But “elevated language is a sign of respect”!

U.S. speechwriting guru Bob Lehrman has a nice piece in the Christian Science Monitor about what he learned during a recent struggle to export American speechwriting techniques to Vietnamese students. Lehrman’s optimistic conclusion: “Thirty five young diplomats … want to build a country by refusing to let the past determine their future, even by learning English—and maybe even by using active voice.”

To the extent that English becomes the international language, will "American" eventually become the international style of rhetoric? —DM