Download Sorry about That: The Language of Public Apology AudioBook Free
People do bad things. They misspeak, mislead, and misbehave. They lie, cheat, grab, and kill. Often, afterward, they apologize. But why is an effective apology? How come Joe Biden's 2007 apology for referring to Barack Obama as "articulate and glowing" do well, whereas Mel Gibson's 2006 apology for his anti-Semitic tirade fails? Obviously, the effectiveness of an apology depends on the language used, as well as the conditions under which you can expect our regrets. In Sorry about That, linguist Edwin Battistella analyzes the general public apologies of presidents, politicians, entertainers, and businessmen, situating the apology within North american popular culture. Battistella offers the fascinating stories behind these apologies alongside his own analysis of the language used in each. He uses these examples to demonstrate the ways that language creates sincere or insincere apologies, why we choose to apologize or don't, and how our efforts to state we have been sorry succeed or fail. Each chapter expands on the central strategy or differentiation that explains part of the apology process. Battistella includes over 50 memorable apologies from McDonald's, Martha Stewart, Oprah Winfrey, Jane Fonda, Invoice Clinton, and many more. Moving backwards and forwards between examples and ideas, Battistella connects genuine apologies with the broader public, ethical, and linguistic ideas behind them. Listeners should come from the audiobook better consumers of apologies - and better apologizers as well.
