Other Definitions
doublespeak (dict)
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DoublespeakDoublespeak is language deliberately constructed to disguise or distort its actual meaning, often resulting in a "communication bypass". Such language is associated with governmental, military, and corporate institutions. Doublespeak may be in the form of bald euphemisms ("downsizing" for "firing of many employees") or deliberately ambiguous phrases ("wet work" for "assassination"). Doublespeak is distinguished from other euphemisms through its deliberate usage by governmental, military, or corporate institutions. History of the Term The word doublespeak was coined in the early 1950s. It is often incorrectly attributed to George Orwell and his dystopian novel Nineteen Eighty-Four. The word actually never appears in that novel; Orwell did, however, coin newspeak, oldspeak, and doublethink, and his novel made fashionable composite nouns with speak as the second element, which were previously unknown in English. It was therefore just a matter of time before someone came up with doublespeak. Doublespeak may be considered, in Orwell's lexicography, as the B vocabulary of Newspeak, words "deliberately constructed for political purposes: words, that is to say, which not only had in every case a political implication, but were intended to impose a desirable mental attitude upon the person using them." Use of the Term Successfully introduced doublespeak, over time, becomes part of the general language, shaping the context in which it is used. See below for discussion of classified and unclassified. The process of abbreviating names or forming new words with acronyms or portmanteaus, which arose during the World War and Cold War governments and corporate institutions, is now pervasive (for example: Wikipedia from "Wiki Encyclopedia"). The term has also come to be used by extension in the term doublespeak argument, which means a debate where one or more sides puts forth purposely false reasoning for its point of view to disguise its true intentions. Whereas in the early days of the practice it was considered wrong to construct words to disguise meaning, this is now an accepted and established practice. There is a thriving industry in constructing words without explicit meaning but with particular connotations for new products or companies. For example, in 1972 Esso (itself a neologism from the acronym for "Standard Oil") changed to Exxon, a name chosen after the company invested $100 million checking that Exxon does not translate to anything in over 54 languages spanning 154 international markets. The company's first choice, "Enco", was rejected as it translated to "stalled engine" in Japanese. Exxon is still called "Esso" in Europe, Canada and Brazil. Similarly, the Windscale nuclear processing facility in Britain was renamed Sellafield when it was privatised, in the hope that the public wouldn't associate the new owners with the Windscale fire, the UK's worst nuclear disaster. Examples of doublespeak in current usage Here are some examples of doublespeak in current English usage, with etymologies and examples of clearer, simpler words which are being avoided: Corporate - downsize, rightsize, headcount adjustment, RIF (reduction in force), realign: firing employees
- Interesting fact: in ancient Rome, headcount was the term used to describe the lowest class of workers, the ones just above slaves.
- job flexibility: lack of job security (where job security means an actual or implied promise of continued employment)
- outsource: firing local employees to hire cheaper labor elsewhere.
- classified: in general usage, "secret"; in governmental usage, information which has been evaluated and possibly assigned a security clearance.
Since at least World War II, United States military and governmental information has been distinguished into classes corresponding to increasing levels of security clearances required by those people allowed access to it, and has come to be called classified information (as in "classified for a particular clearance"). - unclassified: in general usage, "not secret"; in governmental usage, information which has not been assigned a security clearance.
Information which has not been assigned a classification; most public information falls into this category, which is the default state of information. Stands in contrast to information which has been evaluated and classified as "Public". - declassified: in general and governmental usage, formerly but not presently secret
Information which had as some point been classified as secret, but has since been released to the public. - intelligence: information and sources of information (spies and spying)
- human intelligence: information from spies and interrogated prisoners, and other information from human sources (such as weather reports or economic studies) used by a secret or military agency
- asset: a secret agency's recruited, clandestine human source in a foreign country (foreign spies)
- wet work: assassination
- physical persuasion or physical pressure: torture
Military Political - regime: government (negative term)
- final solution: The Holocaust
Doublespeak was very common in the Third Reich. Goebbels' Reichsministerium fr Volksaufklrung und Propaganda (Ministry of the Reich for Public Enlightenment and Propaganda) coined thousands of new German words. Other Examples include: Concentration Camp (labor/death camp), "Heim ins Reich" (occupation of Austria), the meanings of "Volk" (people) and "Rasse" (race). - ethnic cleansing:genocide
- appeasement: to give in to aggression or, to negotiate an agreement
- freedom fighter: armed political rebel (positive term) / terrorist working for us. This is a fine example of Orwellian blackwhite.
- terrorist: armed political rebel (negative term). / freedom fighter working for them.
- homicide bomber: suicide bomber (negative term)
- taxpayer: citizen
The word taxpayer means an individual or business that pays taxes, and when used in a discussion of government revenues is not doublespeak. However, using the term interchangeably with citizen does two things. One, it disguises the fact that political policies that apply to individual taxpayers also apply to corporate taxpayers. Two, it appeals to middle-class citizens by excluding citizens perceived to be bludgers, such as welfare beneficiaries and others perceived to pay little or no tax. More subtly, use of this term dilutes the idea of citizenship itself, and implies that there is nothing more to society than mere economic rationalism, as per Margaret Thatcher's famous pronouncement. This usage has become popular in the names of certain conservative groups, for example, Taxpayers for Common Sense and National Taxpayers Union in the United States, the Canadian Taxpayers Federation and the lobby group Association of Consumers and Taxpayers in New Zealand. - the Axis of Evil coined by the Bush Administration, countries with defense policies and international relations opposed to those of the United States.
- internment facility: prison
Social - job seekers: the unemployed
- asylum seekers: refugees
- suspected illegal entrants or illegals: used when asylum seekers is considered to grant too much legitimacy
- unsavory character: criminal (or, more specifically suspected criminal)
- involuntary conversion: plane crash (Lutz)
- disabled, differently abled, or handi-capable: crippled
- senior citizen: old person
- visually impaired: blind
See also External link References - 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.
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