Doublespeak
Doublespeak (sometimes called doubletalk) is any language that deliberately disguises, distorts, or reverses the meaning of words, resulting in a so-called communication bypass, a term which is itself an example of doublespeak. Doublespeak may take the form of euphemisms (e.g., "downsizing" for layoffs), intentional ambiguity, or the reversal of meaning (for example, calling war "peace", or maintaining the status quo "change").
History
The term doublespeak was coined in the 1950s.[1] It is often attributed to George Orwell and his 1949 dystopian novel Nineteen Eighty-Four, although the term doublespeak is not actually used in the novel. Instead, the term "doublethink" was the key term used from which "doublespeak" was derived. This is borne out by the Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper, as cited in dictionary.com: doublespeak is "coined on the model of 'doublethink' in Orwell's Nineteen Eighty-Four." As such, the passage from "1984" elaborating the concept of "doublethink" is of the utmost relevancy to the original meaning of "doublespeak":
Winston sank his arms to his sides and slowly refilled his lungs with air. His mind slid away into the labyrinthine world of doublethink. To know and not to know, to be conscious of complete truthfulness while telling carefully constructed lies, to hold simultaneously two opinions which cancelled out, knowing them to be contradictory and believing in both of them… - (Orwell, New American Library, 1981, p35)
Wikipedia defines "euphemism" as "a substitution of an agreeable or less offensive expression in place of one that may offend or suggest something unpleasant to the receiver, or to make it less troublesome for the speaker." Doublespeak qualifies as a euphemism in that it makes the truth less offensive or unpleasant. But it accomplishes this, more particularly, by utilizing two contradictory terms in juxtaposition. This is in accord with the above examples cited: "calling war 'peace', or maintaining the status quo 'change'".
In his book, "1984", Orwell also coined the terms newspeak, and oldspeak, as well as other composite nouns with speak as the second element that were previously unknown in English.
The term double talk (with a similar meaning) dates back to at least 1936.[2]
See also
- Aesopian language
- Business speak
- Double bind
- Double entendre
- Doublethink
- Polite fiction
- Unknown unknown
- Obscurantism
Notes
- ^ "Doublespeak". Retrieved 02=05-2010.
{{cite web}}: Check date values in:|accessdate=(help) - ^ double talk - Definition from the Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary
References
- Baar, James. (2004). Spinspeak II: The Dictionary of Language Pollution. ISBN #1-4184-2742-X
- Lutz, William. (1987). Doublespeak: From "Revenue Enhancement" to "Terminal Living": How Government, Business, Advertisers, and Others Use Language to Deceive You. New York: Harper & Row.
External links
- Business Doublespeak A short essay by William Lutz
- DoubleSpeak Homepage by Michele Damron (1998)
- National Council of Teachers of English Doublespeak Award established in 1974