Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1913-06-19
JARGON IN SPEECH.
A. Quiller-Couch Calls Attention to
Pet Phrases That Middle Expression.

Nf rom the Sprlng1eld RcpuDliCanD
The novelist, A. Quiller-C Couch, who is
proving highly popular as professor of
English literature at Cambridge Univer-
sity. discoursed happily on the literary
vice of the day which he chose to desig-
nate as "jargon," though in the sense he
gives 1t the term may require fresh de-
finition. We generally mean by it a mode
of expression which is unintelligible or
difficult to people in general, either be-
cause of a mixture of languages or from
the Introduction of words not in general
use. Thus we speak Of the jargon of for
eigners or Of scientists or of craftsmen or
Of thieves. But 20" as Professor CUTLER
Couch is still best known to the public.
does not use it in quite that sense, and
he expressly excludes journalese which
mas It's W faults. Some of these. as an
old hand at journalism himself, he
touches upon with humor as for example
the substitution OF adverse climatic con-
d%itions" for bad weather." and a fond
ness or overworked words, "obsess,' ire
crudesce," "envisage,' and "adumbrate,"
or phrases like the psychological mo-
ment," the true inwardness," and "it
gives furiously to think"-he might have
added our old friends 'ths gayety of ma
tons"
But this sort Of thing Is not what 20"
means by jargon. He has In mind rather
that muddled vagueness which results
from a cautious reluctance to come to the
point. His first illustration IL perhaps not
quite fair
Some men were constitutionally incap-
able of saying no." tho minister In the
House of Commons conveyed it thus:
The answer TO the question is in the
negative That meant mo- 1t was
jargon, and it happened to be accurate,
but as a rule jargon was by no means &C.
curate, its method being to walk circum-
specify around its target.
This is a very old formality and IL
found in the answer of the Vatican to
questions submitted to the various con.
gregations of the Roman curia; Latin, OF
course, has no word for yes or mo-
and possibly the fact has had something
to do with the practice in modern parlia-
ments.
The two main Vices Of jargon in "Q's''
sense are circumlocution in place of
short straight speech, and vague, woolly
abstract nouns in place of concrete ones.
To write jargop is to be ''perpetually
%shuffling around in the fog and cotton
wool Of abstract terms" For example:
The condition of sleep is similar to If
not ind~istinguishable from that of death.
and, with the addition of finality the
former might be considered Identical with
the latter, so that in this connection II
might be argued with regard to sleep
that, could the addition be effected, a
termination would be put to the cndur-
ance of a multiplicity of inconvenience
not to mention a number of downright
evils incidental to our fellow-humanity
and thus a contamination achieved of a
most gratifying nature.
Thus the modern jargonist-Shak-
~speare-speaks of "a bare bodkin." 1t is
iargon to say He was made the recipi.
ent OF a silver teapot" for They gave
him a silver teapot" Lawyers English
Is full of circumlocutions as a matter OF
course, though it is said that in England
reform has been carried further than In
this country, Committees government
boards, syndicates, etc. fall back upon
jargon almost inevitably. perhaps as a
device for subtracting all human quality
from what they say. 1t is not a new
thing in the world, but it has spread
portentously in our time, in part ma
doubt. because of the great development
OF science and the application OF the sci
cntihc method to subjects like history
and literature. Scientists seem to get
on with it, in spite Of 'Q's' warning
that IF their language be jargon their
intellect. If not their whole character
would certainly correspond" Good think
ing does not always involve good express
sion of thought. Yet it is often wonderful
to see how what seems like a very pro-
found scientific statement will prove,
when turned into plain English by a mas.
ter, to be after all but what everybody
knows. There Is some danger that the
world may be swamped in a turgid food
of iargons. and Professor CUTLER Couch
does we'll to insist on the importance OF
straight thinking and simple. direct ex.
preston.
THE CHURCH MILITANT.
I,-o,n tha N1ilfar1 I,n..