The English language is an ever-changing language that some would say is on the decline due to our bad habits. The essay Politics and the English Language, written by George Orwell fully supports this theory with many examples of our bad habits, or mental vices. George Orwell states that modern day English is ugly due to our vagueness, lack of precision, and laziness. We cannot express what we have to say without relying on commonly used phrases or extra text, which just adds bulk to the already vague message.
George Orwell says that these common phrases often appear in the form a metaphor that has typically lost its impact. These dying metaphors are not only over used, but are often misused as well. This further proves our language (and us) have become lazy. Not only can we not come up with our own words, we also do not put in the time or effort to think critically about what we are trying to say. For example, the hammer and the anvil is a metaphor that is wrongly used because it is twisted in a way to mean that the anvil is the object that is harmed. But in actuality, the hammer is the one that suffers. As for the extra text, the correct verb or noun can often replace the entire phrase that has been added simply due to our lack of motivation in finding that word. Another variation of unnecessary bulk is said to take form in foreign phrases; whose purpose is to add sophistication to a rather simple statement. People who often abuse this particular mental vice are writers of scientific, political, and sociological background. They will frequently refer to words of Latin or Greek origin because they believe it to be more sophisticated, but in reality it causes an increase in uncertainness. The last bad habit people are said to fall victim to is the use of incorrect words. These words take on a meaning that someone has personally applied, and uses it in the wrong context. An example of this, from Politics and the English Language, is someone saying the best thing about a certain piece of art is its living quality. The word "living" is being used improperly, but we do not necessarily notice this because it's commonly used to express objects.
Words that take on different meanings are often abused in the world of politics. Words such as democracy are loosely defined, allowing people to apply their own definition, and using it to describe something that is not truly (by North America's definition) "democratic". Politics and the economy are the two major factors George Wells believes to be causing the decline of English language. The people of a country are constantly being exposed to what their leader has to say; this mostly consists of common phrases that have been mindlessly pieced together, leaving us to question the main point of the speech. Vagueness and insecurity often come hand in hand when talking about political writing. The people involved in politics use twisted language and vagueness to prevent mental pictures, or to cushion the horrific reality of what's truly being said. Orwell says that everything involves politics, and by having this atmosphere, which consists of lies and evasions, is damaging. If the atmosphere is bad, he believes our language will also be bad.
Modern English has moved away from "concreteness", we now write and speak in an indirect way that is saves time, but adds unnecessary bulk. Instead of using precise, detailed words to create a fresh phrase of our own, we now strictly rely on ready-to-use phrases with attached meanings. This decreases the amount of work we have to put into a piece of writing and allows us to detach ourselves from our work. To create a better English language we have stop using these mental vices previously mentioned. By simplifying your writing, you will produce better pieces of work that will be better understood, and therefore, be taken more seriously.