Politics and the English Languagepdf.docx

Politics and the English Languagepdf.docx

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PoliticsandtheEnglishLanguagepdf

POLITICSANDTHEENGLISHLANGUAGE

By:

GeorgeOrwell

Category:

CommentaryandOpinion（Historical）

MostpeoplewhobotherwiththematteratallwouldadmitthattheEnglishlanguageisinabadway,butitisgenerallyassumedthatwecannotbyconsciousactiondoanythingaboutit.Ourcivilizationisdecadent,andourlanguage--sotheargumentruns--mustinevitablyshareinthegeneralcollapse.Itfollowsthatanystruggleagainsttheabuseoflanguageisasentimentalarchaism,likepreferringcandlestoelectriclightorhansomcabstoaeroplanes.Underneaththisliesthehalf-consciousbeliefthatlanguageisanaturalgrowthandnotaninstrumentwhichweshapeforourownpurposes.

Now,itisclearthatthedeclineofalanguagemustultimatelyhavepoliticalandeconomiccauses:

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

sothatthefightagainstbadEnglishisnotfrivolousandisnottheexclusiveconcernofprofessionalwriters.Iwillcomebacktothispresently,andIhopethatbythattimethemeaningofwhatIhavesaidherewillhavebecomeclearer.Meanwhile,herearefivespecimensoftheEnglishlanguageasitisnowhabituallywritten.

Thesefivepassageshavenotbeenpickedoutbecausetheyareespeciallybad—IcouldhavequotedfarworseifIhadchosen--butbecausetheyillustratevariousofthementalvicesfromwhichwenowsuffer.Theyarealittlebelowtheaverage,butarefairlyrepresentativesamples.InumberthemsothatIcanreferbacktothemwhennecessary:

（1）Iamnot,indeed,surewhetheritisnottruetosaythattheMiltonwhoonceseemednotunlikeaseventeenth-centuryShelleyhadnotbecome,outofanexperienceevermorebitterineachyear,morealien（sic）tothefounderofthatJesuitsectwhichnothingcouldinducehimtotolerate.（ProfessorHaroldLaskiEssayinFreedomofExpression）

（2）Aboveall,wecannotplayducksanddrakeswithanativebatteryofidiomswhichprescribessuchegregiouscollocationsofvocablesastheBasicputupwithfortolerateorputatalossforbewilder.（ProfessorLancelotHogbenInterglossa）

（3）Ontheonesidewehavethefreepersonality;bydefinitionitisnotneurotic,forithasneitherconflictnordream.Itsdesires,suchastheyare,aretransparent,fortheyarejustwhatinstitutionalapprovalkeepsintheforefrontofconsciousness;anotherinstitutionalpatternwouldaltertheirnumberandintensity;thereislittleinthemthatisnatural,irreducible,orculturallydangerous.Butontheotherside,thesocialbonditselfisnothingbutthemutualreflectionoftheseself-secureintegrities.Recallthedefinitionoflove.Isnotthistheverypictureofasmallacademic?

Whereisthereaplaceinthishallofmirrorsforeitherpersonalityorfraternity?

（ESSAYONPSYCHOLOGYinPoliticsNewYork）

（4）Allthe"bestpeople"fromthegentlemen'sclubs,andallthefranticfascistcaptains,unitedincommonhatredofSocialismandbestialhorroroftherisingtideofthemassrevolutionarymovement,haveturnedtoactsofprovocation,tofoulincendiarism,tomedievallegendsofpoisonedwells,tolegalizetheirowndestructionofproletarianorganizations,androusetheagitatedpetty-bourgeoisietochauvinisticfervoronbehalfofthefightagainsttherevolutionarywayoutofthecrisis.（CommunistPamphlet）

（5）Ifanewspiritistobeinfusedintothisoldcountry,thereisonethornyandcontentiousreformwhichmustbetackled,andthatisthehumanizationandgalvanizationoftheB.B.C.Timidityherewillbespeakcankerandatrophyofthesoul.TheheartofBritainmayleesoundandofstrongbeat,forinstance,buttheBritishlion'sroaratpresentislikethatofBottominShakespeare'sMidsummerNight'sDream--asgentleasanysuckingdove.AvirilenewBritaincannotcontinueindefinitelytobetraducedintheeyes,orratherears,oftheworldbytheeffetelanguorsofLanghamPlace,brazenlymasqueradingas"standardEnglish."WhentheVoiceofBritainisheardatnineo'clock,betterfarandinfinitelylessludicroustohearaitcheshonestlydroppedthanthepresentpriggish,inflated,inhibited,schoolma'am-isharchbrayingofblamelessbashfulmewingmaidens.（LetterinTribune）

Eachofthesepassageshasfaultsofitsown,butquiteapartfromavoidableugliness,twoqualitiesarecommontoallofthem.Thefirstisstalenessofimagery;theotherislackofprecision.Thewritereitherhasameaningandcannotexpressit,orheinadvertentlysayssomethingelse,orheisalmostindifferentastowhetherhiswordsmeananythingornot.ThismixtureofvaguenessandsheerincompetenceisthemostmarkedcharacteristicofmodernEnglishprose,andespeciallyofanykindofpoliticalwriting.Assoonascertaintopicsareraised,theconcretemeltsintotheabstractandnooneseemsabletothinkofturnsofspeechthatarenothackneyed:

proseconsistslessandlessofwordschosenforthesakeoftheirmeaning,andmoreandmoreofphrasestackedtogetherlikethesectionsofaprefabricatedhen-house.Ilistbelow,withnotesandexamples,variousofthetricksbymeansofwhichtheworkofprose-constructionishabituallydodged:

Dyingmetaphors.Anewly-inventedmetaphorassiststhoughtbyevokingavisualimage,whileontheotherhandametaphorwhichistechnically"dead"（e.g.,ironresolution）hasineffectrevertedtobeinganordinarywordandcangenerallybeusedwithoutlossofvividness.Butinbetweenthesetwoclassesthereisahugedumpofworn-outmetaphorswhichhavelostallevocativepowerandaremerelyusedbecausetheysavepeoplethetroubleofinventingphrasesforthemselves.Examplesare:

Ringthechangeson,takeupthecudgelsfor,toetheline,rideroughshodover,standshouldertoshoulderwith,playintothehandsof,anaxetogrind,gristtothemill,fishingintroubledwaters,ontheorderoftheday,Achilles'heel,swansong,hotbed.Manyoftheseareusedwithoutknowledgeoftheirmeaning（whatisa"rift,"forinstance?

）,andincompatiblemetaphorsarefrequentlymixed,asuresignthatthewriterisnotinterestedinwhatheissaying.Somemetaphorsnowcurrenthavebeentwistedoutoftheiroriginalmeaningwithoutthosewhousethemevenbeingawareofthefact.Forexample,toethelineissometimeswrittentowtheline.Anotherexampleisthehammerandtheanvil,nowalwaysusedwiththeimplicationthattheanvilgetstheworstofit.Inreallifeitisalwaystheanvilthatbreaksthehammer,nevertheotherwayabout:

awriterwhostoppedtothinkwhathewassayingwouldbeawareofthis,andwouldavoidpervertingtheoriginalphrase.

Operators,orverbalfalselimbs.Thesesavethetroubleofpickingoutappropriateverbsandnouns,andatthesametimepadeachsentencewithextrasyllableswhichgiveitanappearanceofsymmetry.Characteristicphrasesare:

renderinoperative,militateagainst,proveunacceptable,makecontactwith,besubjectedto,giveriseto,givegroundsfor,havingtheeffectof,playaleadingpart（role）in,makeitselffelt,takeeffect,exhibitatendencyto,servethepurposeof,etc.,etc.Thekeynoteistheeliminationofsimpleverbs.Insteadofbeingasingleword,suchasbreak,stop,spoil,mend,kill,averbbecomesaphrase,madeupofanounoradjectivetackedontosomegeneral-purposesverbasprove,serve,form,play,render.Inaddition,thepassivevoiceiswhereverpossibleusedinpreferencetotheactive,andnounconstructionsareusedinsteadofgerunds（byexaminationofinsteadofbyexamining）.Therangeofverbsisfurthercutdownbymeansofthe-izeanddeformations,andbanalstatementsaregivenanappearanceofprofunditybymeansofthenotun-formation.Simpleconjunctionsandprepositionsarereplacedbysuchphrasesaswithrespectto,havingregardto,thefactthat,bydintof,inviewof,intheinterestsof,onthehypothesisthat;andtheendsofsentencesaresavedfromanti-climaxbysuchresoundingcommonplacesasgreatlytobedesired,cannotbeleftoutofaccount,adevelopmenttobeexpectedinthenearfuture,deservingofseriousconsideration,broughttoasatisfactoryconclusion,andsoonandsoforth.

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

realm,throne,chariot,mailedfist,trident,sword,shield,buckler,banner,jackboot,clarion.Foreignwordsandexpressionssuchasculdesac,ancienregime,deu