Uelmen on Pejoratives
* We want to thank Gerald F. Uelmen for sending us to the dictionary with his commentary of Feb. 7 in hand. Taking his English lesson seriously we searched and found all the italicized words except the last one, “ultracrepedarian.” We suggest that “bdelygmia” be substituted as President Clinton’s response to Newt Gingrich’s pejoratives.
JOAN CARL
Sherman Oaks
CAROLYN ANAGNOS
Los Angeles
* Uelmen makes a stirring plea for a loftier level of invective in the courtroom and in American life that deserves attention.
But be careful. Though he cites Shakespeare as a source of inspiration for enriching public discourse, it should be pointed out that the Bard’s invective was not always polysyllabic. Or even decorous.
Consider how we should respond if Gingrich should wax Shakespearean before an audience of millions with the likes of (from “Macbeth”):
“Thou liest, thou shag-ear’d villain!”
” . . . thou cream-faced loon.”
“Thou lily-livered boy.”
I’m not sure that would be progress, let alone the promised rapture.
WALTER HOUK
Woodland Hills
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