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Similarities Between 1984 And The Devolution Of Language In 1984

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When describing Anthony Burgess’s invented language Nadsat, the writer and psychologist Theodore Dalrymple stated that “as a linguistic invention, it is an equal of Orwell’s Newspeak” (Dalrymple). Newspeak, the language in 1984 sponsored by the government Ingsoc, and Nadsat, the Russified English spoken in A Clockwork Orange, are both meant to be devolved forms of English that are inferior to those spoken in the real world. Both dialects are prominent throughout their stories, showing the importance of conveying their themes. Newspeak and Nadsat are very effective in making their respective points on the dangers of devolving language and stifling free will, but the ways in which they do so differ significantly. Orwell uses the storylines in 1984 as an expression of beliefs on the devolution of language, while Burgess uses the devolution of language to enhance the storyline of A Clockwork Orange.
Orwell designed Newspeak to demonstrate the importance of language to ideas. Orwell thought literature was dying out, which he connected with dying language (Kazin 235). Language is not only the means by which an idea is expressed, but also the means by which an idea is thought. The purposes of Newspeak are to allow for the expression of thoughts Ingsoc deemed proper and make impossible the expression of thoughts Ingsoc deemed heretical (Kendrick 344). According to Orwell, control of thought follows control of language. The government in 1984 means to control the language, and

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