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The Principles of Newspeak

1984. The Principles of Newspeak. Newspeak. Newspeak is the official language of Oceania and was devised to meet the ideological needs of Ingsoc, or English Socialism. . Socialism.

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The Principles of Newspeak

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  1. 1984 The Principles of Newspeak

  2. Newspeak • Newspeak is the official language of Oceania and was devised to meet the ideological needs of Ingsoc, or English Socialism.

  3. Socialism • Socialism is a theory or system of social organization in which the means of producing and distributing goods is owned collectively or by a centralized government that often plans and controls the economy.

  4. Purpose • The purpose of newspeak was not only to provide a medium of expression for the world-view and mental habits proper to the devotees of Ingsoc, but to make all other modes of thought impossible.

  5. Purpose • Newspeak was designed not to extend but to diminish the range of thought, and this purpose was indirectly assisted by cutting the choice of words down to a minimum.

  6. Three Classes • A Vocabulary – for everyday life • B Vocabulary – compound words (such as goodthink, crimethought) used for political purposes • C Vocabulary – scientific and technical terms

  7. A Vocabulary • A vocabulary consists of words needed for the business of everyday life – for such things as eating, drinking, working, gardening, cooking, etc.

  8. A Vocabulary • A newspeak word of this class was simply a short sound expressing one clearly understood concept. • It was intended only to express simple, purposive thoughts, usually involving concrete objects or physical actions.

  9. A Vocabulary • It was composed almost entirely of words that we already possess – words like hit, run,dog, sugar, and house.

  10. B Vocabulary • B vocabulary consists of words that had been deliberately constructed for political purposes. • Words, which not only had political implications, but were intended to impose a desirable mental attitude upon the person using them.

  11. B Vocabulary • The B words were in all cases compound words. • They consisted of two or more words, or portions of words, welded together in an easily pronounceable form.

  12. Noun-Verb Combination • Example: Goodthink = to think in an orthodox manner • Noun-verb = goodthink • Past tense = goodthinked • Present participle = goodthinking • Adjective = goodthinkful • Adverb = goodthinkwise

  13. Other Examples • Crimethink = thought crime • Thinkpol = thought police • Sexcrime = sexual immorality (covered all sexual misdeeds – punishable by death) • Joycamp = forced-labor camp • Minipax = Ministry of Peace (Ministry of War)

  14. B Vocabulary • The name of every political organization, body of people, or institution is included in B words. • Ministry of Truth = Minitrue • Records Department = Recdep • Fiction Department = Ficdep • Teleprograms department – Teledep

  15. C Vocabulary • C vocabulary consists of scientific and technical terms. • Any scientific worker could find all the words he/she needed in the list devoted to his specialty, but he seldom had knowledge of more than a few words included on the other lists.

  16. Grammar of Newspeak • There is almost a complete interchangeability between different parts of speech. • Any word in the language could be used either as a verb, noun, adjective, or adverb.

  17. Grammar of Newspeak • The word thoughtdoes not exist in newspeak. • Its place was taken by think, which did duty for both noun and verb.

  18. Grammar of Newspeak • There is no such word as cut, its meaning being covered by the noun-verb knife.

  19. Grammar of Newspeak • Adjectives are formed by adding -ful to the noun-verb and adverbs by adding -wise. • Speedful = quick • Speedwise = quickly

  20. Grammar of Newspeak • The word wellwas replaced by goodwise.

  21. Grammar of Newspeak • Any word could be made negative by adding un, or could be strengthened by adding plus, or, for still greater emphasis doubleplus. • Uncold = warm • Pluscold = very cold • Doublepluscold = bitter cold

  22. Grammar of Newspeak • There is no need for the word bad because good becomes ungood.

  23. Grammar of Newspeak • Steal becomes stealed • Think becomes thinked • All plurals are made by adding –s or –es: • man=mans • Life=lifes Past Tense Plurals

  24. Grammar of Newspeak • Comparison of adjectives is made by adding –er, or –est: • good, gooder, goodest

  25. Grammar of Newspeak • Words such as honor, justice, morality, democracy, and religion ceased to exist.

  26. Grammar of Newspeak • All words grouping themselves around the concepts of liberty and equality were contained in the single word crimethink, • while words associated with the concept of objectivity and rationalism were contained in the single word oldthink.

  27. Grammar of Newspeak • Newspeak differs from almost all other languages in that its vocabulary grows smaller instead of larger every year. • Each reduction was a gain, since the smaller the area of choice, the smaller the temptation to take thought.

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