From Fresh Air from WHYY (National Public Radio)
By Geoffrey Nunberg
In his most recent commentary, linguist Geoffrey Nunberg contemplates the practice of counting words, noting that it has become "a favorite way to track a trend, uncover a hidden meaning, or cut a long text down to size." Nunberg points to the healthcare bill that passed through the House, and notes that a word count might suggest why a feminist group might find fault in a 1,900-page document that only uses the word 'women' eight times, or how other critics could see the abundance of the word 'shall' in the bill as illustrative of the government's attempt to control its citizens....