"Bad writers—especially scientific, political, and sociological writers—are nearly always haunted by the notion that Latin or Greek words are grander than Saxon ones."
What did he mean by this?
He also espoused shaking your fucking teapot around before pouring.
>>945527
I guess he's saying that its wrong to assume Latin and Greek are objectively better than Germanic words just because they had great and famous cultures, that Germanic words can be just as beautiful and useful.
>>945527
He meant that a lot of people think words of Latin or Greek origin are somehow better than Germanic words
It seems pretty straightforward desu
>>945527
Something about getting the Normans off the island.
>>945527
>http://strawpoll.me/7294261
It's perfectly understandable, and after more education I think you would understand this, too, OP. Greek has always been seen as the better language for expressing subtle and grand ideas as compared to Latin, and Latin due to its consistent and beautiful structure is similarly viewed compared to everything else.
>>945527
He meant that poor writers often use two dollar words to obfuscate the vapid non-content of their prose.
>>945688
I think he means rather to say that linguistic purism I'd the hallmark of a bad writer, or that a bad writer is too concerned if the origin of words
Orwell was an Anglo nationalist despite being a socialist. Read his essays, he's constantly butthurt about people shitting on the Anglos:
>mad about people using Latin and Greek words in writing
>mad that people in Britain were reading American pulp novels about Chicago gangsters, when there's a plenty of British literature around
>completely furious and assblasted about Tolstoy criticizing Shakespeare
>>945688
I see what you did there
>>945688
Do we only think that they are better due to their "other"ness?
>>945832
That's a huge part of it. Everyone knows the word "teaching" but "pedagogy" is a more exotic, esoteric word.
>>945527
He was pointing out how people put classical literature (e.g. the Ilias) and philosophy (e.g. Plato) on a pedestal, while being weary of newer ideas from their home country.
It was just a smug way of saying "people who don't read my books are the real plebs".
>>945771
this is the only right answer in the thread. ignore all the hacks.
Orwell's writing philosophy was to keep it simple. he took this further into linguistics, basically arguing that we should use simpler, "purer" Germanic origin words and constructions rather than Greco-Roman roots (e.g. "birdlore" over ornithology, basically making English more like German).
OP, start here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Linguistic_purism_in_English
>>946001
Anglish is everything we need
That belief is still common today. You've got people fetishizing foreign languages in liberal circles. An example is umami vs savory.
>>946204
And the word savory comes from French (savour).
>>945527
He means that polysyllables sound impressive and terrible writers lean on them for that reason. This is very clear in genres like sociology where people with very little to say have to write a lot.
>>945762
Doubtful he'd include scientists if it was about concern over origins
>>945832
In English we think they're better because the English nobility spoke French and the clergy spoke Latin for a very long time.
>>946001
I understand what he's saying but I just feel like... who the fuck cares? Its just words that mean something.
>>946232
That developed in other languages. It isn't the holocaust, but language is the hallmark of culture, and foreign influence is like selling out.
>>945527
It means "stop using big words when you don't need them"
Didn't he, as a socialist writer, have something of an interest in people using a language more akin to what the average Britt was using?
>>945527
At the risk of being condescending, which means to speak down to you, and as this post is being created ex nihilo, you may sua sponte decide to reconsider any sort of career assisting the ekklesia in their reverie.
>ew
>>945527
Everybody, that fucking hack Will Self included (bonza clever naming decision from the parents btw), forgets that George Orwell was principally discussing the prose of political and scientific works, not literary. And he's right, unnecessary pretension is only going to alienate lower class readers from information that could be vital to their social mobility.
>>945527
Something something Anglo nationalism something something
>>945562
http://www.booksatoz.com/witsend/tea/orwell.htm
Everything he wrote here is true.
>>951354
The common knowledge stuff is true. The rest is Orwell making a fool of himself.
>>946001
Considering that the latin influence precedes the creation of british culture proper, what Orwell propose is ironically anti-british. He's no better than the fucks who want to go back to the cults of Zeus or Thor.
