The Politics and the English LanguageWord文档下载推荐.docx

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itisnotduesimplytothebadinfluenceofthisorthatindividualwriter.Butaneffectcanbecomeacause,reinforcingtheoriginalcauseandproducingthesameeffectinanintensifiedform,andsoonindefinitely.Amanmaytaketodrinkbecausehefeelshimselftobeafailure,andthenfailallthemorecompletelybecausehedrinks.ItisratherthesamethingthatishappeningtotheEnglishlanguage.Itbecomesuglyandinaccuratebecauseourthoughtsarefoolish,buttheslovenlinessofourlanguagemakesiteasierforustohavefoolishthoughts.Thepointisthattheprocessisreversible.ModernEnglish,especiallywrittenEnglish,isfullofbadhabitswhichspreadbyimitationandwhichcanbeavoidedifoneiswillingtotakethenecessarytrouble.Ifonegetsridofthesehabitsonecanthinkmoreclearly,andtothinkclearlyisanecessaryfirststeptowardpoliticalregeneration:

sothatthefightagainstbadEnglishisnotfrivolousandisnottheexclusiveconcernofprofessionalwriters.Iwillcomebacktothispresently,andIhopethatbythattimethemeaningofwhatIhavesaidherewillhavebecomeclearer.Meanwhile,herearefivespecimensoftheEnglishlanguageasitisnowhabituallywritten.

Thesefivepassageshavenotbeenpickedoutbecausetheyareespeciallybad--IcouldhavequotedfarworseifIhadchosen--butbecausetheyillustratevariousofthementalvicesfromwhichwenowsuffer.Theyarealittlebelowtheaverage,butarefairlyrepresentativeexamples.InumberthemsothatIcanreferbacktothemwhennecessary:

1.Iamnot,indeed,surewhetheritisnottruetosaythattheMiltonwhoonceseemednotunlikeaseventeenth-centuryShelleyhadnotbecome,outofanexperienceevermorebitterineachyear,morealien[sic]tothefounderofthatJesuitsectwhichnothingcouldinducehimtotolerate.

ProfessorHaroldLaski

（EssayinFreedomofExpression）

2.Aboveall,wecannotplayducksanddrakeswithanativebatteryofidiomswhichprescribesegregiouscollocationsofvocablesastheBasicputupwithfortolerate,orputatalossforbewilder.

ProfessorLancelotHogben（Interglossia）

3.Ontheonesidewehavethefreepersonality:

bydefinitionitisnotneurotic,forithasneitherconflictnordream.Itsdesires,suchastheyare,aretransparent,fortheyarejustwhatinstitutionalapprovalkeepsintheforefrontofconsciousness;

anotherinstitutionalpatternwouldaltertheirnumberandintensity;

thereislittleinthemthatisnatural,irreducible,orculturallydangerous.Butontheotherside,thesocialbonditselfisnothingbutthemutualreflectionoftheseself-secureintegrities.Recallthedefinitionoflove.Isnotthistheverypictureofasmallacademic?

Whereisthereaplaceinthishallofmirrorsforeitherpersonalityorfraternity?

EssayonpsychologyinPolitics（NewYork）

4.Allthe"

bestpeople"

fromthegentlemen'

sclubs,andallthefranticfascistcaptains,unitedincommonhatredofSocialismandbestialhorrorattherisingtideofthemassrevolutionarymovement,haveturnedtoactsofprovocation,tofoulincendiarism,tomedievallegendsofpoisonedwells,tolegalizetheirowndestructionofproletarianorganizations,androusetheagitatedpetty-bourgeoisetochauvinisticfervoronbehalfofthefightagainsttherevolutionarywayoutofthecrisis.

Communistpamphlet

5.Ifanewspiritistobeinfusedintothisoldcountry,thereisonethornyandcontentiousreformwhichmustbetackled,andthatisthehumanizationandgalvanizationoftheB.B.C.Timidityherewillbespeakcankerandatrophyofthesoul.TheheartofBritainmaybesoundandofstrongbeat,forinstance,buttheBritishlion'

sroaratpresentislikethatofBottominShakespeare'

sAMidsummerNight'

sDream--asgentleasanysuckingdove.AvirilenewBritaincannotcontinueindefinitelytobetraducedintheeyesorratherears,oftheworldbytheeffetelanguorsofLanghamPlace,brazenlymasqueradingas"

standardEnglish."

WhentheVoiceofBritainisheardatnineo'

clock,betterfarandinfinitelylessludicroustohearaitcheshonestlydroppedthanthepresentpriggish,inflated,inhibited,school-ma'

amisharchbrayingofblamelessbashfulmewingmaidens!

LetterinTribune

Eachofthesepassageshasfaultsofitsown,but,quiteapartfromavoidableugliness,twoqualitiesarecommontoallofthem.Thefirstisstalenessofimagery;

theotherislackofprecision.Thewritereitherhasameaningandcannotexpressit,orheinadvertentlysayssomethingelse,orheisalmostindifferentastowhetherhiswordsmeananythingornot.ThismixtureofvaguenessandsheerincompetenceisthemostmarkedcharacteristicofmodernEnglishprose,andespeciallyofanykindofpoliticalwriting.Assoonascertaintopicsareraised,theconcretemeltsintotheabstractandnooneseemsabletothinkofturnsofspeechthatarenothackneyed:

proseconsistslessandlessofwordschosenforthesakeoftheirmeaning,andmoreandmoreofphrasestackedtogetherlikethesectionsofaprefabricatedhenhouse.Ilistbelow,withnotesandexamples,variousofthetricksbymeansofwhichtheworkofproseconstructionishabituallydodged:

Dyingmetaphors.Anewlyinventedmetaphorassiststhoughtbyevokingavisualimage,whileontheotherhandametaphorwhichistechnically"

dead"

（e.g.ironresolution）hasineffectrevertedtobeinganordinarywordandcangenerallybeusedwithoutlossofvividness.Butinbetweenthesetwoclassesthereisahugedumpofworn-outmetaphorswhichhavelostallevocativepowerandaremerelyusedbecausetheysavepeoplethetroubleofinventingphrasesforthemselves.Examplesare:

Ringthechangeson,takeupthecudgelfor,toetheline,rideroughshodover,standshouldertoshoulderwith,playintothehandsof,noaxetogrind,gristtothemill,fishingintroubledwaters,ontheorderoftheday,Achilles'

heel,swansong,hotbed.Manyoftheseareusedwithoutknowledgeoftheirmeaning（whatisa"

rift,"

forinstance?

）,andincompatiblemetaphorsarefrequentlymixed,asuresignthatthewriterisnotinterestedinwhatheissaying.Somemetaphorsnowcurrenthavebeentwistedoutoftheiroriginalmeaningwithouththosewhousethemevenbeingawareofthefact.Forexample,toethelineissometimeswrittenastowtheline.Anotherexampleisthehammerandtheanvil,nowalwaysusedwiththeimplicationthattheanvilgetstheworstofit.Inreallifeitisalwaystheanvilthatbreaksthehammer,nevertheotherwayabout:

awriterwhostoppedtothinkwhathewassayingwouldavoidpervertingtheoriginalphrase.

Operatorsorverbalfalselimbs.Thesesavethetroubleofpickingoutappropriateverbsandnouns,andatthesametimepadeachsentencewithextrasyllableswhichgiveitanappearanceofsymmetry.Characteristicphrasesarerenderinoperative,militateagainst,makecontactwith,besubjectedto,giveriseto,givegroundsfor,havetheeffectof,playaleadingpart（role）in,makeitselffelt,takeeffect,exhibitatendencyto,servethepurposeof,etc.,etc.Thekeynoteistheeliminationofsimpleverbs.Insteadofbeingasingleword,suchasbreak,stop,spoil,mend,kill,averbbecomesaphrase,madeupofanounoradjectivetackedontosomegeneral-purposeverbsuchasprove,serve,form,play,render.Inaddition,thepassivevoiceiswhereverpossibleusedinpreferencetotheactive,andnounconstructionsareusedinsteadofgerunds（byexaminationofinsteadofbyexamining）.Therangeofverbsisfurthercutdownbymeansofthe-izeandde-formations,andthebanalstatementsaregivenanappearanceofprofunditybymeansofthenotun-formation.Simpleconjunctionsandprepositionsarereplacedbysuchphrasesaswithrespectto,havingregardto,thefactthat,bydintof,inviewof,intheinterestsof,onthehypothesisthat;

andtheendsofsentencesaresavedbyanticlimaxbysuchresoundingcommonplacesasgreatlytobedesired,cannotbeleftoutofaccount,adevelopmenttobeexpectedinthenearfuture,deservingofseriousconsideration,broughttoasatisfactoryconclusion,andsoonandsoforth.

Pretentiousdiction.Wordslikephenomenon,element,individual（asnoun）,objective,categorical,effective,virtual,basic,primary,promote,constitute,exhibit,exploit,utilize,eliminate,liquidate,areusedtodressupasimplestatementandgiveanaireofscientificimpartialitytobiasedjudgements.Adjectiveslikeepoch-making,epic,historic,unforgettable,triumphant,age-old,inevitable,inexorable,veritable,areusedtodignifythesordidprocessofinternationalpolitics,whilewritingthataimsatglorifyingwarusuallytakesonanarchaiccolor,itscharacteristicwordsbeing:

realm,throne,chariot,mailedfist,trident,sword,shield,buckler,banner,jackboot,clarion.Foreignwordsandexpressionssuchasculdesac,ancienr&

eacutgime,deusexmachina,mutatismutandis,statusquo,gleichschal