Unclear language And the Damage to Academic Purposes Essay

Submitted By sragh081
Words: 1240
Pages: 5
Open Document
Unclear language And the Damage to Academic Purposes

Sumedh Raghavan
6384076
ENG1100 EE
01/OCT/2014

George Orwell argued that the “great enemy of clear language is insincerity.”1 This statement proposes the concept that unclear language is insincere in nature. Accordingly, it leans towards the notion that a lack of integrity surfaces in a work in the form of vagueness. Orwell’s statement is important to academia for a few major reasons. It labels unclear language as insincere by default, leading to the conclusion that unclear language is therefore non-academic, since the basis of academia rests upon truth. It also calls the nature of academic writing into question as its use of field-specific prose and complex patterns are often misleading to the average reader. Thus, the complex nature of academic writing leads to insincerity, as individuals derive their own subjective meaning from a given text. Thirdly, Orwell’s statement shows how the use of ‘academic language’ causes intelligent works of literature to escape the common people. As a result, unclear language creates a ‘knowledge hegemony’, which portrays circles of higher education as elitist and distant entities.
Academia is defined as a communal body of teachers and educators.2 It is a gathering of scholarly knowledge and the cultural accumulation of questions and answers. It is therefore safe to say that the foundation of academia is based upon objective truth and intellectual sincerity. To say otherwise would be to regard the production of fallacies as scholarly. This understanding of academia lends great weight to Orwell’s statement because it connotes that unclear language is a result of an author who “has a private definition, but allows his reader to think he means something else.”3 For academia, centered on the clarity of truth, the act of purposeful misleading is extremely antithetical. Hence, insincerity, caused by the author’s misleading of a readers understanding, is by definition a non-academic act. Along with the given definition of academia as the production of facts, it is also the pursuit of research. Orwell pins the cause of insincere language on a writer’s fear of controversy or active sugar-coating. He goes on to argue that the use of vague euphemisms and over-complex phrases is due to an author’s desire to “save many a sentence from coming down with a bump”.4 Once again, we find that such action is incongruent with the definition of academia as it seeks to avoid honesty for the sake of garnering favour with the reader. Such writing is by definition insincere as it undermines the knowledge of the reader and the author’s true beliefs using complex phrases. As Orwell does point out, this sort of literal subterfuge is particularly prevalent in political writings. Its unscrupulous nature means political literature is “largely the defense of the indefensible…thus, political language has to consist largely of euphemisms, question begging and sheer cloudy vagueness.”5 Unclear language allows the author to enjoy a measure of morality whilst supporting even immoral political processes. Thus, the practice of insincerity in language is harmful to academia as it allows authors to shy away from honest writing in favour of political correctness, degrading the academic integrity of the work.
Another demonstration of how unclear language is significant to the core of academic purposes is by preventing the spread of knowledge. It inhibits a common understanding of complex subjects. A historical analogy for this is the use of Latin as the only accepted medium of discourse in medieval and early modern Europe. The use of this ‘academic language’ was purposeful in order protect knowledge and understanding, thereby enabling the elite a monopoly of control over social awareness. The provision of religious and academic texts solely in Latin was justified as the preservation of the holy nature of ancient texts. In a similar fashion, “when there is a
Show More

Related Documents: Unclear language And the Damage to Academic Purposes Essay

Register: Sentence and Main Clause Essay

A. A brief introduction to register theory (see also SGSWE pp. 4-5) Language varies according to the situation in which it is used, and these varieties of language can be referred to as registers. If we examine a text we can make guesses about the situation; on the other hand, if we are in a particular situation we make certain linguistic choices based on that situation. In other words, the language we use needs to be appropriate to the situation in which we use it. Field, tenor, mode…

Words 4070 - Pages 17

Essay Taboo Language

Taboo language: FUCK Is it no longer obscene? All languages have words that are considered taboo – words that are not supposed to be said or used. Taboo words or swearwords, can be used in many different ways and they can have different meanings depending on what context they appear in. Another aspect of taboo words is the euphemisms that are used in order to avoid obscene speech. This paper will focus on the f-word which replaces the word fuck, and as the study will show it also have other meanings…

Words 3035 - Pages 13

The Microsoft Antitrust Case Essay

The Microsoft Antitrust Case A Case Study For MBA Students by Nicholas Economides* Revised April 2003 Abstract This case study discusses briefly the economic and legal issues pertaining to the antitrust case of the United States and a number of States against Microsoft. * Stern School of Business, New York University, New York, NY 10012, (212) 9980864, fax (212) 995-4218, http://www.stern.nyu.edu/networks/, neconomi@stern.nyu.edu Copyright ©, N. Economides 2 Contents 1. 2. 3. 4. 5…

Words 11233 - Pages 45

An Introduction to Intercultural Communication Essay

There are many researchers and academics of note within the intercultural field, who naturally all have different definitions of 'intercultual communication'. For example Karlfried Knapp defines it as "'Intercultural communication,' can...be defined as the interpersonal interaction between…

Words 29173 - Pages 117

Corporation (Fisch) Outline Penn Law Essay

Table of Contents I.) INTRODUCTORY PRINCIPLES 2 A.) Efficiency and Other Concepts 2 B.) Agency and Partnership Law 2 II.) INTRODUCTION TO THE CORPORATE FORM 16 A.) Formation and Structure 16 B.) Debt, Equity, and Valuation 22 III.) CONTROL OF CORPORATE DECISIONS 32 A.) The Role of the Shareholder 32 B.) Management Obligations 50 1.) Duty of Care 51 2.) Duty of Loyalty 56 3.) Duty of Fairness: Parent-Subsidiary Relationships 63 4.) Duty of Good Faith 64 5.) Management Obligations…

Words 62789 - Pages 252

Essay on preschool

California Preschool Learning Foundations Volume 2 CALIFORNIA DEPAR TMENT OF EDUCATION • SACRAMENTO, 2010 California Preschool Learning Foundations Volume 2 Visual and Performing Arts Physical Development Health Publishing Information The California Preschool Learning Foundations (Volume 2) was developed by the Child Development Division, California Department of Education. This publication was edited by Faye Ong, working in cooperation with Laura Bridges and Desiree…

Words 46134 - Pages 185

Military Essay

Coordination between the Military and Civilian Organisations: Issues and Solutions The work described in this document has been undertaken by the Human Factors Integration Defence Technology Centre, part funded by the Human Capability Domain of the U.K. Ministry of Defence Scientific Research Programme. © BAE Systems 2009 The authors of this report have asserted their moral rights under the Copyright, Designs and Patents act, 1988, to be identified as the authors of this work. Reference ..…

Words 16068 - Pages 65

Essay about Nanotech 1AC

Naval Air Station, North Island, California. AIR & SPACE POWER JOUNRAL, Fall, 2006, “Molecular nanotechnology and national security,” pg online @ http://www.airpower.maxwell.af.mil/airchronicles/apj/apj06/fal06/vandermolen.html //um-ef) Environmental Damage. MNT was originally perceived as a potential cure-all for a variety of environmental problems:…

Words 13570 - Pages 55

Essay on Criminological Theories

Student Study Guide for Ronald L. Akers and Christine S. Sellers’ Criminological Theories: Introduction, Evaluation, and Applications Fourth Edition Prepared by Eric See Youngstown State University Roxbury Publishing Company Los Angeles, California 1 Student Study Guide by Eric See for Criminological Theories: Introduction, Evaluation, and Application , 4th Edition by Ronald L. Akers and Christine S. Sellers Copyright © 2004 Roxbury Publishing Company, Los Angeles, California…

Words 13463 - Pages 54

Managing Information Technology (7th Edition) Essay

CONTENTS: CASE STUDIES CASE STUDY 1 Midsouth Chamber of Commerce (A): The Role of the Operating Manager in Information Systems CASE STUDY I-1 IMT Custom Machine Company, Inc.: Selection of an Information Technology Platform CASE STUDY I-2 VoIP2.biz, Inc.: Deciding on the Next Steps for a VoIP Supplier CASE STUDY I-3 The VoIP Adoption at Butler University CASE STUDY I-4 Supporting Mobile Health Clinics: The Children’s Health Fund of New York City CASE STUDY I-5…

Words 239873 - Pages 960