I want to talk about one quote that struck me as very important. On page 290, the last two words or word and a half start the quote: [I]n oratory the very cardinal sin is to depart from the language of everyday life, and the usage approved by the sense of the community" (Cicero 290).
When we talk, we talk hopefully to be understood and prove a point. I will be the first to admit that some times when I read a textbook or listen to someone speak it goes over my head and I have to read it again and again to get the point. Not because the subject that was presented was too difficult or the language used was over my head but the way it is written and presented makes no logical sense. Take for example a legal document, does it have to have the elevated speech that makes you think after you've read an entire paragraph, "What did that just say?" It seems that our written especially but also or spoken words could be stated much simplier in a world that is so full of confussion already. WHy make it more difficult?
I felt the same degree of hopelessness as i read this particular article...not because of way the language being used but rather how the document was written and presented. However with that being said, I find your quote interesting, but agree with your statement, " Why make it more difficult?" I personally believe people who rely on using difficult words sound arrogant. However, someone who can take something difficult and simplify it, is far more educated in my eyes, then those who cannot.
ReplyDeleteWe actually discussed something similar in one of my other classes. Legal documents seems to be the worst at clearly stating a point. I see it like this: Since no one person is an expert on all things, we rely on the experts of a given field to supply us with the information we need to make a choice. Out of instinct, we tend to naturally second guess the advise given and wonder if the choice advised is the best for us. I feel like the writers know that, however, and write in a way that is guaranteed to go over our heads to reinforce that they are the experts and it is in our best interest to comply with their views.
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