![]() But an effect can become a cause, reinforcing the original cause and producing the same effect in an intensified form, and so on indefinitely. Now, it is clear that the decline of a language must ultimately have political and economic causes: it is not due simply to the bad influence of this or that individual writer. Underneath this lies the half-conscious belief that language is a natural growth and not an instrument which we shape for our own purposes. It follows that any struggle against the abuse of language is a sentimental archaism, like preferring candles to electric light or hansom cabs to aeroplanes. Our civilization is decadent and our language – so the argument runs – must inevitably share in the general collapse. ![]() Most people who bother with the matter at all would admit that the English language is in a bad way, but it is generally assumed that we cannot by conscious action do anything about it. The Orwell Foundation is an independent charity – please consider making a donation or becoming a Friend of the Foundation to help us maintain these resources for readers everywhere. ![]() This material remains under copyright in some jurisdictions, including the US, and is reproduced here with the kind permission of the Orwell Estate. Home / Orwell / Essays and other works / Politics and the English Language Politics and the English Language
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