Wednesday, February 17, 2016

What is newspeak? What does Syme say the whole purpose of newspeak is?

Newspeak is the language implemented in 1984. It is implemented by the governing bodies as a way to control the thoughts and therefore the behavior of the citizens. By replacing words that may have negative connotations, such as "propaganda," "lies" with other words, one's perceptions and reality can be altered. In the satirical world of 1984, the government inhibits the citizens' abilities to question authority and thus rebel. As an example "Ministry of Truth" actually administers lies and hides the truth. But because of what the government has termed it, the citizens' better judgments tell then to stay subservient and not to question the "truth". Orwell uses Newspeak as an allegory for the subtle ways that those in power can restrict the public's ability to find flaws in government and band together in protest.


Newspeak is the official language of the fictional state of Oceania. Oceania is a totalitarian state featured in George Orwell's dystopian fiction novel 1984 (published in 1949). The language uses English characters and words, but in simplified form. Newspeak is, in this way, a simplification of English. Newspeak is also an artificial (or controlled) language, which means its basic paradigms are artificially developed rather than having developed naturally. The simplification of the language is representative of the state in which it was developed trying to "diminish the range of thought" (Orwell).
One representative example of Newspeak is that antonyms are replaced using the prefix "un-" with simple, positive adjectives (i.e. "ungood" replaces "bad"). Additionally adjectives and nouns are often conflated into one word, just as "goodthink," a term used to denote thoughts approved by the Socialist Party.

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