Strange signs and tall tales Tuesday June 30, 2009
Ah, the linguistic confusions and story telling delusions, the everyday tales that baffle and befuddle. I’ve written before about the unintended joy of signs that confuse more than they inform. I’ve also looked at the perils of writing with undue care and attention. In a blog post about his favourite letter ever written to a local newspaper, Anders Hanson talks about some infamous headlines. (Thanks to Alex Foster for alerting me to this one.) Take a look. This is information with intent to confuse. Just a little reminder of the way a message can be undermined by the wrong kind of language. Or how facts forced into stories can become comedy.
My personal favourite from this selection?
“Meeting on open meetings is closed”.
Classic.
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