Apr 14, 2009

Geoff Nunberg Compares Different Epithets for Bernie Madoff

From NPR's "Fresh Air", from WHYY

Madoff: A Scoundrel Or A Sociopath?

By Geoff Nunberg

White-collar fraudster Bernie Madoff has been called a range of nasty names — from the Dickensian "scoundrel" to the clinically cruel "sociopath." Linguist Geoff Nunberg considers the proper terminology for condemning Madoff.

Nunberg teaches at the University of California at Berkeley School of Information, and he is the former chair of the American Heritage Dictionary usage panel.

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Last updated:

October 4, 2016