The most common perception of using loan words is that they make our writing eloquent. They are also regarded as prestigious, grand and even associated with the language of sophisticated people to display their broad range of vocabulary. Yet, George Orwell criticizes and opposes the use of Latinate words with the belief that they are the root of bad habits in written English. This paper delves into Orwell's problem, the diverse responses it provoked, the set of six rules proposed, their advantages, disadvantages and finally, their effect on language if applied.
Moreover, in Orwell's 'Politics and the English Language', Orwell defines the problem of the English language being bad due to specific causes. Causes that we can do something about …show more content…
1) Never use a metaphor, simile, or figure of speech which you are used to seeing in print. 2) Never use a long word where a short one will do. 3) If it's possible to cut a word out, always cut it out. 4) Never use the passive where you can use the active. 5) Never use a foreign phrase, a scientific word, or a jargon if you can think of an everyday English equivalent. 6) Break any of these rules sooner than say anything outright barbarous. In my opinion, I highly agree with the application of those six rules because they are very effective and overall, the rules have several advantages and few to none disadvantages on general pieces of writing, excluding literature, where the application of most to all of those rules don't apply. Not using figures of speech that we are used to seeing in print is in my point of view, highly beneficial. Avoiding clichés helps writers from crafting a lazy string of mixed metaphors. Those figures of speech become redundant and lose meaning, writers are urged to come up with new ones to use those that are not frequently used to provide a vivid image that clarifies the meaning behind what is being said. The disadvantage of this rule is that most people have adjusted to cliché figures of speech and some still live on and do the job of providing a clear image, so reducing their usage is close to impossible since they are globally spread.
In addition to that, replacing a long word for a short word has so many advantages. Substituting short words for long words not only reduces reading time but it also makes reading flow easily, allowing the reader to understand the text fully, saving them the trouble of looking up a word or analyzing words and phrases to put together the meaning of
Moreover, in Orwell's 'Politics and the English Language', Orwell defines the problem of the English language being bad due to specific causes. Causes that we can do something about …show more content…
1) Never use a metaphor, simile, or figure of speech which you are used to seeing in print. 2) Never use a long word where a short one will do. 3) If it's possible to cut a word out, always cut it out. 4) Never use the passive where you can use the active. 5) Never use a foreign phrase, a scientific word, or a jargon if you can think of an everyday English equivalent. 6) Break any of these rules sooner than say anything outright barbarous. In my opinion, I highly agree with the application of those six rules because they are very effective and overall, the rules have several advantages and few to none disadvantages on general pieces of writing, excluding literature, where the application of most to all of those rules don't apply. Not using figures of speech that we are used to seeing in print is in my point of view, highly beneficial. Avoiding clichés helps writers from crafting a lazy string of mixed metaphors. Those figures of speech become redundant and lose meaning, writers are urged to come up with new ones to use those that are not frequently used to provide a vivid image that clarifies the meaning behind what is being said. The disadvantage of this rule is that most people have adjusted to cliché figures of speech and some still live on and do the job of providing a clear image, so reducing their usage is close to impossible since they are globally spread.
In addition to that, replacing a long word for a short word has so many advantages. Substituting short words for long words not only reduces reading time but it also makes reading flow easily, allowing the reader to understand the text fully, saving them the trouble of looking up a word or analyzing words and phrases to put together the meaning of