Quote:
Originally Posted by Steeltrap
Yes, that is a commonly used argument. I'll leave it to Geroge Orwell, a far greater exponent of the English language than I can ever expect to be, to reply (I changed some font to bold type for emphasis):
A man may take to drink because he feels himself to be a failure, and then fail all the more completely because he drinks. It is rather the same thing that is happening to the English language. It becomes ugly and inaccurate because our thoughts are foolish, but the slovenliness of our language makes it easier for us to have foolish thoughts. The point is that the process is reversible. Modern English, especially written English, is full of bad habits which spread by imitation and which can be avoided if one is willing to take the necessary trouble. If one gets rid of these habits one can think more clearly.....: so that the fight against bad English is not frivolous and is not the exclusive concern of professional writers.
.......
The writer either has a meaning and cannot express it, or he inadvertently says something else, or he is almost indifferent as to whether his words mean anything or not. This mixture of vagueness and sheer incompetence is the most marked characteristic of modern English prose
George Orwell, 'Politics and the English Language', 1946
There you go....
Cheers
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There's no doubt old Georgie Boy was a great writer. But even his own words use the expression 'Modern English', as apart from Old English or Essex English. I'm sure the lads and lasses in Essex are well able to articulate their thoughts sufficiently enough to communicate, as indeed did the medieval users of Old English.
Language is a serial form of communication, used to decompose a thought or an idea with a vain hope the reader/listener will recompose the same image. At best its the noise a modem makes between two computers.
Language evolves as i'm sure Mr Orwell well appreciated.
UG
PS: I apologise in advance if my post comes across as all slovenly like.
