Politics and the English Language - Research Paper Example

Politics and the English Language              George Orwell in his book “Politics and English Language” has put down his critical observations and pointed out that English language is in bad shape and it is on the verge of collapse (Orwell, 1946, p.1). There is well recognized belief that language has a natural growth over a period of time and can not be used to give a shape for specific purposes. This existing bad shape of English language has political and economic reasons. The primary reason is not only for the use of the language by a particular writer but also for the reason of bad habits of using the language badly .The following to others and imitation can be avoided by eliminating these bad habits. In order to clear the point the writer Orwell has given five examples of passages. Prof Harold Laski in his Freedom of Expression has written: “I am not, indeed, sure whether it is not true to say that the Milton who once seemed not unlike a seventeenth-century Shelley had not become, out of an experience ever more bitter in each year, more alien [sic] to the founder of that Jesuit sect which nothing could induce him to tolerate.” (Orwell, 1946, p.1) Orwell observed that in the cited passage there is having five negatives in fifty three words. The superfluous words are used in the passage that has made the write up non-sense and vagueness could have been avoided. It appears that the observations of Orwell are correct and significant. The second example is from Professor Lancelot Hog Ben’s” Interglossa” which reads as: “Above all, we cannot play ducks and drakes with a native battery of idioms which prescribes egregious collocations of vocables as the Basic put up with for tolerate, or put at a loss for bewilder.” (Orwell, 1946, p.1) Orwell is not convinced in using the phrase ‘ducks and drakes’ and he does not accept the word like ‘put up’ and ‘egregious’. The third instance cited by him referred to an Essay on psychology in Politics (New York): “on the one side we have the free personality: by definition it is not neurotic, for it has neither conflict nor dream. Its desires, such as they are, are transparent, for they are just what institutional approval keeps in the forefront of consciousness;” (Orwell, 1946, p.2). Orwell finds it to be meaningless but a reader can find out the meaning what it is intended in the article. The expressions by the writer could have been made easier and imagery had the words been replaced appropriately. The fourth one is from a communist pamphlet: ‘All the "best people" from the gentlemens clubs, and all the frantic fascist captains’ (Orwell, 1946, p.2) In his opinion the part contains stale phrases and the writer has expressed what he is to say about. The last example is from a letter published in Tribune which reads as: “If a new spirit is to be infused into this old country, there is one thorny and contentious reform which must be tackled, and that is the humanization and galvanization of the B.B.C.” (Orwell, 1946, p. 2) Orwell thinks that it contains an emotional meaning but details are not disclosed. The terms like humanization and galvanization used here are signs of bad usage. All these five write ups have two faults in common i.e. qualities of writing are uniform in nature and back datedness of imagery. According to him political writings are full of vagueness and more phrases are used where fewer words can be used. Orwell points out of tricks for prose construction which is dodged. Dying metaphors are worn out, are not capable to evoke power since image creating metaphor are to be used. Some of the examples of dying metaphors are: ‘Ring the changes on,’ ‘take up the cudgel for’, ‘toe the line’, ‘ride roughshod over’, ‘stand shoulder to shoulder with’ etc. Some metaphors are twisted during the time of use. One example is: ‘toe the line is used as tow the line’. The second one is Operators or verbal false limbs includes picking up of appropriate verbs and nouns, replacement of verbs  by phrases, maximum use of active voice, use of phrases in place of conjunctions and prepositions. Pretentious diction refers to use of words like element, objective, effective etc to cover statement which airs impartiality. (Orwell, 1946, p.3) In the opinion of Orwell some words used by Marxists are ‘hyena, hangman, cannibal, petty bourgeois, mad dog, white Guard’ etc are translated words from other languages gives an increase in slovenliness. The fourth trick is meaningless words are used in art and literary criticism. The words like “romantic, plastic, values, human, dead, sentimental natural, validity are meaningless, which are used art criticism.” (Orwell, 1946, p.4) Orwell translated Ecclesiastes 9.11 as: “I returned and saw under the sun, that the race is not to the swift, nor the battle to the strong, neither yet bread to the wise, nor yet riches to men of understanding, nor yet favor to men of skill; but time and chance happeneth to them all” (Orwell, 1946, p.5) into modern English as:       “Objective considerations of contemporary phenomena compel the conclusion that success or failure in competitive activities exhibits no tendency to be commensurate with innate capacity, but that a considerable element of the unpredictable must invariably be taken into account.”  The translation of Orwell is a serious example what he likes to express.  In the opinion of Orwell the piece contains six images, one vague phrase. Second sentence gives the same meaning of what the previous one has expressed. Orwell thinks the present form of English writing do not use appropriate words for the purpose of meaning and for the purpose of creating of images to make the meaning more clear rather than quicker means .Words used i.e. “In my opinion it is not an unjustifiable assumption that than to say I think.” (Orwell, 1946, p.6) can be better substituted. According to Orwell the writer must ask several questions to himself before writing: What he is trying to communicate, what words will be used to express his ideas, what are the idioms and phrases that will clear the images and whether this image that will be created will have an impact in the minds of the readers. During the time of Orwell he observed that political writing is bad due to its adoption of biasness to a particular idea and it goes on as per party line. Where such writing does not take place, expressions are said to be from a rebel. Writings of all political parties are more and less runs in the same line. “In his opinion political language has to consist largely of euphemism. They very often suffer from the aspects of Question-begging and bear sheer cloudy vagueness”. (Orwell, 1946, p.7).Very often political speakers are habituated to deliver the same speech over again and again in the same language and tone. It suffers from reduced consciousness. Euphemism is known as exaggerated style.” He also finds that in his contemporary period “there is no such thing as "keeping out of politics." All issues are political issues, and politics itself is a mass of lies, evasions, folly, hatred, and schizophrenia. When the “general atmosphere is bad, language must suffer.” (Orwell, 1946, p.8) Naturally bad language is used in political writing. This is only a reflection of present social conditions prevailing and present political atmosphere existing. The decade long obscurity can perhaps be cured to a great extent. Orwell has given some suggestions for improvement of English language usage. First step should be scrapping of words and phrases which have lost its usefulness over a period of time. Use of proper grammar and syntax are also a necessity for appropriate application. Choosing of appropriate words are a requirement for expressing the meaning - “This last effort of the mind cuts out all stale or mixed images, all prefabricated phrases, needless repetitions, and humbug and vagueness generally.”(Orwell, 1946, p.9).He has suggested certain courses which will cover in most cases. The suggestions are not to ‘use metaphor, simile or other figure of speech’ which are very common; to use short words where feasible; avoiding words which are avoidable, using active voice where possible in place of passive, not to use any kind of jargon, scientific word or a foreign phrase. Orwell is of the opinion that language is used to express one’s opinion. This is true in all senses. When a political leader does not know for what he fighting, how he can fight against his desired cause. Application of simplified language is a must for good expressions. Change of old age habits in writing and change of attitude towards this end will give an entry to fresh wind.       The battle of Gettysburg contained 7500 soldiers and thousands of horses dead as a result of battle between Union’s army of the Potomac and the Confederacy’s Army of Northern Virginia. The speech was delivered by the United States President Abraham Lincoln on 19th May, 1863 during the inaugural ceremony of a cemetery to honor to those who have lost their lives in the Gettysburg battle. It occurred during the American civil war just after the Gettysburg battle. The address contained less than 300 words and it took two to three minutes to deliver. He advocated the principles of human equality and described civil war as birth of freedom that has brought equality to the citizens of America. The address reads as: “Four score and seven years ago our fathers brought forth on this continent, a new nation, conceived in Liberty, and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal.” The President of America reminded the citizens of the country of the glory of past American Revolution. He also described that this occasion of paying respect is an extension of an opportunity to remember the devotion of the dead people towards the country through human struggle for democracy. Thus he said :  “that we here highly resolve that these dead shall not have  died in vain---that this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom---and that government of the  people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth.” (Lincoln, 1863)       The contention of the politician president is a call to all in the country with a clear voice without any vagueness and he is upright in announcing that. The above address of the president is not a personal voice of Abraham Lincoln; the wordings are powerful to generate spirit but more powerful is the words that have been carefully selected and drafted by the President. The speech of a politician in the year of 1863 is a clear message to the citizens of the country. There are no phrases or there are no meaningless words in the definition of democracy contained in the last line of the address. And this definition of democracy is even quoted now a day.       Orwell criticized the contemporary English writing as ‘ugly and inaccurate’ (Orwell, 1946, p.10) and thought that it as the consequence of irrational thinking and politics without honesty. He also termed that English prose usage are full vagueness and political writing has reflection of incompetence. The address of Abraham Lincoln is something different and well expressed message to the citizens of Unites States what Orwell deduced as regards political literature from his experiences.       David Young in his work based on a critical analysis of George Orwell’s ‘Politics and English language’ has mentioned that Orwell used language as a tool to combat the spreading the totalitarian and socialistic ideas around the world. Orwell used language to manipulate readers against totalitarian government... (Young, 2006, p.1 & 2). The essay of Orwell under discussion is a logical extension of ‘Leviathan’s chapter of “Of speech” where Orwell argues that degradation has led to emptiness in political writings. Writers of his time might be dependent on meaningless terms and metaphors are a debatable question. (Hobbes, 2005, p.25) Orwell believes that political and economic pressure contributes ugly language leading to foolish thinking which again adds to uglier and foul language and this paves the way to a cycle. Orwell is concerned about staleness of imagery and imprecision because they lead to vagueness and manipulation. If it is followed on Orwell’s path, language gripped by advertisers, propagandists, politicians can be rescued in order to use language for creating and expressing thought.       From the above contents it transpires that Orwell’s essay may have a base of political indirect touch but it is a good endeavor to have clear guidelines for writing better English for expression of our thoughts and reflections of our ideas. On the other hand it is also a fact that before his advent English language was also full of immoral writings. Those classics still fills the air with aroma and very often they are referred to. Lincoln’s address is one such write up from the platform of politics and state which has created a history in speeches and it is epoch making and worthy for a nation to remember and pursue it for the future. The speech is a torch bearing message for all mankind of the universe. The statements of Orwell in regard to language used in political literature do not appear to be widely accepted all over the world but some other contentions are really good and historically accepted.      References 1. Hobbes, T. (2005) Leviathan, Broadview Press 2. Lincoln, A. (1863) Abraham Lincoln: Gettysburg Address, American Rhetoric, Speech Bank [online], available at: www.americanrhetoric.com/speeches/gettysburgaddress.htm (accessed on June 4, 2009) 3. Orwell, G. (1946) Politics and the English Language, Herbert W. Simpson Inc 4. Young, D. (2006) ‘Politics and the English Language’, Associated Content, available at: http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/38291/politics_and_the_english_language.html?cat=9 (accessed on June 4, 2009) Read More