Sorry About That: The Language of Public Apology

Battistella (linguistics and writing, Southern Oregon Univ.; Bad Language: Are Some Words Better Than Others??) investigates sociological approaches to the human interaction we call the apology. He situates his sociolinguistic exegesis in response to writers such as Erving Goffman, H. Paul Grice, and Nicholas Tavuchis, all of whom have analyzed the same topic. The author also parses common phrases such as "sorry" and "regret" to explore the diversity of approaches by actors who have taken a publicly apologetic stance. He argues that apologies must also be felicitous and accepted by their intended audience to qualify as a true act of contrition. Battistella uses examples from representatives of the U.S. government and corporations to exhibit how cultural differences in linguistic interpretation do not always allow for an easy bridge to be rebuilt by the mea culpa. The book is well organized around a series of apologies delivered in public or by letter from presidents, scientists, writers, and a few celebrities on a wide spectrum of topics. Battistella clearly contextualizes each apology with a quick historical account.