Just read a pretty interesting article by Geroge Orwell about saving the english language from unnecessary aloofness. Its worth struggling throught the start of the article as it gets the brain going after a while. Its more relevant to politcal and probably management language (as in this 43 Folders article). Orwell lays out 6 “rules” which I think are good points to remember when writing anything :
- Never use a metaphor, simile or other figure of speech which you are used to seeing in print.
- Never use a long word where a short one will do.
- If it is possible to cut a word out, always cut it out.
- Never use the passive where you can use the active.
- Never use a foreign phrase, a scientific word or a jargon word if you can think of an everyday English equivalent.
- Break any of these rules sooner than say anything outright barbarous.
This all seems relevant to political, financial and management terms and writing. I’ve definately read articles or listened to a speech from someone active in one of these areas and wondered firstly, what the hell is he talking about, and then secondly, wondered why he didn’t say it in a much simpler way. Of course many times its just a way of masking what’s being said and is also used to create an exclusiveness whereby you have to “learn the language” to be able to follow things being said. Creating this exclusiveness is not necessarily a bad thing as it can create a basic level of acceptable skills but of course, like most exclusivenes, its evolved into something detached from real language. Wouldn’t it be great to make such talk unfashionable, as Orwell puts it? Maybe then at least politicians wouldn’t be able to get away with murder and put people off even getting interested in what they say.
