1. The Principles of Newspeak
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 thought does 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 well was 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 Past Tense Plurals 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.