Modern English vs eng

Modern English vs eng
Neo-"Politics and the English Language"

English is one of the most remarkable languages in the world for its ability to adapt, evolve and create new words every day. The dictionary is always expanding, and although many words fall into oblivion, the beauty in English is in the ability to choose unique words to create tone, even though the words are mostly synonymous with each other. However, the rise of a "Modern English" a term coined by Orwell in his famous essay "Politics and the English Language"[1] is apparent everywhere in society, however whether or not it is a entirely bad thing as prescribed in 1950, can be argued.

Indeed Orwell was attempting to criticise writing where the "concrete melts into the abstract", in other words, where the ambiguity of "Modern English" hides the truth, or disguises a lie. Stereotypically, the "Modern English" he was referring to is the same used by politicians, or by those of literary prowess - whether self-proclaimed or otherwise. Yet, Orwell also warns in 1984 of "Newspeak", an exaggerated language of over simplification, where simplicity creates ambiguity, in much the same way as in "Modern English". Therefore Orwell was preaching not only of the problems with unneccesary complexity, but also simplicity, in both corrupting language and thought.

Like most things in life, it is about the efficient allocation of resources to maximise their potential or in simpler terms, it is about balance. For like most modern politicians, Orwell's stance on language was centrist. The ancient Ying-Yang belief in applicable to most things including language. Language must be complex enough to express ideas accurately, but simple enough to be understood. Too much of either will generally cause bad prose, as already expressed by Orwell.

Most strikingly though is the fact that language most naturally evolves along with society, and in particular technology. The rise of mobile phones, 'texting' and instant messaging has arose a new form of English. "Text English" is the use of irregular pre-fabricated phrases to represent proper English. This new idea brings upon the fact that the 'centre' of English language is growing increasingly simple. There must be a time where one must stand up and rebel against this simplification. Old English, or the English used during the Enlightenment era, would be considered "Modern English" to a person who reads Orwell, and one day perhaps, Orwell's words will one day become "Modern English" for one who reads text messages.

For example, a passage in Frankenstein[2]:
"I do not know how long i remained in this situation, but when i awoke i found that the sun had already mounted considerably. The wind was high, and the waves continually threatened the safety of my little skiff. I found that the wind was north-east, and must have driven me far from the coast from which i had embarked."
can be translated into English used today:
"I don't know how long it was, but when i awoke, the sun was up. The wind threatened my little skiff's safety. The north-easterly wind blew me far away from where i embarked."
which can be translated into "Text English":
"iono how long, but sun=up when i woke. wind threatend my lil skiff. NE wind blew far from where i was."

One cannot possibly say that simplicity is beauty. Nor can one say that complexity is also beauty. The balance between the two must be judged to the best of the ability of the writer in order to communicate the ideas. Despite the constant evolution for English, one must define a 'Golden Age' of the language, much like those scholars of Latin have placed upon 70BC-43BC[3]. In English, i would like to think that this 'Golden Age' falls upon its form in formal documents today.

It is natural for a language to eventually decay and be superseded by another but i do wish that the current form of English be preserved as long as possible and one day be studied by scholars as the 'Golden Age' of English. This decay has already formed as an idea in many people's minds including one professor who claims that everyone "should simply accept as variant spelling those words our students most commonly misspell"[4]. It is up to those who choose to write to balance the battle between the complexity necessary for idealism, and the simplicity needed for comprehension, and although this balance is shifting further into simplicity, one can only retain the English they know best, one that passes the Spell Checks currently in word processing programs.

References:
[1]http://www.mtholyoke.edu/acad/intrel/orwell46.htm
[2]Frankenstein - Mary Shelley (1818)
[3]http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/237476/Golden-Age
[4]http://www.timeshighereducation.co.uk/story.asp?storycode=403092