Doublespeak Definition

tool that facilitated and allowed people to attempt to convey more meaning through words, first oral and then written in some languages. Since language first came into being, it has been one of the most important tools employed by humans to communicate with each other. Imagine what life would be like if we did not have language as an instrument to interact with each other. Further, language is often considered to be an integral part of culture; and most humans are well aware of the importance of language in society; however, can language be consumed to deliver the transparency of thoughts and implication of intentions? At times, it feels like we are the ones who are ruining the way of speaking, communicating, and thinking. An adequate example of that would be taking into consideration doublespeak, a term which was first encountered in the early eighties, more precisely in George Orwell’s book “Nineteen Eighty-four.” In our context, doublespeak means duplicity of speech, where it “can be defined as language which is purposely ambiguous, deceptive, or evasive” (Glissmeyer, 1). Orwell explains that language, “like any other tool, it can be abused, used not to build but to destroy, not to communicate but to confuse, not to clarify but to obscure, not to lead but mislead. Moreover, language is a unique tool used not simply to communicate but to apprehend and even give shape to reality” (qtd. in Lutz 15). In other words, doublespeak involves a deviation in meaning and is often employed to convey respect, to conceal elements of negativity, and to hide the “truth.”

To begin with, doublespeak is sometimes used to avoid communicating disrespectful utterances to others, namely through employing euphemisms. It is also known as a kind of doubl...

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...hey pay to travel to Germia park. He was arguing that the municipality did not earn too much from these pensioners that were paying for the bus ticket. At this point, Mustafa's reaction was obvious in terms of trying to avoid the subject of the discussion by perpetually mentioning how this issue had been brought up as a problem for more than a year.

Nevertheless, we as human beings are at times pushed to tell white lies in order to be kind to others, which is somewhat ironic. Doublespeak is sometimes the easiest way out. Yes, telling the truth is the ideal and indeed it is about the ethical means; however, we are living in a dystopias world where ideals are nothing but illusions. The objective of doublespeak is to hide the truth, to make the evil sound noble. As Lutz writes: “Ultimately, doublespeak does not promote or extend thought but prevents or limits it” (56).