39,327
edits
m (Mass update links) |
m (Mass update links) |
||
Line 4:
[[Newspeak]] is a [[Fictionary|fictive language]] invented by [[George Orwell]] for the novel ''[[Nineteen Eighty-Four]].'' Newspeak was the official language of Oceania, and the inhabitants of Oceania were 'encouraged' to think and converse in Newspeak.
The goal of Newspeak was essentially the reduction of vocabulary and destruction of words, especially synonyms and antonyms, and to render language instinctively euphemistic (if "good" already exists then "bad" will be abolished, instead replaced by "ungood"), so as to suppress any possibility of expressing rebellious thoughts against the party in the form of words. Based on [
Orwell provided [[Fictionary|an appendix]] discussing the features of the language in the novel.
Line 22:
Neologisms that are based on Newspeak syntax but not coined by Orwell have also appeared, the most notable being ''[[Too Many Cooks|groupthink]]'' (describing a group thought process where everybody is going along with everybody else and no one is thinking rationally). [[Life Imitates Art|Frighteningly often]] such words are coined in political/media circles (and the [[Memetic Mutation|Internet]]). For instance, ''[[Double
Some Orwellian phrases have been replaced by modern equivalents; ''bellyfeel'' never caught on, [[Perfectly Cromulent Word|despite the usefulness]] of a word to describe "that which is calculated to give a positive gut reaction", possibly because it sounds childish and begs to be used literally. The appearance of ''[[Stephen Colbert|truthiness]]'', which contains the same meaning (that Orwell intended, not [[In Universe|Ingsoc]]) and ''mouthfeel'' which ''does'' literally mean "[[Exactly What It Says On the Tin|how a piece of food feels in the diner's mouth]]" in the past decade have probably ended ''bellyfeel'''s chances.
Line 52:
* [[Orwellian Editor]]
* [[Two Plus Torture Makes Five|Two Plus Torture = Five]]
* [[
Line 79:
* Anthony Burgess plays with this as "Worker's English" (or WE) in his novel, ''1985'', written as a response to Orwell.
* Ayn Rand's novella ''Anthem'' depicts a stagnant, collectivist future in which words like "I," "Me," "Mine," have been eliminated in favor of "We", "Us," and "Our." He/She has become "They." Other words have been eliminated as well, which the main character rediscovers from ancient texts. Rand's use of the basic concept even predates Orwell.
** Ironically, [
** Also interestingly the main protagonist is called Equality 7-2521, the numbers being a common fear of a 'loss of identity' to the collective group. But when you think about it, the transhumanist philosopher FM-2030 makes a compelling argument than any other naming convention stems from collectivism itself, as you do not choose your own name and it will have very specific parameters - your name being grounded on your gender, your ethnicity, nationality, or even just something your parents were fond of - while a numbering convention would make sure that you are the only individual with such a name.
* ''[[This Perfect Day]]'' has language changed to make words like "fight" and "hate" be considered horrible cusswords, in hopes that the concepts would become anathema, if not exactly unthinkable. After all, if you don't know what hate and violence are, you can't be happy that UNICOMP keeps you free from them, can you?
Line 104:
== [[Web Original]] ==
* ''[[Wikipedia]]''. ''[[Weasel Words|Some argue]]'' that this ''[[Fandom|notable]]'' [[MMORPG|free encyclopedia]] spawned enough of Newspeak to qualify as a separate dialect. More [[Google|research]] ([[Viewers are Morons|not to be confused]] with ''[[Dumb Is Good|Original Research]]'') is needed to [[All Blue Entry|tell]] whether [[Captain Obvious|it is so]].
** More 1984-ian: [http://www.google.com/search?safe=off&q=badsite+site%3Awikipedia.org badsite], [http://www.google.com/search?safe=off&q=wikilove+site%3Awikipedia.org wikilove], and now ''[
** [
* [[All The Tropes Will Ruin Your Vocabulary|This very site]].
** [http://forums.spacebattles.com/showthread.php?t=204013 More than one would think].
Line 127:
[[Category:index]]
[[Category:Newspeak]]
|