2006-06-11 23:34:01 · 6 answers · asked by smithmds670124 1 in Arts & Humanities ➔ Books & Authors
Newspeak
2006-06-11 23:35:48 · answer #1 · answered by Goddess of Grammar 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Newspeak, the "official language" of Oceania, is extraordinary in that its vocabulary decreases every year; the state of Oceania sees no purpose in maintaining a complex language, and so Newspeak is a language dedicated to the "destruction of words". As the character Syme puts it:
Of course the great wastage is in the verbs and adjectives, but there are hundreds of nouns that can be got rid of as well... If you have a word like 'good', what need is there for a word like 'bad'? 'Ungood' will do just as well... Or again, if you want a stronger version of 'good', what sense is there in having a whole string of vague useless words like 'excellent' and 'splendid' and all the rest of them? 'Plusgood' covers the meaning, or 'doubleplusgood' if you want something stronger still.... In the end the whole notion of goodness and badness will be covered by only six words; in reality, only one word. (Part One, Chapter Five)
The true goal of Newspeak is to take away the ability to think anything not desired by the state (thought-crime), let alone act against the state, by eliminating words to express the concepts. For example, though a person could say, "BB is ungood" (Big Brother is bad), this would be seen as totally meaningless to any member of the party, and he would have no words to support his claim. Syme openly discusses this aim, this indiscretion being the presumed reason for his disappearance later on. Since the thought police had yet to develop a method of reading people's minds to catch dissent, Newspeak was created. (This concept has been examined — and widely disputed — in linguistics: see the Sapir-Whorf hypothesis.)
2006-06-12 08:37:49 · answer #2 · answered by sally T 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Newspeak was a concept where by less and less words could be used, thus stunting people's ability to think.
It's all in the book, just pick it up and start learning all about it.
Minitru/ minilov/ miniplenty/ Bigbrother = ungood!!!!!!!!!!!!! Don't you think it's worryingly similar to text messaging?
2006-06-18 09:58:00 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Newspeak. This is the address of a website with explanations and dictionary:
2006-06-12 06:44:25 · answer #4 · answered by fkvdmark 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Newspeak - actually stifling communication through condensation of language.
2006-06-12 06:38:59 · answer #5 · answered by Andr 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
they wern't actual languages, just advanced forms of propoganda and also very subtle forms of brainwashing.
there was
double speak/think
you could know that something had happened so you could destroy the evidence of it but at the same time know also that it had not happened.
2006-06-12 06:40:00 · answer #6 · answered by phillipgdmn 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋