Politics and the English Language by George Orwell - Notes

Politics and the English Language by George Orwell

English is bad. We cannot do anything about it. Civilization is declining and so Language should also decline.

Writers' contribution to language decline:

1) Staleness of imagery

2) Lack of precision

Dying metaphors:

People use metaphors without knowing their correct meaning. Some even change the words in the used phrases.

Pretentious Diction:

People think that words borrowed from other languages such as French, Russian, etc are grander.

Meaningless Words:

By using stale similes and metaphors, and idioms and phrases, we save mental effort but leave the meaning vague. This isn't simple and straightforward.

Political language:

This has euphemism, vagueness, etc.

Pacification means to set fire and bombard.

Transfer of population or rectification of frontiers means to rob lands of peasants and drive them out of the place.

Elimination of unreliable elements means to keep people in jail without trial or shoot them or leave them in a place to die.

The great enemy of clear language is insincerity. All issues are political issues and language must suffer for this. Thought corrupts language and language also corrupts thought.

Language is s reflection of social conditions but Language can be stabilised by conscious effort at least of a minority.

Let the meaning choose the word and not the word choose the meaning. Also be cautious about writing or speaking with fake simplicity.

Rules for genuine writing:

1) never use commonly used metaphors or similes.

2) never use a long word instead of a short one.

3) remove unnecessary words

4) never use passive where active voice serves.

5) never use a foreign phrase unless necessary.

These rules are for common use of language and not for literary use of it.

Political language makes bad as right: lies as truth, murders respectable, etc. One cannot change the trend all of a sudden but by slowly starting with the language habits of individuals.