In my last post, I quoted some examples of linguistic lunacy – commingled containers, access controller, disposable mucus recovery unit, etc – and wondered what Orwell would think. In his Politics and the English Language essay, he offered “five specimens of the…
Tag: English
Language lunacy – what would Orwell think?
The English language today – or why George Orwell would need his mucus recovery unit if he had not experienced a suboptimal outcome George Orwell’s essay, ‘Politics and the English Language‘, begins: “Most people who bother with the matter at…
How official language masks human heartbreak
Irish immigration laws may be “robust”, but they are “progressive” – so all is fine and dandy. And if anyone ends up heartbroken, that’s ok, as long as they are not “excessively” heartbroken.
The Queen’s English as spoken by Ryanair’s O’Leary
Ryanair chief Michael O’Leary is a remarkable character (love him, hate him or love/hate him). He’s remarkable both in what he’s achieved (love or hate his methods) and in the way he talks to the world. Here are some examples:…
Posted in Jargon, Language, Words Tagged with: Communication, English, Language, Plain language, Words
Hey, let’s get the Americans to speak the Queen’s English
Did you know that there’s an organisation called the Queen’s English Society? No? Nor did I, until today. On its website, it shouts out its key message – in capital letters (but gentlemen shouldn’t shout, so I won’t inflict them…
How churnalists make us solastalgic for the good old days
We’ve invented a lot of ghastly new words and phrases in recent decades: ugly, bland, abstract, meaningless jargon. So it’s good to come across some colourful new words on Paul McFedries’s website Wordspy: churnalism Churnalism is what so-called journalists do…