Slipping into Newspeak
[email protected] Fri, 17 Jun 2011 21:51:41 -0500
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[dailywritingtips.com]
Slipping into Newspeak=20
Posted: 16 Jun 2011 07:59 AM PDT
=20
One of the scariest things I've read lately is this comment in a
language forum:
"America is based on the tradition of divergent thinking? There was a
time when nuances were important; larger vocabularies were needed.=A0
These vocabularies will soon be superfluous as we move into an age where
communications are devised and sent in the most efficient manner
available."=A0(Emphasis added.)
Anyone who has read George Orwell's 1984 will hear in this comment an
echo of the character Syme's conversation with Winston about the
shrinking size of the Newspeak dictionary:
"We're getting the language into its final shape. We're destroying
words =96 scores of them, hundreds of them, every day. We're cutting the
language down to the bone. The Eleventh Edition [of the Newspeak
dictionary] won't contain a single word that will become obsolete before
the year 2050."
Rules of grammar that contribute to precision of thought are already
breaking down. Nuances that used to be observed in newspaper writing are
disappearing, for example, such pairs as smell/fragrance, peal/toll,
famous/notorious:
Wedding Bells are Tolling Less in Milwaukee
Stories about history's most famous murders at the Crime Library
Such a Tiny Flower But What a Beautiful Smell
The character Symes explains to Winston that paring English to the bare
bones of communication is in the public interest:
"Don't you see that the whole aim of Newspeak is to narrow the range of
thought? In the end we shall make thoughtcrime literally impossible,
because there will be no words in which to express it. Every concept
that can ever be needed, will be expressed by exactly one word, with its
meaning rigidly defined and all its subsidiary meanings rubbed out and
forgotten."
In Orwell's novel, the emasculation of the language is undertaken by the
government as a means of controlling and extinguishing dissident
thought.=20
In reality, thanks to the neglect of language instruction in the public
schools, over-simplified writing in the media, and the popular attitude
that standard English is "elitist" and "undemocratic", government
intervention has not been necessary.
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<p>[dailywritingtips.com]<br>
<br>
Slipping into Newspeak <br>
Posted: 16 Jun 2011 07:59 AM PDT<br>
<br>
One of the scariest things I've read lately is this comment in a<br>
language forum:<br>
"America is based on the tradition of divergent thinking? There was a<=
br>
time when nuances were important; larger vocabularies were needed.=A0<br>
These vocabularies will soon be superfluous as we move into an age where<br=
>
communications are devised and sent in the most efficient manner<br>
available."=A0(Emphasis added.)<br>
<br>
Anyone who has read George Orwell's 1984 will hear in this comment an<br>
echo of the character Syme's conversation with Winston about the<br>
shrinking size of the Newspeak dictionary:<br>
<br>
"We're getting the language into its final shape. We're destroying<br=
>
words =96 scores of them, hundreds of them, every day. We're cutting the<br=
>
language down to the bone. The Eleventh Edition [of the Newspeak<br>
dictionary] won't contain a single word that will become obsolete before<br=
>
the year 2050."<br>
<br>
Rules of grammar that contribute to precision of thought are already<br>
breaking down. Nuances that used to be observed in newspaper writing are<br=
>
disappearing, for example, such pairs as smell/fragrance, peal/toll,<br>
famous/notorious:<br>
<br>
Wedding Bells are Tolling Less in Milwaukee<br>
<br>
Stories about history's most famous murders at the Crime Library<br>
<br>
Such a Tiny Flower But What a Beautiful Smell<br>
<br>
The character Symes explains to Winston that paring English to the bare<br>
bones of communication is in the public interest:<br>
"Don't you see that the whole aim of Newspeak is to narrow the range o=
f<br>
thought? In the end we shall make thoughtcrime literally impossible,<br>
because there will be no words in which to express it. Every concept<br>
that can ever be needed, will be expressed by exactly one word, with its<br=
>
meaning rigidly defined and all its subsidiary meanings rubbed out and<br>
forgotten."<br>
<br>
In Orwell's novel, the emasculation of the language is undertaken by the<br=
>
government as a means of controlling and extinguishing dissident<br>
thought. <br>
In reality, thanks to the neglect of language instruction in the public<br>
schools, over-simplified writing in the media, and the popular attitude<br>
that standard English is "elitist" and "undemocratic", =
government<br>
intervention has not been necessary.<br>
<br>
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