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Time to raise a glass to Czech MEP Vladimír Železny.

In a recent interview on Radio Prague, he railed against the use (and mis-use) of language at the European Commission. He picked out the word ’sustainable’ as a particular example of meaningless Orwellian jargon:

“It was the genius of [George] Orwell who taught us a lesson that the totalitarian regime starts with a misuse of language. It’s a loss of meaning, of words. All this is very dangerous, and we know this from our very own experience. We were not a democracy – we were ‘people’s democracy’ under the communist regime, which was stupid because ‘people’s democracy’ means ‘democratic democracy’.

Such strange words improve, as jewels, some sensitive expressions, like ’sustainable’. Everything is sustainable in the European Union, or it should be. The misuse of such words is the first step towards totalitarian thinking. That’s why I tried to give a warning that this misuse will change our sensitivity to the creation of totalitarian thinking.”

The reference to totalitarian regimes might be a bit strong, but he’s certainly got a point about overusing particular words to the extent they lose their meaning.

This month’s word of the month, as readers of our monthly newsletter will know, is:

 sericeous (adjective)

It means silky, like silk, or covered with fine silky hair.

Examples:
Goodness Sophia, you really are a sericeous little minx.
Or:
The sericeous membrane hangs down to hide the opening from all but the most inquisitive eyes.

No, not a comment on the weather, but one of the main considerations for anyone trying to tighten up their writing.

Good writing is all about clarity - getting your message across clearly and concisely. But in the wrong hands, words can often cloud, rather than clarify, the intended message.

Have a read of what reader Julian Critchlow had to say in a recent letter to The Times:

Sue Whiting, a “retired special educational needs co-ordinator”, asserts in her letter (Oct 10) that “there are likely to be 20 per cent of children in any classroom with specific learning differences”.

My initial reaction on reading this was that, surely, all the children would have learning differences: that is the human condition. However, on closer analysis I deduced that what was stated was not what was actually meant. Surely Ms Whiting’s unadorned meaning was that 20 per cent of the children would, for one reason or another, have learning difficulties.

…

Orwellian usage of this kind debases the language as a tool for expression. It leads, at best, to lack of clarity and, at worst, it is downright misleading and stifles legitimate debate. It needs to be rooted out.

Julian Critchlow, Savage Club, SW1

Hear, hear for Mr Critchlow. It’s not always easy to be honest in your writing. But if you can manage it, you’ll usually be rewarded with better understanding and more engagement from your readers.

PS We’ve no idea what the Savage Club is, but shall be applying for membership immediately!