The British Broadcasting Corp., which sets the standard for spoken English in much of the world, is publishing a new style guide to help presenters speak properly and eliminate Americanisms and jargon.
The 50-page book, apparently the first comprehensive written guide to "BBC English" since the organization was formed in 1927, will be issued to all BBC journalists and presenters this week, The Times reported Monday.Titled simply "The Style Guide," the book advises BBC employees to strive for short words and sentences.
The guide says "journalese" words like "brainchild," "blaze" and "row" should be replaced with the simpler terms "idea," "fire" and "debate."
Cliches like "hopes were dashed," "sighs with relief" and "only time will tell" are among overused terms the BBC would like to eliminate.
The guide acknowledges some Americanisms like "know-how," "gimmick" and "blurb" have added vigor to the English language, but it says true English ears are jarred by American usage of "airplane" rather than "aeroplane" and "normalcy" used instead of "normal" or "state of normality."