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    • Mid-American Review of Sociology, Volume 08, Number 1 (SPRING, 1983)
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    •   KU ScholarWorks
    • Sociology
    • Social Thought and Research
    • Mid-American Review of Sociology, Volume 08, Number 1 (SPRING, 1983)
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    Gunning Down the Fog: A Test of the Unintelligibility and Illiteracy Hypotheses

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    MARSV8N1A2.pdf (706.8Kb)
    Issue Date
    1983-04-01
    Author
    Whitt, Hugh P.
    Creech, James C.
    Publisher
    Department of Sociology, University of Kansas
    Type
    Article
    Rights
    Copyright (c) Social Thought and Research. For rights questions please contact Editor, Department of Sociology, Social Thought and Research, Fraser Hall, 1415 Jayhawk Blvd, Lawrence, KS 66045.
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    Abstract
    Sociologists have often been criticized for their inability to make themselves understood. Talcott Parsons, in particular, has been singled out for his alleged incomprehensibility. As a consequence, his name has achieved legendary stature for more than his theoretical contributions. The present inquiry examines Parsons' writing style using the Gunning fog index of readability, finding that Parsons was indeed unintelligible as a writer. Moreover, it was discovered, serendipitously, that a postive feedback loop was operating (i.e., with one exception, Parsons became more unintelligible with each new book).
    URI
    http://hdl.handle.net/1808/4931
    DOI
    https://doi.org/10.17161/STR.1808.4931
    Collections
    • Mid-American Review of Sociology, Volume 08, Number 1 (SPRING, 1983) [11]
    Citation
    Mid-American Review of Sociology, Volume 8, Number 1 (SPRING, 1983), pp. 39-49 http://dx.doi.org/10.17161/STR.1808.4931

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    Contact KU ScholarWorks
    785-864-8983
    KU Libraries
    1425 Jayhawk Blvd
    Lawrence, KS 66045
    785-864-8983

    KU Libraries
    1425 Jayhawk Blvd
    Lawrence, KS 66045
    Image Credits
     

     

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