JoLIE 16:2/2023
MANIPULATION THROUGH WORDS IN ORWELL`S NINETEEN EIGHTY-FOUR[1]
Luciana Daniela Lazea
1 Decembrie 1918 University of Alba Iulia
Abstract
This article investigates how linguistic engineering in George Orwell’s Nineteen Eighty-Four functions as a primary instrument of ideological domination within a totalitarian regime. Through a discourse-analytic examination of Newspeak structures, Party slogans, and excerpts from Winston Smith’s diary, the study explores how lexical reduction, semantic inversion, and morphological regularisation are exploited to restrict conceptual possibilities and erode critical thought. Drawing on theories of language and power, the analysis highlights how Newspeak’s controlled vocabulary limits nuance, suppresses oppositional meanings, and constructs a politically sanctioned reality in which contradictions are normalised. The findings suggest that Orwell’s fictional system anticipates contemporary techniques of mass manipulation, demonstrating how deliberate constraints on linguistic form can reshape cognitive processes and reinforce authoritarian control. Ultimately, the study underscores the centrality of language as a tool for both social organisation and psychological coercion in oppressive political environments.
Key words: Newspeak; Discourse manipulation; Linguistic control; Ideology; Orwell.
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How to cite this paper: Lazea, L. D. (2023). Manipulation through words in Orwell’s Nineteen Eighty-Four. Journal of Linguistic and Intercultural Education – JoLIE, 16(2), 87–104. https://doi.org/10.29302/jolie.2023.16.2.6
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[1] The current paper was elaborated as part of the MA course in Metaphorology in contemporary media, led by Professor Teodora Popescu, academic year 2022-2023, 1 Decembrie 1918 University of Alba Iulia, Romania.