Language and Doublespeak

Animal Farm – Honors English 9

“The language we use to communicate with one another is like a knife. In the hands of a careful and skilled surgeon, a knife can work to do great good. But in the hands of a careless or ignorant person, a knife can cause great harm. Exactly as it is with our words.” - Unknown

Denotation

• the explicit or direct meaning or set of meanings of a word or expression;

• the dictionary meaning.

• Example:– Snake - a limbless

reptile with a long, scaly body

Connotation

• an implied meaning of a word;• ideas or feelings suggested by the word

(negative or positive).

• Example:– Snake: an evil, bad,

or sneaky person

Note:

Words that have the same denotative meaning can have much different

connotative meanings.

The connotation of a word can tell you a lot about what the speaker of the word

means by it.

Not all words have connotative meanings.

It’s a Zoo Out There!

The English language has appropriated the names of numerous

animals for common verbs, adjectives, and nouns with very different

meanings.

What are the denotations and the connotations of the following?

to pig out

to rat on someone

to horse around

to crow about something

Can you complete these clichés?

• Work like a …

• Swim like a …

• Sly as a …

• Wise as an …

• Busy as a …

Animals in Animal Farm

Napoleon, Snowball, Squealer, andOld Major the pigs

The dogs

Boxer the horse

Mollie the horse

Benjamin the donkey

Moses the raven

What characteristics are shown in the types of animals used for each character?

The Power of Language

Political language…is designed to make lies

sound truthful and murder respectable

and to give an appearance of

solidarity to pure wind.

-George Orwell, “Politics and the English Language”

Doublespeak• We hear and read

doublespeak every day, but what, exactly, is doublespeak?

• Webster's dictionary defines doublespeak with these words: evasive, ambiguous, high-flown language intended to deceive or confuse.

• Term was coined in 1974

Specific Attributes of Doublespeak (Lutz)

• misleads • distorts reality • pretends to communicate • makes the bad seem good • avoids or shifts responsibility • makes the negative appear positive • creates a false verbal map of the world • limits, conceals, corrupts, and prevents thought • makes the unpleasant appear attractive/tolerable • creates absurdity between reality and what is said

or not said

Types of Doublespeak

• Euphemism – words that attempt to soften, hide, or distort

reality by putting the thing described into a better light, making the object it describes sound less frightening, less threatening, or less offensive

– The word euphemism is derived from the Greek word euphemos, meaning “to use a good word for an evil or unfavorable word.”

Examples of Euphemisms

• Look at the word on your index card.

• Your index card has either a word/thing or a euphemism of a word/thing.

• Find your match and decide which one is the word/thing and which one is the euphemism.

Types of Doublespeak

• Jargon – specialized language used by a particular

professional, trade, or hobby group; – specialized language; – can be overly-complex terms used to impress

others– often meaningless to outsiders

Examples of Jargon

Medical Education Military Texting

Laceration

Aspirate

Hematoma

AP

ESOL

Warm-up

POW

MIA

Army Brat

LOL

BTW

TTYL

Types of Doublespeak

• Gobbledygook – many long, sophisticated

words (think "gobs of words")

– used in long, complicated sentences to confuse the audience and hide the real issue of the discourse

Examples of Gobbledygook

Gobbledygook:All transactions effected pursuant to this instrument shall be effected for the account and risk and in the name of the undersigned; and the undersigned hereby agrees to underwrite and hold you harmless from, and to pay you promptly on demand, any and all losses arising there

from or any debit balance due thereon.

English:You'll be responsible for anything you owe on your

account.

Examples of Gobbledygook

Gobbledygook:'Twas the nocturnal segment of the period preceding the annual Yuletide celebration, and throughout our

place of residence, kinetic activity was not in evidence among the possessors of this potential,

including that species of domestic rodent known as Mus musculus.

English:'Twas the night before Christmas, when all through the house, not a creature was stirring, not even a

mouse;

Types of Doublespeak

• Inflated Language

– puffed-up, important-sounding words used to give commonplace things and events an elevated, glowing appearance

Examples of Inflated Language

• negative patient care outcome: – the patient died

• mental activity at the margins: – insanity

• reutilization marketing yard: – junkyard

Negative Impacts

• Doublespeak Corrupts Thought– We use language to think, to make decisions,

to express our thoughts and feelings on issues. Then, we act as a result of processing information, which we can only do by using language. So, the language we hear and use in our everyday lives influences us and helps shape our opinions to a greater degree than we probably realize. If the language we hear and read is corrupt and misleading, it will corrupt and mislead our thought processes.

Negative Impacts

• Doublespeak Destroys Communication– Language affects how we think and act, it also

affects our ability to communicate with other people. To discuss issues intelligently, we must use the language that we all agree on. If some people or groups use their own language of doublespeak that hides the truth and misleads the receivers of the message, then open, honest discussion cannot take place. In other words, we cannot truly relate with others.

Negative Impacts

• Doublespeak Erodes Trust– When we hear doublespeak from all sides--

government, education, the advertising industry, the media--we begin to be cynical and distrustful toward these institutions. This attitude of distrust then adds yet another barrier to true, open communication.

Identify examples of doublespeak from the novel.

What impact does doublespeak have

on the novel?