language.
Analyzes popular misconceptions and grammar rules, challenging readers to question the language norms they take for granted.
Provides insightful explanations on how language shapes culture and society, presenting a fresh perspective on everyday communication.

Who should read Says Who??

Students and educators in linguistics, language studies, or communication fields
Writers, journalists, and content creators
Lifelong learners interested in the intricacies of the English language

About the Author

Ann Curzan is a linguist and professor at the University of Michigan, where she also serves as the dean of the College of Literature, Science, and the Arts. She writes about language for the blog Lingua Franca for the Chronicle of Higher Education and for the column “Talking About Words” in Michigan Today. As a member of the American Heritage Dictionary Usage Panel and the American Dialect, she helps to gauge the acceptability of usages of words and grammatical constructions as well as voting on the Word of the Year.

Categories with Says Who?

Personal Development Communication Skills Education

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