Goerge OrwellPolitics and the English LanguageWord文件下载.docx
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Goerge OrwellPolitics and the English LanguageWord文件下载.docx
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MostpeoplewhobotherwiththematteratallwouldadmitthattheEnglishlanguageisinabadway,butitisgenerallyassumedthatwecannotbyconsciousactiondoanythingaboutit.Ourcivilizationisdecadentandourlanguage—sotheargumentruns—mustinevitablyshareinthegeneralcollapse.Itfollowsthatanystruggleagainsttheabuseoflanguageisasentimentalarchaism,likepreferringcandlestoelectriclightorhansomcabstoaeroplanes.Underneaththisliesthehalf-consciousbeliefthatlanguageisanaturalgrowthandnotaninstrumentwhichweshapeforourownpurposes.
Now,itisclearthatthedeclineofalanguagemustultimatelyhavepoliticalandeconomiccauses:
itisnotduesimplytothebadinfluenceofthisorthatindividualwriter.Butaneffectcanbecomeacause,reinforcingtheoriginalcauseandproducingthesameeffectinanintensifiedform,andsoonindefinitely.Amanmaytaketodrinkbecausehefeelshimselftobeafailure,andthenfailallthemorecompletelybecausehedrinks.ItisratherthesamethingthatishappeningtotheEnglishlanguage.Itbecomesuglyandinaccuratebecauseourthoughtsarefoolish,buttheslovenlinessofourlanguagemakesiteasierforustohavefoolishthoughts.Thepointisthattheprocessisreversible.ModernEnglish,especiallywrittenEnglish,isfullofbadhabitswhichspreadbyimitationandwhichcanbeavoidedifoneiswillingtotakethenecessarytrouble.Ifonegetsridofthesehabitsonecanthinkmoreclearly,andtothinkclearlyisanecessaryfirststeptowardpoliticalregeneration:
sothatthefightagainstbadEnglishisnotfrivolousandisnottheexclusiveconcernofprofessionalwriters.Iwillcomebacktothispresently,andIhopethatbythattimethemeaningofwhatIhavesaidherewillhavebecomeclearer.Meanwhile,herearefivespecimensoftheEnglishlanguageasitisnowhabituallywritten.
Thesefivepassageshavenotbeenpickedoutbecausetheyareespeciallybad—IcouldhavequotedfarworseifIhadchosen—butbecausetheyillustratevariousofthementalvicesfromwhichwenowsuffer.Theyarealittlebelowtheaverage,butarefairlyrepresentativeexamples.InumberthemsothatIcanreferbacktothemwhennecessary:
1.Iamnot,indeed,surewhetheritisnottruetosaythattheMiltonwhoonceseemednotunlikeaseventeenth-centuryShelleyhadnotbecome,outofanexperienceevermorebitterineachyear,morealien[sic]tothefounderofthatJesuitsectwhichnothingcouldinducehimtotolerate.
ProfessorHaroldLaski(EssayinFreedomofExpression)
2.Aboveall,wecannotplayducksanddrakeswithanativebatteryofidiomswhichprescribesegregiouscollocationsofvocablesastheBasicputupwithfortolerate,orputatalossforbewilder.
ProfessorLancelotHogben(Interglossia)
3.Ontheonesidewehavethefreepersonality:
bydefinitionitisnotneurotic,forithasneitherconflictnordream.Itsdesires,suchastheyare,aretransparent,fortheyarejustwhatinstitutionalapprovalkeepsintheforefrontofconsciousness;
anotherinstitutionalpatternwouldaltertheirnumberandintensity;
thereislittleinthemthatisnatural,irreducible,orculturallydangerous.Butontheotherside,thesocialbonditselfisnothingbutthemutualreflectionoftheseself-secureintegrities.Recallthedefinitionoflove.Isnotthistheverypictureofasmallacademic?
Whereisthereaplaceinthishallofmirrorsforeitherpersonalityorfraternity?
EssayonpsychologyinPolitics(NewYork)
4.Allthe‘bestpeople’fromthegentlemen'
sclubs,andallthefranticfascistcaptains,unitedincommonhatredofSocialismandbestialhorrorattherisingtideofthemassrevolutionarymovement,haveturnedtoactsofprovocation,tofoulincendiarism,tomedievallegendsofpoisonedwells,tolegalizetheirowndestructionofproletarianorganizations,androusetheagitatedpetty-bourgeoisetochauvinisticfervoronbehalfofthefightagainsttherevolutionarywayoutofthecrisis.
Communistpamphlet
5.Ifanewspiritistobeinfusedintothisoldcountry,thereisonethornyandcontentiousreformwhichmustbetackled,andthatisthehumanizationandgalvanizationoftheB.B.C.Timidityherewillbespeakcankerandatrophyofthesoul.TheheartofBritainmaybesoundandofstrongbeat,forinstance,buttheBritishlion'
sroaratpresentislikethatofBottominShakespeare'
sAMidsummerNight'
sDream—asgentleasanysuckingdove.AvirilenewBritaincannotcontinueindefinitelytobetraducedintheeyesorratherears,oftheworldbytheeffetelanguorsofLanghamPlace,brazenlymasqueradingas‘standardEnglish’.WhentheVoiceofBritainisheardatnineo'
clock,betterfarandinfinitelylessludicroustohearaitcheshonestlydroppedthanthepresentpriggish,inflated,inhibited,school-ma'
amisharchbrayingofblamelessbashfulmewingmaidens!
LetterinTribune
Eachofthesepassageshasfaultsofitsown,but,quiteapartfromavoidableugliness,twoqualitiesarecommontoallofthem.Thefirstisstalenessofimagery;
theotherislackofprecision.Thewritereitherhasameaningandcannotexpressit,orheinadvertentlysayssomethingelse,orheisalmostindifferentastowhetherhiswordsmeananythingornot.ThismixtureofvaguenessandsheerincompetenceisthemostmarkedcharacteristicofmodernEnglishprose,andespeciallyofanykindofpoliticalwriting.Assoonascertaintopicsareraised,theconcretemeltsintotheabstractandnooneseemsabletothinkofturnsofspeechthatarenothackneyed:
proseconsistslessandlessofwordschosenforthesakeoftheirmeaning,andmoreandmoreofphrasestackedtogetherlikethesectionsofaprefabricatedhen-house.Ilistbelow,withnotesandexamples,variousofthetricksbymeansofwhichtheworkofprose-constructionishabituallydodged.
DYINGMETAPHORS.Anewlyinventedmetaphorassiststhoughtbyevokingavisualimage,whileontheotherhandametaphorwhichistechnically‘dead’(e.g.ironresolution)hasineffectrevertedtobeinganordinarywordandcangenerallybeusedwithoutlossofvividness.Butinbetweenthesetwoclassesthereisahugedumpofworn-outmetaphorswhichhavelostallevocativepowerandaremerelyusedbecausetheysavepeoplethetroubleofinventingphrasesforthemselves.Examplesare:
Ringthechangeson,takeupthecudgelfor,toetheline,rideroughshodover,standshouldertoshoulderwith,playintothehandsof,noaxetogrind,gristtothemill,fishingintroubledwaters,ontheorderoftheday,Achilles’heel,swansong,hotbed.Manyoftheseareusedwithoutknowledgeoftheirmeaning(whatisa‘rift’,forinstance?
),andincompatiblemetaphorsarefrequentlymixed,asuresignthatthewriterisnotinterestedinwhatheissaying.Somemetaphorsnowcurrenthavebeentwistedoutoftheiroriginalmeaningwithoutthosewhousethemevenbeingawareofthefact.Forexample,toethelineissometimeswrittenastowtheline.Anotherexampleisthehammerandtheanvil,nowalwaysusedwiththeimplicationthattheanvilgetstheworstofit.Inreallifeitisalwaystheanvilthatbreaksthehammer,nevertheotherwayabout:
awriterwhostoppedtothinkwhathewassayingwouldavoidpervertingtheoriginalphrase.
OPERATORSORVERBALFALSELIMBS.Thesesavethetroubleofpickingoutappropriateverbsandnouns,andatthesametimepadeachsentencewithextrasyllableswhichgiveitanappearanceofsymmetry.Characteristicphrasesarerenderinoperative,militateagainst,makecontactwith,besubjectedto,giveriseto,givegroundsfor,havetheeffectof,playaleadingpart(role)in,makeitselffelt,takeeffect,exhibitatendencyto,servethepurposeof,etc.,etc.Thekeynoteistheeliminationofsimpleverbs.Insteadofbeingasingleword,suchasbreak,stop,spoil,mend,kill,averbbecomesaphrase,madeupofanounoradjectivetackedontosomegeneral-purposeverbsuchasprove,serve,form,play,render.Inaddition,thepassivevoiceiswhereverpossibleusedinpreferencetotheactive,andnounconstructionsareusedinsteadofgerunds(byexaminationofinsteadofbyexamining).Therangeofverbsisfurthercutdownbymeansofthe-izeandde-formations,andthebanalstatementsaregivenanappearanceofprofunditybymeansofthenotun-formation.Simpleconjunctionsandprepositionsarereplacedbysuchphrasesaswithrespectto,havingregardto,thefactthat,bydintof,inviewof,intheinterestsof,onthehypothesisthat;
andtheendsofsentencesaresavedbyanticlimaxbysuchresoundingcommonplacesasgreatlytobedesired,cannotbeleftoutofaccount,adevelopmenttobeexpectedinthenearfuture,deservingofseriousconsideration,broughttoasatisfactoryconclusion,andsoonandsoforth.
PRETENTIOUSDICTION.Wordslikephenomenon,element,individual(asnoun),objective,categorical,effective,virtual,basic,primary,promote,constitute,exhibit,exploit,utilize,eliminate,liquidate,areusedtodressupasimplestatementandgiveanairofscientificimpartialitytobiasedjudgements.Adjectiveslikeepoch-making,epic,historic,unforgettable,triumphant,age-old,inevitable,inexorable,veritable,areusedtodignifythesordidprocessofinternationalpolitics,whilewritingthataimsatglorifyingwarusuallytakesonanarchaiccolour,itscharacteristicwordsbeing:
realm,throne,chariot,mailedfist,trident,sword,shield,buckler,banner,jackboot,clarion.Foreignwordsandexpressionssuchasculdesac,ancienregime,deusexmachina,mutatismutandis,statusquo,gleichschaltung,weltanschauung,areus
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