Response to Steven Pinker’s talk on “Good Writing”

SERIF AYDIN

“Never use a foreign phrase, a scientific word, or a jargon word if you can think of an everyday English equivalent.” 

George Orwell

 

Pinker’s speech was a thoughtful, clear, and valuable discussion on how to make our writing simpler and clearer by avoiding muddy, confusing prose. Short but effective. I want to discuss one of his arguments that I defined it as Embrace Simplicity (not simplism).

Good writing, like verbal presentation, results from clear thinking and an authentic effort to communicate in a way that is as simple as possible without being oversimplified, insignificant, or thoughtless. “The purpose of writing is presentation, and its motive is disinterested truth,” Pinker said in his speech. Most people confuse simplicity or cannot define what it is or it’s not. Sophisticated language is known as an essential step to being a good writer. Of course, this does not mean that sophisticated language cannot be used; to communicate simply does not mean dumb down, but we should choose words carefully in our writing. 

“Never use a long word where a short one will do,” says George Orwell. He also says, “If it is possible to cut a word out, always cut it out” and “Never use a foreign phrase, a scientific word, or a jargon word if you can think of an everyday English equivalent.” 

Simplicity does not only concern choices of vocabulary or sentences. It is crucial to know that simplicity refers to the structure and our decisions about what to include and exclude. No one can say that cutting the extras is easy absolutely; it is one of the hardest things for writers to do. It is like killing your love. But clear communicators consider what is essential to include and what is not during the preparation stage. Good writers know that if everything is necessary, then nothing is necessary.