You Speak Newspeak: Linguistic Strategies to Fight Orwellian Dystopia in the Classroom

Abstract

The Orwellian dystopia depicted in 1984 is well known for the suffocating use of surveillance technology and the deification of Big Brother’s iconography. These manipulative techniques only control the environment and actions of the citizens, who eventually find shelter in their minds. Hence, language becomes a dwelling for dissidence, a space of resistance. To prevent this potential form of transgression, the Ingsoc regime creates Newspeak, based on linguistic reductionism and doublethink. The use of this artificial language aims to condition the discourse of future generations according to the ideological stance of the government. Orwell’s critic on the notion of doublespeak can be extrapolated to current political campaigns or the news media, whose biased discourse distorts the message and persuades the audience. This paper aims to present connections between Newspeak of 1984 and contemporary tactics of misinformation using doublespeak. Particularly, linguistic strategies are designed in the classroom to help students detect common patterns of manipulation and overcome possible dystopian scenarios. To convey this research, I recur to theories of linguistic relativity that expose the influence of language on reality. Furthermore, I articulate how the use of literary criticism can be used as a tool to deconstruct the correlations between language and thought. The design of activities that test students’ knowledge on doublespeak (e.g. strategic use of euphemisms, ambiguous constructions, etc.) exemplifies the parallelism between our contemporary society and the Orwellian dystopia, as well as it invites learners to reflect about their personal perception of the world through language. Students’ awareness of the linguistic impact on global politics makes them understand that philology is not only a subject of study but it is also a space for critical thinking and global competence, in which they can build promising utopias.