Cliche Day
People, without noticing it themselves, often use template phrases and language cliches in their speech: “source of inspiration”, “at this stage”, “for every taste and budget”, “optimal choice” and others
The use of clichés reduces the imagery of the text and makes it difficult to understand the main idea The use of clericalism typical of the official business style greatly overloads the speech Instead of “eating for free”, “sharpening the issue”, “should”, “currently” and “cash”, it is appropriate to use simpler constructions and words: “eat for free”, “asked”, “need”, “now " and money" Cliché Day, which is celebrated on November 3, is intended to draw attention to cliches and their not always justified use
On the one hand, language templates help to clearly express your thoughts, saving the time and energy of the person writing or speaking Clichés make it easy to find an explanation for recurring phenomena and make speech official “Employees of the public sector”, “according to informed sources”, “with full dedication”, “approaching the production process creatively” and other expressions save the speaker’s efforts, which he would spend on conveying thoughts without using cliches
On the other hand, vague vocabulary and verbosity of clichés hide the meaning of what was said, making it unclear: “we unreasonably assume”, “I am inclined to consider the fact reprehensible that” A person who in everyday life uses “to create inconvenience” or instead of “caused” the expression “have a basis,” alarms the interlocutors Clericalism is appropriate in formal speech, but not in everyday communication between people Just like the colloquial clichés “no shame, no conscience”, “go crazy” and “this is all wrong” are a gross stylistic error in tests written in an official business style
Cliche Day encourages people to try not to use cliches for at least one day a year in honor of the holiday Refusal of clichés will make speech more figurative and communication more conscious Avoiding clichés and clichés trains the imagination, develops language skills and forces you to think before you say something Replacing “cold as ice” with “cold like a drifting iceberg”, “like taking water in your mouth” with “talkative like a fish” allows you to create new artistic images and demonstrate a sense of humor
The automatic use of well-worn phrases and expressions often interferes with understanding and even distorts the meaning of what is said For example, a speaker in a television studio declares: “We must solve the migrant problem!” Those present wholeheartedly agree with him Although, if you think about it, it’s not entirely clear: what problem needs to be solved? Is it a problem that migrants have (for example, lack of housing) or a problem that foreign citizens create for native residents (competition in the labor market, high crime in ethnic enclaves)? The automaticity of using clichés not only destroys live communication, but also creates a wide field for manipulating people’s minds
Political-economic “mutually beneficial partnership”, “false Western values”, “atrocities of the Israeli military”, “unsurpassed quality”, “optimal price” and other cliches are necessary to designate objects and phenomena on the scale of “friend or foe”, “good-bad” " They are appropriate in articles and speeches by diplomats and statesmen, but are unacceptable in lively conversational speech On November 3, as throughout the year, it is worth trying to approach the speaking process more consciously and thoughtfully The Day of Clichés encourages you to abandon tired images and bureaucracy, making your speech more expressive and bright