The answer to this question is somewhat complex, as Wordsworth himself had a fair bit to say about it in his "Preface to Lyrical Ballads." Wordsworth discusses his choice of language by first seeming to condemn the rather ostentatious style of his contemporaries, what he refers to as the "gaudiness and inane phraseology of many modern writers." He then gives a number of reasons for choosing to write about "humble and rustic life." He wishes to write about "the primary laws of our nature" and believes that through rustic living, "the essential passions of the heart find a better soil in which they can attain their maturity." Wordsworth also states that that the language of the rustics conveys feelings and ideas simply and clearly, in "a plainer and more emphatic language." He also feels that people who live a rustic lifestyle, "being less under the influence of social vanity, they convey their feelings and notions in simple and unelaborated expressions."

For Wordsworth, this simplicity of thought and language seems more suitable to his subject matter than the more elaborate poetic language used by many of his peers. Because such language arises out of "repeated experiences and regular feelings," it is therefore "more permanent" and "far more philosophical" than the language of most poets. It may seem unusual that Wordsworth must defend in such detail his choice of language and his chosen style, but he realizes it will be something his readers may find difficult at first. He thinks they may even have feelings of "strangeness and awkwardness" in reading these poems, if they have become used to the accepted style used by English poets of the period.